The Different Tiers Of Emirates’ Skywards Program

Emirates is arguably the best-known international airline in the world, and its Skywards loyalty program is equally popular. With over 30 million members, Skywards has three tiers: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. While it isn’t easy to qualify, the benefits are plentiful, from lounge access to home check-in services, so here’s everything you need to know.

All members start from Blue, which is automatic upon signing up for an account. From there, you begin earning two currencies: Skywards Miles and Tier Miles; the former allows you to book award tickets, while the latter dictates your elite status. You earn the same number until you reach Silver or higher, upon which you get bonuses for Skywards Miles (but not Tier Miles).

Starting from Silver

Qualifying

The first elite status you’ll reach is Silver with Skywards, and for that, you’ll need::

• 25,000 Tier Miles or
• 25 qualifying flights*

*A qualifying flight is one service from origin to destination on Emirates, flydubai, or a ticket issued by either. So a trip from New York to Singapore counts as one qualifying flight, with the stopover in Dubai not splitting it into two. A roundtrip only counts as two qualifying flights, even if you have multiple stopovers.

Photo: Emirates

To better understand this, Emirates awards Tier Miles by the fare class you travel in. Take a roundtrip from Dubai to London Heathrow as an example. You’ll earn just 900 Tier Miles in Economy Special, 1,800 in Saver, 4,500 in Flex, and 6,000 in Flex Plus (or two qualifying flights). As you can tell, unless you pay for the exorbitant Flex or Flex Plus tickets, you’ll reach the 25-flight threshold before qualifying on the back of Tier Miles. It would take 4.5 trips in Flex Plus, 6 trips in Flex, or 25 flights in Special or Saver to qualify.

However, the math shifts rapidly in business class. You’ll earn 6,600 Tier Miles in Business Special, 7,500 in Saver, 10,500 in Flex, and 11,400 in Flex Plus. This means it only takes 4 trips in Special, 3.5 trips in Saver, or 2.5 trips across Flex and Flex Plus to reach Silver status. As you can tell, the system heavily favors even the cheapest business fare over economy and makes Silver very easy to reach here.

Finally, if you’re in first class suites, you’ll earn 15,000 Tier Miles in Flex or Flex Plus. That means just two trips in First provides Silver status.

The benefits

While Emirates demands a lot for your loyalty, it isn’t playing around when it comes to benefits either. With Silver, you’ll get:

• Priority check-in at Dubai and airports globally
• Emirates Business Class Lounge access at Dubai Airport (no guests)
• 30% extra Skyward Miles on all flights
• Free WiFi when flying business or first class
• 12kgs of extra checked luggage allowance

Photo: Emirates

Gold

Qualifying

If you fly with Emirates very frequently, or primarily in business or first class, Gold status is up next. To qualify, you’ll need:

• 50,000 Tier Miles or
• 50 qualifying flights

Photo: Emirates

To put this into perspective, we can use Dubai-London roundtrip example from above. You would need 8.5 trips in Economy Flex Plus, 11.5 trips in Flex, or 25 journeys in Economy Special or Saver to qualify. For business, it’s 8 trips in Special, 7 in Saver, 5.5 trips in Flex, or 4.5 trips in Flex Plus. It’s 3.5 trips in first class to qualify.

The benefits

When you get to Gold, the list of benefits doesn’t look too impressive, but there’s more than what meets the eye. On paper, you’ll get:

• Business class check-in at all airports
• Access to Emirates’ Business Class Lounge in Dubai and other lounges worldwide, with one guest
• 16kgs of extra luggage/1 extra bag (23kgs)
• 75% bonus Skywards Miles

While this doesn’t seem too impressive, Emirates also has several softer touches to Gold. For example, you’ll get a personalized experience onboard, with crew coming by to introduce themselves by name, remembering your profile and preferences. There are also invites to Emirates-sponsored events, along with chances to bid for experiences like Arsenal football games or, until last year, Spanish Grand Prix tickets.

Platinum

Qualifying

Reserved for only Emirates’ top-tier customers, reaching Platinum can only be achieved with some significant spending with the airline. You’ll need:

• 150,000 Tier Miles
• and one qualifying flight in business or first class

Photo: Emirates

The most realistic way to achieve this status is by flying in first class. On our Dubai-London roundtrip, it will be 10 trips in First, 13.5 trips in Business Flex Plus, 14.5 in Flex, 20 in Saver, and 23 in Special. If you’re in economy, reaching Platinum entails 25 trips in Flex Plus, 33.5 trips in Flex, 83.5 trips in Saver, and 167 flights in Special (over 300 days in the sky!). Even then, you’ll need one qualifying flight in business or first to qualify.

The benefits

For the kind of spending Emirates demands of its Platinum members every year, it also rolls out the red carpet. Literally. You’ll get:

• 100% bonus Skywards miles
• Dedicated or first class check-in at all airports
• Access to Emirates’ First Class Lounge in Dubai and worldwide, with one guest and two children under 17.
• Ability to purchase any economy or business class seat as a Classic Flex Plus award ticket
• Two complimentary business to first upgrades, subject to availability, and 50% off on two more upgrades
• Upto 50,000 Tier Miles rolled over after 150,000 achieves
• Nominate one member for Gold membership
• Priority reserved seats on economy and business class on full flights (except on major holidays)
• Complimentary Home Check-In in Dubai

One more, but it’s Invite Only

The three tiers discussed above are public and could be achieved by anyone looking to put in the flight hours. However, Emirates still has one secret tier, known as iO (Invite Only). Given to only 300 VIPs globally, nominated by Emirates President Tim Clark himself, the iO tier includes the highest levels of personalized service. Think chauffeur pick up and drop offs to and from the plane, relationship managers planning entire trips, and anything you might need from the carrier.

What do you think about Emirates’ Skyward tiers? Let us know in the comments!