How to boost your Emirates Skywards balance, from booking hacks and everyday apps to the best travel credit cards
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If you’re a frequent traveller based in Dubai or even the UAE, it’s highly likely you’ll have an Emirates Skywards account. Dubai‘s flagship airline makes its loyalty programme extremely attractive with Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers on offer – each coming with perks like upgrades, lounge access, extra luggage and fast-track check-in – and a host of other benefits, all acquired by earning those coveted Emirates Skywards Miles.
But unless you’re travelling on a very regular basis, it can be hard to earn miles from flying alone, and that’s where other programmes come in to help customers earn more Emirates Skywards Miles. Helping you along on the route to upgrades, hotel stays, free golf and other attractive Skywards benefits, here are four easy ways to get more Emirates Skywards miles.
How to earn more Emirates Skywards miles
Get an Emirates Skywards credit card
Perhaps the easiest way to earn more Emirates Skywards miles is by simply spending on your credit card, on day-to-day purchases and on household bills. This is possible with an Emirates Skywards credit card, available in most of the UAE’s top banks (such as Citibank, Emirates NBD and RAKBANK) all offering various incentives and miles per spend. When looking for an Emirates Skywards credit card, the first place to start is the minumum monthly income threshold, which can range from AED10,000 up to as high as AED40,000 – and the fees they incur for the year.
While some come with a hefty annual fee, they can come with fantastic perks like instant silver status, tens of thousands of air miles and other perks like hotel discounts, free golf and complimentary airport transfers – so if you’re a regular traveller, it’s can definitely be worth the spend. Even the more affordable Emirates Skywards credit cards are worth it – and users will see a big increase in their amount of Skywards miles. Most will offer solely Skywards miles, but others offer Tier mile bonuses, too, which go towards climbing up Emirates’ loyalty tier programme. Discover our edit of the best Emirates Skywards credit cards, and which one is right for you.
Make a small change to the way you book flights
When booking flights with Emirates it’s easy to opt for the cheapest options, but for a small fee difference, you could see double the Tier Miles awarded. For example, a flight from Dubai to London Gatwick on a Saver ticket offers 900 Tier Miles, but for AED300 more, a Flex ticket awards 2,250 Tier Miles. Unlike Skywards Miles, Tier Miles cannot be bought and are much harder to earn than Skywards, so this is a great way to build up your Tier Miles for a nominal fee.
Use the Skywards Everyday app
Another way to increase your miles is to use the Skywards Everyday app – where miles can be earnt on day-to-day purchases like coffee, meals out, wellness pet supplies and groceries. Popular outlets listed on the app include Arabica, Costa Coffee, Barry’s Bootcamp, the Anantara Spa, Organic Cafe and fine dining restaurants like CÉ LA VI.
Purchase more Emirates Skywards Miles
Perhaps the easiest way to earn more miles is to purchase them via the Emirates website. Miles start at AED225 for 2,000 points, going all the way up to 100,000 for AED11,295. Skywards miles go towards upgrades, money off, or the whole cost of your ticket. Remember that only Tier miles (not available for purchase) can help you move up a loyalty tier.
