The opulent first-class cabins of Emirates are at the top of many travellers’ wish lists when it comes to travelling in style. And for good reason: the company provides some of the most luxurious flight experiences available, ranking as the fourth-biggest airline in the world (and the largest in the Middle East). But does Emirates Skywards, the company’s frequent flyer club, live up to the tagline “Fly Emirates, Fly Better”? Learn more in our in-depth analysis of the Emirates loyalty programme!
Membership Page – Everything You Need
It’s already a wonderful experience to visit Emirates Skywards’ membership page; it’s similar to opening a trip guide. You may get a quick overview of the program’s operation on the main page, which emphasises its almost endless potential. To understand specific details regarding the program’s partnerships, how to spend and earn miles, and the tier perks, users must make an extra effort to locate certain subpages, which are not included in this section.
However, Emirates should be commended for prominently displaying its frequent flyer programme on the website’s primary navigation bar. Airlines and other firms frequently commit the error of not promoting their loyalty programmes sufficiently. Additionally, Emirates places an enrollment/login panel on each subpage so that users to the website can join at any time with only one click.
Registration – Quick Check-in
Enrolling in Emirates Skywards is simple, speaking of which. You can start the process by entering your email address in any of the enrollment panels that are shown around the website. Then you are directed to the following phase, where Emirates requests the necessities (title, name, birth date, residence, password and an optional referral code).
The enrolling procedure is now complete, and travellers can begin accruing miles. However, only 33% of profiles are complete, and newly discovered individuals have the option to add further information, such as passport details and personal preferences. Although completing the profile doesn’t result in a financial benefit, doing so makes it simpler for members to book flights or get more specialised offers.
Accumulated Points – Miles
The cornerstone of the Emirates loyalty programme is miles, which are the airline industry equivalent of reward points. Utilizing their Membership ID to make a flight reservation with either Emirates or flydubai is the simplest way for members to accrue Skywards Miles.
It’s interesting to note that the route, fare type, class of travel, as well as the member’s current tier, all influence the number of Miles earned with each flight. This shows a different strategy from Western airline loyalty programme customs, which frequently calculate points using the cost of the ticket.
It’s important to note that Emirates is not a member of any significant airline alliances. Instead, they’ve partnered with over 15 airlines, like Copa Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, and Jetstar, giving frequent flyers the option to convert their miles into actual airline miles.
Non-Airline Alliances
The Emirates loyalty programme has many benefits over other frequent flyer programmes, including the ability to transfer points among a network of sizable transferable points systems. In other words, you can increase your Miles balance by converting points from an American Express specialty credit card to Miles.
Emirates has a large partner network, having partnered with a variety of businesses that offer travel-related services. Major car rental companies, several hotel chains, as well as retail and lifestyle companies like Arabian Adventures and the Dubai Mall, are all included in this.
Emirates makes it very simple for travellers to earn Miles thanks to its impressive relationship network, particularly when they include some of the previously stated partners.
A Surprising Addition to the Premium Subscription
Emirates provides a premium subscription system called Skywards+ for its most devoted customers in addition to all the loyalty programme features already discussed above (and a separate Business Rewards treatment for enterprises). It comes in three packages, each of which has a monthly price in exchange for a set of exclusive features that are not available to Platinum tier members.
These benefits include higher check-in luggage allowance, increased airport lounge access, increased Miles earned during flights (on top of the percentage granted by “Elite” tiers), discounted Miles-purchased tickets, and preferred Cash+Miles prices.
Final Decision
Everything a regular airline loyalty programme would provide is provided by Emirates Skywards, and it does so superbly. Members have access to a wide range of partners, including hotels, airlines, and entertainment venues. There are many different ways to earn Miles, and there are a tonne of rewards available.
Emirates Skywards does not, however, go above and above to genuinely engage clients who aren’t making a purchase. There are currently no incentives for non-transactional activity. Despite the company’s emphasis on encouraging spend, even high and low lifetime value visitors can benefit from membership benefits.