Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard® Review 2024

If you’re willing to fork over several hundred dollars a year for an airline card, it should give you your money’s worth. The Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard®* could potentially deliver enough value to make the annual fee worth it for someone who flies Emirates regularly or spends enough on the card to maintain Gold status after the first year, but not enough to earn it organically.

The most notable benefits of the Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard®* include Emirates Gold status through spending (which is also granted without any spending requirement in the first year of card membership) and lounge access—both a Priority Pass Select membership and access to Emirates Business Class Lounges (with Gold status).

Like many other travel credit cards, the Emirates Premium card offers a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement every five years.

The card offers a solid earning rate on flights (with Emirates and other airlines), hotel stays and car rentals. However, some high-end travel cards offer better rewards earning rates and those points can be transferred to Emirates Skywards.

• $499 annual fee
• Welcome bonus of 70,000 bonus Skywards Miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
• Earn 3 Skywards Miles per dollar on eligible Emirates purchases, 2 Skywards Miles per dollar on eligible travel purchases and 1 Skywards Mile per dollar on all other purchases
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee reimbursement every five years
• Priority Pass Select membership
• Gold status included the first year, which comes with Emirates business class lounge access and a 75% points bonus on paid flights
• Ability to earn Gold status in subsequent years after spending $40,000 on the card
• As a cardholder, your miles will never expire as long as you hold the card
• Priority check-in, boarding and baggage delivery plus economy seat selection
• No foreign transaction fees

Compare Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard® With Other Cards

Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard®

Welcome Bonus

70,000 bonus miles

Annual Fee

$499

Credit Score

Excellent

Regular APR

21.24%, 25.24% or 29.99% variable

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Earn 70,000 bonus Skywards Miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Apply Now →

Apply Now

On Chase Bank USA, NA's Website

Welcome Bonus

75,000 bonus points

Annual Fee

$550

Credit Score

Excellent

Regular APR

22.49%-29.49% Variable

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,125 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Partner OfferApply Now →

Apply Now

On American Express's Website

Rates & Fees/ Terms Apply

Welcome Bonus

Earn 80,000 points

Annual Fee

$695

Credit Score

Good,Excellent

Regular APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Earning Rewards

The Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard®* earns at the following rates:

• 3 Skywards Miles per dollar on eligible Emirates purchases, 2 Skywards Miles per dollar on eligible travel purchases and 1 Skywards Mile per dollar on all other purchases

The card also offers a welcome bonus: Earn 70,000 bonus Skywards Miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.

Redeeming Rewards

Emirates doesn’t publish an award chart, but it does have a miles calculator that allows you to see how many Skywards miles you can earn on an Emirates route. You can also see how many Skywards miles you need to redeem for a ticket or a seat upgrade on an Emirates flight.

To redeem your miles for a ticket, log into your Skywards account and use the calculator to determine how many miles you’ll need to book. You can book the flight from the site or call an Emirates representative to book over the phone.

A round-trip flight at the saver level from the U.S. to Dubai (DXB) can be booked starting at 72,500 miles in economy or 174,000 in business. A particular sweet spot for Emirates is flying from New York (JFK) to Milan (MXP) in its famously luxurious first class, which starts at just 102,000 miles one way. One-way regional flights can be booked starting at 12,500 miles.

You can pay with a combination of miles and cash to book flights on Emirates and partner airline Flydubai. You can also use your rewards to upgrade from economy to business or from business to first class.

Rewards Potential

To determine the Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard®*’s rewards potential, Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $118,438 annually and has $39,337 in annual expenses that can reasonably be charged to credit cards.

The average household spends $1,540 on airfare annually. If someone who holds this card is spending with Emirates, earnings work out to 4,620 Skywards miles.

In addition, the average household spends $15,606 each year on other travel purchases for an additional 31,212 miles. Finally, we can estimate that the same household will spend $22,191 on other purchases each year, for an additional 22,191 miles earned.

In total, a cardholder can expect to earn 58,023 miles each year. This is in addition to the first-year welcome bonus.

• Emirates Gold status. Get Gold elite status during the first year as a cardholder, which includes perks like a 75% miles bonus on Emirates flights, Emirates Business Class Lounge access and complimentary seat selection in economy class. After that, spend at least $40,000 each year to maintain Gold status.
• Anniversary miles bonus. Earn a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus each time you spend at least $30,000 in a year.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit. Receive a statement credit of up to $100 to reimburse a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every five years.
• Priority Pass Select lounge access. Get a complimentary Priority Pass Select lounge membership, which grants access to more than 1,200 airport lounges worldwide.

As a World Elite Mastercard, the Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard®* also comes with the following benefits:

• Lyft. Take three rides in a month and get a $5 Lyft credit once per month.
• ShopRunner. Free ShopRunner membership. Members receive two-day shipping and free return shipping at dozens of popular online retailers.
• World Elite concierge. A complimentary 24/7 concierge service.
• Elite rental car status. Get elite status with Avis, Sixt and National Car Rental.
• Mastercard Luxury Hotels and Resorts. Receive perks like upgrades, amenity credits and complimentary breakfast at over 3,000 properties in Mastercard’s Luxury Hotels and Resorts portfolio.
• Mastercard Priceless. Gain access to unique experiences and events including PGA Tour access in more than 40 cities worldwide.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 21.24%, 25.24% or 29.99% variable
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

Fees

• Annual fee: $499
• Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: 0% of each transaction in U.S. dollars.

Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard®* vs. United Club℠ Infinite Card

The United Club℠ Infinite Card is United’s highest-end airline card, charging holders an annual fee of $525.

In exchange, the card earns 4 miles per dollar on United® purchases, 2 miles per dollar on all other travel, on dining including eligible delivery services and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.

It also comes with a Global Entry,TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee credit, two free checked bags for you and a companion and priority check-in, security screening (where available), boarding and baggage handling privileges.

United is part of the Star Alliance, which means it’s part of a network of over two dozen member airlines that make flights bookable through United. The United Club℠ Infinite Card includes United Club lounge access which includes participating Star Alliance lounges worldwide. With United’s partnership with Emirates, United’s card may be the better longer-term play.

Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard®* vs. The Platinum Card® from American Express

Many consider The Platinum Card® from American Express to be the swankiest card when it comes to upscale benefits.

The annual fee of $695 (Terms apply. See rates & fees) provides up to $200 in airline incidental fee statement credits on an eligible airline you choose each year (enrollment required). While Emirates is not a qualifying airline, United is.

The card earns 5 Membership Rewards Points per dollar for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year, 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases.

The Platinum Card also grants Global Lounge access, including access to the elite Centurion Lounge network, International American Express lounges, Delta Sky Club when traveling with Delta and Priority Pass Select lounges once you enroll in the benefit.

Other extras include up to $200 in annual savings with Uber with $15 monthly Uber Cash valid for U.S. Uber purchases when your card is linked to an Uber account ($35 in December), bi-annual $50 statement credits for shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue (enrollment required), Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee reimbursements, discounts, credits and benefits at participating hotels and elite status at Marriott and Hilton hotels upon enrollment.

Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard®* vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

If you’re looking for a card with a generous earning rate on a wide range of travel expenses, look no further than the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. The card earns 5 points per dollar on flights and 10 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals when purchasing travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3 points per dollar on other travel and dining and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases and charges an annual fee of $550.

Besides earning at a higher rate on a wider variety of purchases, the Chase Ultimate Rewards® points you earn with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® are worth 1.5 cents each when redeemed for travel through Chase Travel℠ and can be transferred to a long list of travel partners at a 1:1 rate—Emirates included.

If premium perks and benefits are what you’re after, you’ll get those with this card as well. Cardholders receive a $300 annual travel credit, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit and airport lounge access via a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® also comes with extensive travel protections like primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement and emergency evacuation and transportation coverage.

For all but the most frequent of Emirates flyers, the Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard®* doesn’t offer as much value as other cards in its class. Although lounge access is a worthwhile benefit, most of the elite perks are embedded in having Gold status, which can only be achieved after the first year by meeting a spending threshold or taking many flights.

If you’re looking for an airline card with more robust and flexible ongoing benefits and don’t mind paying a premium price, other choices are more likely to deliver than this one.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual points or miles
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors come together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards.

To view rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page.