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Skywards Miles are the miles you spend on rewards. Tier Miles are counted separately and only decide your membership level - Blue, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
Guide · Emirates Skywards
Emirates Skywards Miles: how they work and what they are worth
Emirates Skywards is the loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai, and its currency is the Skywards Mile. This guide covers how the miles work, what they are really worth, and how UAE credit cards earn them, with every figure taken from the official programme pages.
20,000miles: Mumbai return reward
USD 30Emirates' price for 1,000 miles
8UAE cards earn them
What are Emirates Skywards Miles?
Skywards Miles are the reward points of Emirates Skywards, the loyalty programme shared by Emirates and flydubai. You collect them when you fly with either airline or their partners, when you stay, shop or dine with programme partners, and when you spend on a Skywards credit card in the UAE. You then spend the miles on reward flights, cabin upgrades, hotel stays, event tickets and more.
Joining is free and every new member starts on Blue tier. Membership covers both airlines with one account, and kids aged 2 to 17 can collect miles of their own through Skysurfers.
Earned side by side on flights
On Emirates and flydubai fares you earn Skywards Miles and Tier Miles one for one - a fare that earns 800 Skywards Miles earns 800 Tier Miles with it.
My Family pooling
A family head can invite up to seven more members and pool the miles everyone earns into one account. Each member chooses to contribute all of their miles or none.
Skywards Miles vs Tier Miles
The programme runs two counters at once, and they behave very differently - especially for card spending:
| Skywards Miles | Tier Miles | |
|---|---|---|
| What they do | Pay for flights, upgrades, hotels and rewards | Move you up the membership tiers |
| Can you spend them? | Yes | No - they only count towards status |
| Earned by flying | Yes, by fare and cabin | Yes, one for one with Skywards Miles |
| Earned on UAE card spending | Yes - that is what the co-branded cards are for | No. Emirates' card Tier Miles offer applies in the USA only |
| Validity | 3 years, tied to your birthday month; never expire at Platinum | Counted towards your annual tier review |
Status, thresholds and every tier benefit have their own page: Emirates Skywards tiers, compared level by level.
How you earn Skywards Miles
Three routes, and they stack: fly, put everyday spending on a co-branded card, and shop with partners.
Flying
Miles depend on the fare and cabin, not just distance. Emirates' own calculator shows a Dubai to Mumbai return earning 400 miles on Economy Special, 800 on Saver, 1,400 on Flex and 1,800 on Flex Plus - and a Dubai to Kochi return earning 600 to 2,800 on the same ladder. Silver members earn 30% extra, Gold 75% and Platinum 100%.
Credit cards
Eight UAE cards from Emirates NBD, Emirates Islamic and DIB earn Skywards Miles on every purchase, at rates set per US dollar of spend - all listed further down this page. The miles land in your Skywards account automatically every statement cycle.
Partners and top-ups
Hotels, car hire, dining and retail partners all earn miles. You can also buy miles at USD 30 per 1,000 (up to 200,000 a year by tier), or multiply the miles from recent flights at USD 20 per 1,000.
Not ready for a co-branded card? Some flexible bank programmes convert into Skywards Miles too - ADCB TouchPoints (22 TouchPoints per Mile), CBD Rewards and Emirates Islamic SmartMiles all list Emirates Skywards as a transfer partner.
How much are Skywards Miles worth?
Emirates publishes no fixed cash rate for a Skywards Mile. Cash+Miles conversion rates change with the route, date, fare and cabin, and the exact rate only appears on the payment page. So the honest way to value your miles is against the rewards you actually book.
The India yardstick. A Dubai to Mumbai return in Economy costs 20,000 miles as a Saver Classic Reward, and Kochi costs 30,000 - taxes and surcharges are still paid in cash. Divide the fare you would have paid by the miles used and you have your personal rate; independent trackers usually land between 1 and 1.5 US cents per mile (per third-party sources).
What Emirates itself charges. Buying miles costs USD 30 per 1,000 - and Emirates' own terms note that the purchase price is unrelated to redemption value. Treat buying as a top-up tool when you are just short of a reward, not a way to generate value.
Dubai to Kochi return · Economy Saver reward 30,000 miles official Miles Calculator, August 2026
| Service | Official price per 1,000 miles | Annual limit |
|---|---|---|
| Buy miles | USD 30 | Up to 200,000, based on your tier |
| Gift miles | USD 30 | Up to 200,000, based on the recipient's tier |
| Transfer to family or friends | USD 15 | Up to 50,000 |
| Multiply miles you just earned | USD 20 | Up to 50,000 |
| Reinstate expired miles | USD 20 | Up to 50,000, within 6 months of expiry |
Prices from the official Do More With Your Miles page on emirates.com, checked in August 2026. Classic Reward levels changed on 20 May 2026; the miles quoted at booking are always the final word.
How you spend Skywards Miles
Classic Rewards are the headline, but the programme sells almost everything for miles:
✓Classic Rewards - reward seats on Emirates and flydubai. Saver rewards cost the fewest miles; Flex Plus rewards cost more but can be changed and upgraded freely.
✓Upgrade Rewards - move up a cabin online, at check-in or even on board, paying with miles on the spot.
✓Cash+Miles - use any miles balance to cut the cash price of a ticket, seat selection, extra baggage or lounge entry. No minimum reward needed.
✓Partner airlines - book reward flights across Skywards partner carriers when Emirates does not fly your route.
✓Hotels, events and experiences - stays, concerts and sports tickets through Skywards Exclusives and partners.
✓Family rewards - pool miles in a My Family account and spend them on flights and upgrades for any member.
Worth knowing: First Class Classic Rewards are reserved for Silver, Gold and Platinum members, and taxes on reward tickets are always paid in cash.
Do Skywards Miles expire?
Skywards Miles are valid for three years from the flight or transaction that earned them, and expire on the last day of your birthday month after those three years end. Two escape routes exist: pay to extend expiring miles for 12 more months (do it at least three months before expiry), or reinstate miles within six months after they lapse at USD 20 per 1,000. Platinum members skip all of this - their miles never expire, and neither do miles in a child's Skysurfers account.
Earn on every spend
UAE credit cards that earn Skywards Miles
Every co-branded Emirates Skywards credit card in our catalogue, from three UAE banks. Each card page lists the exact earn rate per category, the fees and the salary requirement.
8cards
Offer
Offer
DIBEmirates Skywards DIB Infinite Covered Card
- Min salary
- AED 20,000
- Annual fee
- AED 1,575
TravelDetails →
Next: what Skywards status takes
Tier Miles decide whether you fly as Blue, Silver, Gold or Platinum - and they only come from flying.
Emirates Skywards Miles questions
Skywards Miles are the miles you spend on flights, upgrades and rewards. Tier Miles cannot be spent: they only measure progress towards Silver, Gold and Platinum status. Flights earn both at the same time, one for one - but UAE credit cards earn Skywards Miles only.
Emirates publishes no fixed rate, and Cash+Miles conversion varies by route and date. Emirates sells miles at USD 30 per 1,000, while independent trackers usually value them between 1 and 1.5 US cents each (per third-party sources). The real test is the reward you book: a 20,000-mile Mumbai return that saves you a AED 1,000 fare returns about 5 fils per mile.
Yes - miles last three years from the activity that earned them and expire on the last day of your birthday month after that. You can pay to extend expiring miles by 12 months or reinstate lapsed ones within six months. Platinum members' miles never expire.
Emirates NBD, Emirates Islamic and Dubai Islamic Bank issue co-branded Skywards cards - eight cards in total, all listed on this page. ADCB TouchPoints (22 per Mile), CBD Rewards and Emirates Islamic SmartMiles can also be converted into Skywards Miles.
Per the official Miles Calculator in August 2026, a Dubai to Mumbai return in Economy costs 20,000 miles as a Saver Classic Reward (40,000 on Flex Plus), and Dubai to Kochi costs 30,000 (50,000 on Flex Plus). Taxes and surcharges are paid in cash, and levels can change - the price quoted at booking is final.
Yes. Buying costs USD 30 per 1,000 miles (up to 200,000 a year by tier), transferring to family or friends costs USD 15 per 1,000 (up to 50,000 a year), and multiplying miles from recent activity costs USD 20 per 1,000. Emirates' own terms note the purchase price is unrelated to redemption value, so buy to top up, not to speculate.
Automatically. The bank transfers the miles you earned each statement cycle to the Emirates Skywards account linked to your card - there is nothing to claim or request.
No. Emirates' Tier Miles offer for co-branded card spending applies to its USA cards only. In the UAE the cards earn spendable Skywards Miles; Tier Miles and status come from flying with Emirates and flydubai.
Browse cards by category
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Programme facts checked against etihad.com, etihadguest.com and the issuing banks' official pages on 12 August 2026. Reward from-prices, conversion rates and tier rules are set by Etihad Guest and can change without notice; the programme's own terms and conditions always apply.
Product details are indicative and compiled from each bank’s official pages and Key Facts Statements; figures can differ between a bank’s marketing page and its Key Facts Statement, and fees, rates and VAT treatment change. We are not affiliated with, or authorised by, any bank - always confirm current fees, eligibility, rewards and terms directly with the issuing bank before applying. This page does not constitute financial advice.