It’s been an inauspicious year for folks who like using Emirates Skywards miles. Just in the last four months, Emirates has:
- Reduced its transfer ratio with Citi ThankYou Points to 1000:800
- Was unavailable to all transferable currencies for 5-6 weeks
- Dramatically reduced first-class award availability for partners and non-elite members
- Reduced its transfer ratio from Amex Membership Rewards to 1000:800, starting in September
- Dramatically raised award surcharges on one of its last remaining sweet spots: fifth freedom awards from the US to Europe and Colombia.
Now, there’s another piece of bad news: Chase will be ending the ability to transfer Ultimate Rewards Points to Emirates Skywards as of 10/16/25.
Quick Thoughts
It’s hard to say that Emirates was ever front-of-mind for most US-based points and miles fans, but it’s not hard to say that it’s quickly moving towards the back burner.
Emirates clearly seems to be rejigging its entire transfer partner ecosystem, my guess being that’s being done primarily by increasing the rates that it’s charging issuers, thus the decrease in transfer ratios from Citi and Amex to Skywards. However, Chase doesn’t have any partners that don’t have a 1:1 ratio, and probably weren’t looking to turn over a new leaf on Emirates’ behalf. So, adieu.
Capital One and Bilt are the last two 1:1 transfer partners with Emirates. Based on what’s happened in the last few months, I wouldn’t put much money on that continuing to be the case.
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I had just flown Emirates for the first time this year from BKK to HK and back. I used the new chase ultimate rewards redemption and got the best deal ever. And Emirates was awesome so I signed up for their miles program not even realizing that chase had a transfer program. When I saw this article I checked a few award tickets and just wow. Huge amount of points/ miles AND like $1300 for a one way to America? Booking with ultimate rewards is far better than that. I guess they want people to accrue miles and then pay like they did a transfer from a partner as punishment for booking an award ticket. It was a great flight anyway!
[…] Hat tip to FM […]
Emirates is overrated. Better for Chase to cut costs and spend the money on something useful like generational wealth for Jamie Dimon’s family
Emirates points bookings are such poor value anyway, especially after the disgusting amount of fees they charge for redemptions
Congratulations, I guess, to Chase guy refusing to “break the penny”?
As an NY-er and frequent visitor to Italy the JFK-MXP route is one of the few international awards I’ve used multiple times.
As hobbyists, we want more transfer partners and more choices. Chase’s utility is becoming narrower.
Good riddance!