Hot Emirates Sweet Spots Using Skywards Miles…

This article is brought to you by Capital One. We get approached for sponsored posts all the time, but only take them up when they offer value or useful information to our readers. We think this is definitely one of those times.

When you think of Emirates, your mind probably bubbles with dreams of champagne and caviar. If there’s one airline on the planet that screams luxury, Emirates has got to be in the conversation.

With one of the best cocktail bars in the sky and huge shower suites in first class, the Emirates A380 is beyond most travellers wildest flying dreams. Thanks to the Capital One and Emirates miles transfer partnership, you can actually do a lot more than dream.

Since Capital One launched miles transfer and added Emirates as a partner, you can use your Capital One Venture card to earn the Skyward miles you need to book amazing Emirates first class awards; or upgrade your cash ticket to business class.

Even better, Capital One has partnered with Emirates to launch its very first transfer bonus, bringing more miles for every dollar you spend for a limited time! Let’s dig into the details, and some of the great ways you can use Emirates Skywards miles.

Capital One 100% Transfer Boost To Emirates Skywards

Every purchase you make with your Capital One Venture card earns 2x miles, and with the standard transfer rate from Capital One to Emirates Skywards, you get 1 Emirates mile for every 2 Capital One Miles you earn. Basically, every dollar you normally spend with Capital One Venture earns 1 Emirates Skywards mile.

Thanks to this limited time transfer bonus, you can double that.

From March 18 until March 24 at 11:59 PM ET each dollar you have spent on your Capital One Venture card can unlock 2 Emirates Skywards miles, if you take advantage of this limited time bonus.

This is an amazing opportunity to top off your Skywards account and get yourself ready to book the luxury travel you probably deserve. Even though this is just the first Capital One transfer bonus promotion, we’re already looking forward to future transfer bonuses!

Great Ways To Redeem Emirates Skywards Miles

From upgrading your economy ticket to business class or flying first class for just $76 and 98,000 miles, there are some really cool ways to use Emirates Skywards miles.

The key here is to think both inside and outside the box, considering not only departures from the US, but also how to turn a cool trip you have planned into a mega adventure. Miles are one of the best ways to turn a standard round trip to Europe or Asia into side adventures in Dubai, Australia and beyond. You never know when one of these handy Skywards mileage uses will do just the trick… 

Upgrade Your Emirates Economy Ticket To Business For 38K Points

Emirates economy cabin is really nice, but let’s be real – business is even nicer. Emirates allows passengers who book economy “flex” tickets to upgrade to business class from just 38,000 Skywards miles one way, and that figure works on popular routes like New York to Milan. That means you could get yourself into business class for 78,000 Skywards miles plus the cost of an economy flex ticket between the two great cities. It’s always a good time to visit Milan! 

Emirates economy “flex” tickets are often around $1000 round trip, which means you can score round trip business class on the A380, with the on board cocktail bar for roughly $1000 plus 78,000 Skywards miles. That’s a really solid deal! Also, be sure to check out costs starting the other way, since flight deals can be amazing out of Europe.

Oh, and hot tip: Emirates lets you setup “automatic upgrade”, so if an upgrade isn’t available when you book, you can tick a box which will automatically upgrade you using your points if a seat is released. Nice feature, right?

Fly First Class Suites From 98K Points And $76 Bucks

Emirates adds steep surcharges to many flights, but not those out of Seoul, Rio or Sao Paulo. If you can get yourself to one of these cities, you can save a lot of cash while spending reasonable amounts of miles for extraordinary flying experiences. Yep, private suite, vintage Dom Perignon and over the top service.

Seoul is an incredible destination and the perfect accompaniment to a Tokyo trip and it’s one of the best starting points for trying Emirates First Class. Why not turn an adventure to Asia into an around the world trip with a stop in Dubai, by using just 98,000 Emirates Skywards miles and roughly $76 USD for a one way first class flight from Seoul to Dubai?

You could then book a separate ticket from Dubai to Milan, and pair it with a lovely business class upgrade from a “flex” economy ticket for a whole lot of heavenly flying. Plus, Dubai isn’t all that far from the Maldives or Sri Lanka, so a side trip isn’t at all out of the question!

Upgrade From Business Class To First Class From 24K Points

Hey, sometimes work is paying or luck is in your favor and you’re already in business. That’s a dream, but showering on a plane is the ultimate dream. You can upgrade any Emirates business class ticket to First Class starting at around 24,000 points. Even the lowest business class fares can be upgraded, which is nice.

In fact, right now there are some awesome Emirates business class deals from Milan to New York this spring and summer for €1700 ($1950) round trip, and you could upgrade these deals to first class for 30,000 points one way, or 60,000 points round trip. That could become one of the best first class bargains on the planet! Just get yourself to Milan!

Business Between Australia and Southeast Asia From 62K Points

Some places are just hard to reach and Australia is one of those places. This is most definitely the case if you’re trying to book an award directly to/from the U.S. As a result, getting clever and finding flights to Asia first is often a great start. There’s also nothing more fun than turning a standard trip into a multi city adventure, and this award is a really cool way to put your Capital One Venture miles to use, to do just that…

Emirates operates flights between Singapore and Brisbane (BNE) or Melbourne (MEL), and also between Sydney (SYD) and Bangkok (BKK). The Sydney route only runs until May 31, 2019. If you can get yourself to Southeast Asia, or already have plans to be there, you can book a one-way Emirates business class flight for 62,500 Skywards and turn a trip to Asia into an Australia trip as well, or vice versa. It’s your call! Either way, you’ll enjoy over 7 hours in the air.

Fly Emirates First Class Between South America And Dubai

While there are plenty of options out of the U.S., the total taxes/fees on these flights will be quite steep because of the surcharges. You can totally do that, but we have a solution, that with a bit of effort will bring a lot of fun, and savings too. It’s called a nested booking.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, you’re basically booking another trip within a trip. In this case, we’d need to book a flight to Sao Paolo (GRU) or Rio de Janeiro (GIG) — possibly with another Capital One partner such as Aeroplan or Etihad Guest. So, first, you take a trip down to Brazil, explore and enjoy some amazing food and from there, you start your Emirates first class journey to Dubai.

From Brazil, you can book a one way first class award for 120,000 Skywards miles and taxes under $200, or a round trip for 240,000 Skywards miles and around $620 in surcharges.

Final Thoughts

Thanks to the current transfer bonus, these opportunities are more attractive than ever! Be sure to initiate your transfer within the allotted window to make sure you receive your bonus miles. It’s really exciting to see Capital One offering what travel enthusiasts love most, and of course, that’s transfer bonuses. To the next one!

The redemption rates and travel rewards programs described above are current as of July 2020, but may change.  It’s always best to review the most current information directly on the loyalty program’s site.