With bottomless caviar and Dom Perignon, an onboard bar, and a shower at 38,000 feet, Emirates First Class is the pinnacle of aviation … unless you find your way inside one of Emirates' Game Changer First Class suites. So no surprise it's gotten harder and harder to book using points and miles.
The Dubai-based airline just closed the door even more with an unusual move: Effective Monday, May 12, Emirates now blocks everyday travelers from booking a first class award ticket using their own Skywards miles – you'll need Emirates Silver status or higher to be eligible. Loyalty Lobby was the first to spot this negative change, which was made with barely two days' notice.
That said, there are a trio workarounds you could use to cross Emirates First off your bucket list using points:
- So far as we can tell, the airline's excellent option to upgrade using miles the day of your flight remains unchanged … for now. That means you could book an Emirates business class award, then fork over another 35,000, 50,000 miles or more to upgrade all the way up front. While it'll cost you more miles than booking a first class seat from the outset, at least it's possible – and those miles are easy to earn, as Emirates is a transfer partner with all the major banks.
- You can still book some Emirates First Class awards through partner airline programs like Air Canada Aeroplan and Qantas Frequent Flyer – though award availability can be even harder to come by.
- You can get instant status from either of the airline's co-branded Barclays cards: The Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard® gets you one year of entry-level Silver status while the Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard® comes with a year of Gold status, then Silver status for as long as you keep the card open. You can extend Silver and Gold status by spending $20,000 or $40,000 on each card, respectively, each calendar year.
Requiring travelers to have status in order to book their best cabin using miles mirrors Air France's notorious policy for its vaunted La Premiere First Class, though the French carrier is even more restrictive. You need top-tier Flying Blue Platinum or Ultimate status in order to book an Air France first class seat … for a mountain of miles, too.
Still, this stings. And considering all the changes underway with Emirates' transfer partners – Citi will soon downgrade its transfer ratio while both Amex and Chase will pause points transfers for a month – it's hard not to think the airline is rethinking its Skywards program altogether.
But could there be a silver lining here? For travelers dead set on flying Emirates First, this change could make it easier to book … so long as you're willing to jump through an extra hoop or two.
Booking Emirates First Class has only gotten harder over the years. Not only has the airline nixed go-to redemption avenues like Alaska Mileage Program, but it's raised its own award rates repeatedly while tacking on nasty fees of close to $900 each way to and from Dubai (DXB). Even so, finding the award availability to book at those higher rates has become a chore – particularly for more than one passenger.
We've been searching every day for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members. Finding award space for two bookable with miles flying between New York City (JFK) and Milan (MXP) has become a true unicorn of a deal.
But if you could pick up an Emirates credit card with a $99 annual fee for one year and have an easier time finding dates? Or if you could truly bank on upgrading from business to first class at the check-in desk? Maybe that tradeoff is worth it.
Of course, those are some might big ifs. While restricting first class award availability should, in theory, make those awards easier to book for the smaller pool of travelers who are eligible, it doesn't always pan out that way. After all, Air France/KLM said increasing business class award rates earlier this year would lead to greater award availability … which still hasn't materialized.
Bigger picture, this fits into the broader trend that is reshaping all things points and miles: Airlines are increasingly cracking down on the growing market of American travelers flush with credit card points.
Pointsflation is running rampant, with carrier after carrier hiking award rates over just the last two years. Even that pricier award space can be harder to find as many airlines throttle award availability for premium cabin seats. And it's becoming blatantly obvious that major U.S. carriers like Delta and United are pressuring their foreign airline partners to rework their award charts and stamp out workarounds to book their flights for fewer miles.
No airline seat in the sky gets more attention from travel influencers or their followers than Emirates First Class. This is a (somewhat) new tactic to stop those precious seats from getting gobbled up – and one we wouldn't be surprised to spread to other carriers.
Bottom Line
It's a sign of the times: Emirates has begun restricting first class awards to flyers with status.
From picking up an Emirates co-branded credit card to forking over another 50,000 miles or more for an upgrade, there are a few workarounds you can employ to snag that first class seat with points – some easier than others.
