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I was contacted by Emirates with the following statement on the devaluation mentioned in the post below. Devaluations are a bitter pill to swallow no matter how they are implemented, but it would have been much better to notify the loyalty base of the the planned devaluation instead of doing it randomly over the holidays in the middle of the night. With that said, it appears that earning on Emirates will increase the rate of return you will earn miles on some of their routes which is at least a bit of positive news.
“In line with current market conditions, Emirates Skywards is introducing an increase on Skywards Miles required for Upgrade Rewards and Classic Rewards booked in Business Class and First Class. The increase will be gradually introduced on reward tickets across the Emirates network between 22 December 2022 and 31 January 2023.
To reduce the impact of this change on our most loyal customers, we will be increasing the bonus Skywards Miles earning opportunities for all Platinum, Gold and Silver members travelling with Emirates.
On all Emirates flights booked from 31 January 2023 onwards, Skywards Platinum members will earn a further 100% of the Economy Flex+ Miles earned on a given route (increasing from 75%); Skywards Gold members will earn 75% of the Economy Flex+ Miles earned on a given route (increasing from 50%); and Skywards Silver Members will earn 30% of the Economy Flex+ Miles earned on a given route (increasing from 25%).
For more information on earning and spending Skywards Miles and to view the Miles calculator, please visit emirates.com/skywards.”
(Original post is below:)
UGH! One of the best ways to fly Emirates first class, including their game changer, is now more expensive. I’ve been tracking flights pretty closely the past few days trying to get a ride in the game changer first class with my buddy and suddenly all of the first class seats are pricing at 102k whereas before they were 85k, and business has popped from 72.5k to 87k.
It looks like the new structure has increased most rates across the network by 20%
- Business Saver – 54k but needs to be booked roundtrip at 108k
- Business Flex – 87k now up from 72.5k
- First Flex is now 102k, up from 85k
New Dubai to Europe pricing
Yesterday these were 85k, but here’s a look at the pricing from Dubai to Europe now
Here is a flexible search look
And in business class
Emirates calculator hasn’t been updated
It is still showing lower pricing:
New Business Saver rates
And you can see here in business class there should be business saver at 90k roundtrip
but If we look here it’s actually pricing at 108k roundtrip
Which is confirmed here when you break down
Istanbul to Dubai has changed as well
I just booked this for 71,250 less than a week ago and It has jumped
Overall
The devaluation is one thing, but it’s really a crap thing to do without notification to Emirates loyalists who, like myself, may have been amidst planning a trip and no longer have the miles needed to book all passengers. These fly by night program changes have become far too common and are a reminder to use your points and miles when you see a good deal before they lose value in the long term.
I haven’t done an extensive search to see other routes, so let me know if you see more and I will update
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
$300 Chase Travel℠ Credit + Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- $300 Chase Travel℠ Credit + Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel℠. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel℠ purchases within your first year
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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