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Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard review: A credit card for globe-trotters
Emirates is a luxury airline known for its first-class suites. Whether you're flying from New York to Dubai or from Miami to the Maldives, you may find that your Emirates flight is one of the highlights of your trip.
The Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard® is a travel credit card for those who frequently fly internationally, and it offers valuable rewards and useful travel perks. However, it does have an annual fee, and those who mostly travel within the U.S. may not get enough value from the card to justify the cost.
- Annual fee$99
- Welcome offerEarn 50,000 bonus miles by spending $3,000 within first 90 days of opening an account
- Card type(s)Travel, Airline
- Purchase APR20.74% - 29.99% variable
- Rewards rate
- 3x miles on Emirates.com purchases
- 2x miles on other eligible travel purchases
- 1x miles on all other eligible purchases
- Benefits
- You can earn unlimited Skywards Miles
- Skywards Miles don’t expire while your card is active
- 25% savings when you buy or gift miles
How to earn rewards
As a cardmember, you can maximize your rewards by using your card for your international travel, particularly your Emirates flights. You'll earn three miles per $1 spent on your Emirates.com purchases (including flights), two miles per $1 spent on hotels and other eligible travel arrangements, and one mile per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.
Consider this example: You plan on spending a week in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and you book first-class round-trip flights from New York to Dubai. You also book a hotel, and plan to splurge on Dubai's restaurants. Here is how much you could earn from your trip:
| Spending | Rewards Rate | Miles Earned |
| $21,965 on first-class, round-trip flights on Emirates | 3x miles per $1 spent | 65,895 |
| $2,800 on hotels | 2x miles per $1 spent | 5,600 |
| $1,000 on restaurant meals | 1x miles per $1 spent | 1,000 |
| TOTAL | 72,495 |
How to redeem rewards
When you earn miles with the Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard, you can redeem them in several ways:
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Flights
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Seat upgrades
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Skywards exclusives, such as tickets to different types of sporting events and other venues
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Gift cards to major retailers, like Saks Fifth Avenue, Wayfair and Macy's through the Skywards Miles Mall.
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Charitable donations
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Emirates Official Store merchandise
For gift card redemptions, each mile is typically worth $0.005. If you earned 72,000 miles — like in the example above — your rewards would be worth $360. Flight redemptions are often better options because they’re generally worth at least $0.001 per mile, so 72,000 miles would be worth about $720.
Miles never expire as long as the account is in good standing.
Additional benefits
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Emirates Skywards Silver tier membership: During your first year of card membership, you're granted a silver tier membership level. As a silver tier member, you can enjoy benefits like 30% bonus miles on Emirates and flydubai flights and complimentary business class lounge access in Dubai. After the first year, you have to spend at least $20,000 or more per year to maintain your status.
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Discount on buying and gifting miles: You're eligible for a 25% discount on miles purchased through Emirates.com.
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World Elite Concierge: The Mastercard World Elite Concierge can help you secure hard-to-get reservations and tickets and is available with 24/7 assistance.
Who is the Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard best for?
The Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard may be a good option for those who frequently travel internationally and prefer to fly on Emirates. You'll earn the highest rewards rate on Emirates purchases, and you can redeem your miles for future flights or upgrades.
Considering that Emirates flights only depart from a limited number of cities in the U.S. — Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. — the card may not be as useful for those who tend to travel domestically or prefer other airlines.
Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard card pros
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No foreign transaction fee: The credit card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, so you won't have to pay an added fee to use the card in another country.
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Valuable perks: The card has a lengthy list of added benefits, including airport lounge access in Dubai (with the complimentary Skywards Silver tier membership in the first year) and Mastercard World Elite benefits. These are perks that are often offered by premium cards with much higher annual fees, so they're valuable add-ons.
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Relatively low spend requirement: You can qualify for the new cardmember bonus by spending $3,000 within 90 days of account opening. That's a relatively low spend requirement.
Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard cons
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No promotional APR: While some travel credit cards have introductory APR on purchases or balance transfers, the Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard doesn't provide that benefit.
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Limited rewards on non-Emirates purchases: With this card, you can earn three miles per $1 spent on Emirates.com purchases, but your rewards are more limited on other transactions. Unless you tend to fly on Emirates often, you'll likely earn more rewards with another travel or rewards credit card.
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Low rewards value: Your miles are typically worth $0.005 each when you redeem them for gift cards, which is fairly low. Other cards may give you more value. However, redeeming your miles for Emirates flights should offer better value.
How to make a Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard payment
The Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard is a co-branded card issued by Barclays. You can make payments online, over the phone, through the Barclays US mobile app or by mailing a check:
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Phone: 1-877-523-0478
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Mail:
Credit Card payments
P.O. Box 13337
Philadelphia, PA 19191
Or
Card Services
P.O. Box 60517
City of Industry, CA 91716
Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard customer service info
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Customer service availability info:
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Customer support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
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Phone number: 1-877-523-0478
Alternative cards to consider
If you are looking for another airline credit card or a more general travel rewards card, consider these alternatives:
- Annual fee$95
- Welcome offerEarn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
- Card type(s)Travel
- Purchase APR19.99% - 29.74% variable
- Rewards rate
- 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x miles on all other purchases
- Benefits
- Receive up to a $120 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fees
- Receive a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and early check-in at eligible hotels
- Access Hertz's Five Star membership tier, offering free upgrades, a wider selection of vehicles, and more
Why we like it: Although the Venture Rewards from Capital One has a $95 annual fee, it could be a good option if you want a straightforward travel rewards card. You can earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2x miles on all other eligible purchases.
Venture Rewards also provides useful benefits, such as transfers to airline and hotel loyalty programs and Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit.
Read our full Capital One Venture Rewards review
- Annual fee$95
- Welcome offerEarn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months — that's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
- Card type(s)Travel
- Ongoing Purchases APR20.99% - 27.99% Variable
- Rewards rate
- 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries
- 2x points on all other travel purchases
- 1x points on all other purchases
- Benefits
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel
- Earn up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel
- On every account anniversary, earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year
Why we like it: The Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of our favorite travel credit cards because of its flexible rewards and low $95 annual fee. Chase points can be transferred to over 12 airline and hotel loyalty programs or used to book travel through Chase Travel℠. With the Sapphire Preferred, you get 25% more value from your points when redeemed for travel through the Chase portal.
Read our full Chase Sapphire Preferred review
- Annual fee$0 Intro for First Year, then $95.
- Welcome offerEarn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
- Card type(s)Travel, Airline
- Ongoing Purchases APR21.49% - 28.49% Variable
- Rewards rate
- 2x miles on dining, hotel stays, and United® purchases
- 1x miles on all other purchases
- Benefits
- Free first checked bag
- Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- 25% back as a statement credit on food, beverage, and Wi-Fi purchases on United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks
Why we like it: For the first year, the United Explorer Credit Card has no annual fee; after that, the fee is $95. You'll earn a higher rewards rate (up to 7x miles or more) on United Airlines flights and purchases, 2x on dining and hotel accommodations, and 1x on all other eligible purchases.
In addition, the card has added benefits like first free checked bags, TSA PreCheck or Global Entry statement credits, and lost luggage reimbursement.
Read our full United Explorer Card review
This article was edited by Ben Walker (CEPF, CFEI®)
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