Travelore Tips: Citi Slashes Emirates Transfer Value — Amex And Chase Will Suspend Skywards Redemptions

While airline and hotel loyalty programs devalue their points all the time, we rarely see the same from bank programs. Sometimes they lose partners. For instance, when Korean Air did an exclusive deal with their co-brand credit card partner U.S. Bank, Chase lost the ability to transfer to Korean.

Emirates A380 First Class Suite

However we don’t see bank programs frequently break their 1:1 points transfer ratios. Some transfers get introduced at less than 1:1. Capital One launched points transfers at less than 1:1 and then improved most of those. That was huge!

Yet Citibank shared that starting July 27, transfers to Emirates will no longer be 1:1. They’re moving to 1 Citi ThankYou point to just 0.8 Emirates Skywards points.

In a way that’s strange, because Emirates points just aren’t very valuable outside of upgrades from business class to first class.

But Emirates is chintzy with its points, especially to non-elite premium class flyers. That’s by design.

So I presumed they’re asking more money, and Citi made the economics work by passing along this change to customers.

Now we see a couple more dominos in a pattern. Both American Express and Chase say that transfers will be unavailable for about a month.

My American Express account shows Beginning May 28th, the ability to transfer Membership Rewards® points to Emirates Skywards® Miles will be temporarily unavailable. Please visit Emirates.com for more information. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

And on the Chase Ultimate Rewards website a similar message:

Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards® points online or over the phone to Emirates Skywards will be unavailable between 12:00 AM ET 5/29/25 and tentatively 6/30/25. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Emirates is expensive to deal with! That’s why Air Canada Aeroplan introduced a separate award chart just for Emirates redemptions when first launching that partnership.

On the other hand, their first class product is excellent (their business class offering is mid at best, and on 777s worse than that). And pricing isn’t horrible for shorter flights like New York JFK – Milan where availability can also be quite good (it has been very good recently).

‘New’ Emirates Business Class, Credit: Emirates

Seeing Emirates transfers disappear for a time from both Chase and American Express, following the announcement of a devalued transfer ratio from Citi, suggests a move by Emirates rather than by any one bank. Remember when Emirates demanded Alaska stop offering awards through their old partnership so cheap – overnight – and Alaska found themselves making a no-notice devaluation and refunding points purchases?

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Emirates Wins APAC Best Premium Economy And Opens Emirates World In Manila

When it comes to designing luxurious premium cabins, it seems the large Middle Eastern carriers lead the way, often sparing no expense to develop new concepts, materials, menus and service levels. When Emirates debuted its Premium Economy cabin in 2022, it ushered in a step change of what premium economy could look like, challenging many other airlines' business class layouts.

An award-winning premium economy cabin

In November, Emirates was crowned the Best Premium Economy Class in the 2024 Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards. The award comes as no surprise to anyone who has traveled in the cabin and adds to the more than 20 awards and recognitions Emirates has received this year, including seven accolades at the Skytrax World Airlines Awards in June, including one for the Best Premium Economy Class.

This latest achievement comes as Emirates continues its global multi-billion-dollar retrofit program. This program will see more than 200 Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 cabins fitted with premium economy, along with other cabin refreshments, ensuring all passengers can travel in the utmost comfort for many years to come.

Emirates Divisional Vice President Australasia Barry Brown said that having launched Premium Economy just two years ago in Sydney, seeing it receive this recognition from voters in the Business Traveler Asia-Pacific Awards is brilliant. He added that it has garnered global praise from customers and industry experts, with multiple award wins reflecting its outstanding performance and excellence.

"We currently serve Australia with close to 3,200 weekly seats in Premium Economy, having doubled the product deployment on flights to Melbourne earlier this year, giving passengers greater choice and flexibility while maintaining Australia's position as one of the key markets served with our best-in-class seats."

What makes the Emirates Premium Economy cabin a winner

As the pictures highlight, the Emirates Premium Economy cabin offers a signature experience with plush cream leather seats and wood veneer touches. Passengers also enjoy a generous baggage allowance and an exceptional dining experience, attended to by a team of Emirates cabin crew dedicated to Premium Economy passengers.

The award-winning cabin currently features flights to 19 destinations globally, including Asia-Pacific routes to Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Christchurch, Singapore, Osaka, Tokyo Narita and Tokyo Haneda. In its two years in service, the cabin has exceeded expectations, with more than 90,000 passengers flying to and from Australia opting for the premium experience.

Emirates opens first Emirates World in Southeast Asia

On Thursday, Emirates launched its first Emirates World retail concept in Southeast Asia, introducing the fully immersive experience in the Philippines' capital of Manila. Emirates has launched these reimagined retail spaces in Hong Kong, Dubai, London and Nairobi, with more stores set to progressively roll out to key markets over the next three years.

Emirates is investing approximately $27.2 million in these retail spaces, where visitors can browse a curated selection of Emirates-branded merchandise and travel accessories. A highlight of the Manila Emirates World Store is the Emirates A380 onboard lounge display, which gives customers a first-hand look at the premium touches that define Emirates' products in the sky.

The Emirates World retail store is part of the airline's broader strategy to get closer to its customers as they plan their travel and create an elevated experience consistent with the airline's brand. The Manila store was inaugurated by Emirates' Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim, who said:

"The new Emirates World Store in Manila is designed to serve as a one-stop shop where customers can explore Emirates' best-in-class products and services, and provides visitors a glimpse of our onboard hospitality and excellence, ensuring the bar is set high when it comes to retail experiences both in the Philippines and across our global network."

The store is also equipped with smart technologies that set it apart from conventional travel spaces, featuring an interactive self-service screen that allows customers to quickly browse flight options, check availability and more. Emirates first operated in Manila in 1990 and currently serves the Philippines with 28 weekly flights. Emirates also has an interline agreement with Philippine Airlines (PAL) that allows PAL customers to connect to nine international points via Dubai.

https://simpleflying.com/author/michael-doran/

Travelore News: Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Emirates Airline Announce New Partnership

Frits Van Paasschen (Starwood CEO) and Thierry Antinori (Executive VP)

STAMFORD, CT and DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Today, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc and Emirates Airline® are announcing a new partnership providing reciprocal benefits to Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) and Emirates Skywards members. The program, Your World Rewards, begins Nov. 19 and allows SPG and Skywards elite members who register for the program, to elevate their earnings and benefits when they fly with Emirates or stay with SPG Participating Hotels.

With Your World Rewards, SPG and Emirates Skywards members will now earn in the air, on the ground and around the world. Whether on business or leisure, registered SPG and Emirates Skywards members will enjoy the best in travel from take-off to check-out with rich benefits, personal service and extensive access around the world through this partnership of two loyalty programs.

Elite SPG and Emirates Skywards members will receive exclusive rewards of each loyalty program. Skywards Gold and Platinum members will have the opportunity to upgrade their hotel experience, receiving exclusive benefits including access to SPG elite check-in, 4:00 p.m. late check-out and complimentary in-room Internet access. In turn, all SPG Platinum members will enjoy some of the advantages of Emirates Skywards elite like priority check-in and priority boarding when flying Emirates. Members will also receive complimentary e-gate access for flights in and out of Dubai.

Members will also earn bonus Starpoints® when they fly with Emirates and bonus Miles when they stay with SPG on top of their usual earnings. Elite SPG members will earn one Starpoint® per dollar, in addition to Skywards Miles, for all eligible Emirates operated flights; and all Emirates Skywards Silver, Gold and Platinum members will earn the equivalent of one Mile per dollar, on top of Starpoints, for all eligible stays at Starwood hotels and resorts worldwide. Conversion rates will be adjusted for local currencies.

“The combination of Emirates’ growing global network, Starwood's innovative take on hospitality and our top-rated loyalty programs allow us to recognize our most valuable customers with a heightened level of service and greater rewards wherever they travel – be it to one of our more than 140 destinations or at any of Starwood’s 1,200 hotels," said Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates Airline. “This partnership unites two like-minded companies with complementary global footprints, putting more rewards on the map and taking our most loyal guests’ travel to new heights.”

As one of the leading global airlines, Emirates is constantly adding new routes and new destinations, connecting more people with more places. To date, Emirates has 54 A380 in their fleet and is receiving an average of two of these supersized aircrafts per month. Particularly, the U.S. market has been a growing market for Emirates, adding Chicago as its latest U.S. destination in August and upgrading its routes to Dallas/Fort Worth to an A380 with San Francisco and Houston to follow shortly. In total, Emirates serves more than 140 destinations in more than 80 countries across 6 continents. With its hub in Dubai, it connects the West with the East – providing customers from the Americas, Europe and Africa service to destinations in the Far East and Australasia, West Asia, Indian Ocean and Middle East and vice versa.

“We are living in a new Golden Age of Travel with more people from more places traveling than ever before,” said Mark Vondrasek, Senior Vice President, Distribution, Loyalty and Partnership Marketing at Starwood. “Your World Rewards allows us to cultivate even greater loyalty with travelers from the world’s fastest-growing travel markets. As Emirates increasingly connects East with West, and the emerging markets to the developed world, their reach dovetails perfectly with Starwood’s preeminent high-end, global footprint and our pipeline of new hotels, 75% of which will open in emerging markets.”

According to Vondrasek, SPG membership has grown 400% in key emerging markets over the last five years. And as the Middle East continues to emerge as a premier global gateway, and the crossroads of new world travel patterns, it is also increasingly a source of new frequent travelers. The Middle East is SPG’s third fastest-growing market behind China and India and one of the top 10 travel destinations for SPG members. Today, Starwood is the largest high-end hotel company in the region and expects to grow its footprint by 70% over the next five years, specifically in Dubai and other Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, where tourism is on the rise. With 82 operating hotels and more than 20 hotels expected to open by the end of 2015 in the region, Starwood is on track to reach a milestone 100 hotels across its Middle East and Africa portfolio.