How can I earn more Skywards miles?

You earn Skywards miles by flying with Emirates or partner airlines, and through non-flight partners like hotels and car hire. Card points transferred from Amex or CommBank add to your balance. Earn rates vary with current offers.

What can I spend Skywards miles on?

The most common redemption is flights to destinations worldwide, but you can also use miles for seat upgrades, hotel bookings and lifestyle rewards.

What membership tiers are there?

Skywards has three tiers: Blue, Silver and Gold. Each adds more benefits, and you move up based on how often you fly.

Do unused Skywards miles expire?

Yes. Unused Emirates Skywards miles expire after three years, regardless of account activity, so plan your redemptions before then.

Emirates Skywards Miles credit cards

Compare cards that earn rewards points you can transfer to Emirates Skywards for flights and upgrades. Australian transfer partners are Amex Membership Rewards and CommBank Diamond Awards.

Earn points you can transfer to Emirates Skywards
Redeem for flights and seat upgrades
Australian partners: Amex and CommBank

Written by Andrew BoydReviewed by Vidhu Bajaj and David BoydWith insights from Matt Barrie

Featured

American Express Platinum Business Card

6 reviews

350,000 bonus Membership Rewards points
Complimentary international travel insurance

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How many points could you earn?

Enter your monthly spend to see estimated annual points for each card below.

Compare 6 Emirates Skywards credit cards

Credit card comparison table with rates, fees, rewards and apply links.
Name and rating	Rewards program	Earn rate	Sign-up bonus	Annual fee	Est. points / yr
American Express Platinum Card 16 reviews	American Express Membership Rewards	2.25 pts per $1Uncapped	200,000 pts	$1,450	281,000 ptsWorth $2,810	60 second approval
American Express Platinum Business Card 6 reviews	American Express Membership Rewards	2.25 pts per $1Uncapped	350,000 pts	$1,750	431,000 ptsWorth $4,310	60 second approval
American Express Explorer Credit Card 5 reviews	American Express Membership Rewards	2 pts per $1Uncapped	75,000 pts	$395	147,000 ptsWorth $1,470	60 second approval
American Express Business Gold Plus Card 2 reviews	American Express Membership Rewards	1.5 pts per $1Uncapped	200,000 pts	$395	254,000 ptsWorth $2,540	60 second approval
American Express Essential Rewards Credit Card	American Express Membership Rewards	1 pt per $1Uncapped	30,000 pts	$108	66,000 ptsWorth $660	60 second approval
American Express Platinum Edge Credit Card 18 reviews	American Express Membership Rewards	1 pt per $1Uncapped	—	$0	36,000 ptsWorth $360	60 second approval

Emirates Skywards by the numbers

Cards compared

2.25 pts per $1

Top earn rate

171,000 pts

Average sign-up bonus

$3,500

Highest-value sign-up bonus

American Express Platinum Business Card

$683

Average annual fee

Emirates points in Australia

Around a third of Australian card transactions involve a card that earns Qantas Points. But even though Emirates is a Qantas partner airline, you can't transfer points from Qantas Frequent Flyer to Emirates Skywards.

Since Citibank withdrew its Emirates Citi World Mastercard in January 2023, there are no co-branded Emirates cards in Australia. Even so, several Australian cards earn points you can transfer to Emirates Skywards.

How to transfer card points to Emirates Skywards

Instead of earning Emirates miles directly, you transfer (or convert) points from an Australian card loyalty program to Skywards. Amex Membership Rewards and CommBank Awards both have Emirates Skywards as a transfer partner.

Expert insight: airline status that comes and goes

“The complimentary airline gold memberships these cards bundle in are genuinely handy, but they do come and go: Emirates is the most recent to drop off. It's worth checking which partners are current before you count on the status.”

Matt Barrie

Technology entrepreneur

Is transferring to Emirates Skywards worth it?

It can be in the right situation, but often it isn't. Unused Skywards miles expire after three years regardless of activity, and redemptions are relatively costly in miles and carrier charges.

You don't have to use Skywards miles to fly Emirates: Qantas Frequent Flyer or Air Canada Aeroplan points can work too. But Skywards does open up the pricier Flex Plus reward seats, which have better availability, so for peak-period travel it can be one of the few ways to find a seat. Skywards miles also let you upgrade on Emirates flights, which Qantas Points don't.

Emirates Skywards credit card FAQs

There's no co-branded Emirates card here, so you earn points on a rewards card and transfer them to Skywards. The Australian transfer partners are Amex Membership Rewards and CommBank Awards.

Pros

Sign-up bonuses can be sizeable, often enough to cover a return flight or kick-start a rewards balance once you meet the spend.
Earn points on everyday spend, so the shopping you do anyway builds toward flights, gift cards or cashback instead of earning nothing.
Some cards include airport lounge access, so you can wait between flights in comfort instead of paying day-pass rates.
Many cards bundle complimentary insurances such as travel cover, saving you buying a separate policy before a trip.

Cons

The premium cards here carry high annual fees, so they only pay off if you use enough of the perks to cover the cost.
Purchase rates tend to sit above the market average, so carrying a balance on one of these costs more than on a low-rate card.
Most cards here charge a foreign transaction fee, so they cost more to use overseas or on foreign-currency sites.

Questions and answers

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Related card types

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles credit cards Compare frequent flyer cards Credit cards that earn Qantas Points Etihad Guest Miles credit cards KrisFlyer Miles credit cards Qantas Business Rewards credit cards

Sources

Credit Card Compare: Australian credit card statistics
Program: Emirates Skywards