You can get valuable Emirates Skywards perks, for a price.
Emirates Skywards+ has been around for a few years. The perks have remained the same, but then again so has the price. It’s an interesting scheme that can offer real value to some travellers in specific situations. In this article, I explore the perks and when it makes sense for you to pay for Skywards+.
Quick Summary
- Skywards+ is a subscription that adds perks to your Emirates Skywards account
- There are three tiers to choose from, with pricing starting at £298 for the year
- It’s a one-off payment for a year; this is not a monthly subscription
- Whilst the perks are valuable, they may not be useful for all travellers.
- Understanding the perks is critical for working out if a subscription is worth the money
What is Emirates Skywards+?
Skywards is Emirates’ frequent flyer scheme. It operates as most others do: you can collect miles by travelling with Emirates, through partnerships or by transferring miles into the scheme from credit card companies like American Express. You spend miles on reward flights, or you can use them to upgrade your flights.
Skywards+ is a paid-for subscription that gives you a number of perks versus the standard (free) Skywards membership. I used it strategically a while ago to reduce the number of points needed on a rewards flight.
The programme costs you between £298 and £746 per year. When I used it for a year, back in 2021, the cost of the lowest tier, the one that I chose to use, was £290. That’s actually not a bad level of inflation for five years.
There are three subscription tiers:
- Classic is the cheapest at £298 per year
- Advanced costs £522 for the year
- The top-tier Premium option costs £746
The fees are charged upfront, meaning you pay for the whole year in one go. There is no option to spread the fees across months, and you cannot cancel the service and get a discount.
Why would you pay for Skywards+?
The big question is why would you pay for Skywards+? The answer is in the perks, and the second question (for you) is whether they will give you something of value.
The primary reason I subscribed was the 20% discount on classic rewards. This is a one-time 20% reduction in Skwards miles on a reward booking. I wanted to book a return flight from Dubai to Manchester in Business Class, and I simply did not have enough miles. That 20% discount was critical for that flight booking. The discount will only apply to the first booking you make.
Each of the three tiers offers the same 20% discount on reward flights. What you get with the higher tiers (Advanced and Premium) is a second 20% discount, which applies to upgrades paid for using Skywards+ miles. There are some terms around fare classes of tickets, but the discount can be used with “auto upgrade”, the function that allows you to put yourself in a queue for upgrades using points.
All three subscriptions will give you access to Emirates Business class lounges. On Classic you get two entries to a lounge. That’s two individual entries to the lounge; if you’re travelling as a couple, that would take up both of your free access vouchers. On the Advanced tier you get five entries, and the Premium tier gives you ten.
In my opinion, these are the most valuable rewards to passengers, but there are more.
The full perks for Skywards+
| Classic Tier | Advanced Tier | Premium Tier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | £298/year | £522/year | £746/year |
| Checked Luggage Perk | Get 5kg more luggage allowance on every flight | Get 10kg more luggage allowance on every flight | Get 10kg more luggage allowance on every flight |
| Hand Luggage Perk | 1 extra piece of hand luggage on every flight | 1 extra piece of hand luggage on every flight | |
| Lounge Passes | 2 x Lounge Passes | 5 x Lounge Passes | 10 x Lounge Passes |
| Emirates Holidays | 10,000 bonus miles on a holiday booked with Emirates Holidays | 10,000 bonus miles on a holiday booked with Emirates Holidays | 10,000 bonus miles on a holiday booked with Emirates Holidays |
| Classic Rewards Discount | 20% miles discount on one booking | 20% miles discount on one booking | 20% miles discount on one booking |
| Cash Flight bonus | Get 20% more miles on cash flights booked direct with Emirates | Get 20% more miles on cash flights booked direct with Emirates | Get 20% more miles on cash flights booked direct with Emirates |
| Upgrade Discount | 20% miles discount on upgrades | 20% miles discount on upgades | |
| Tier point bonus | None | None | Get 20% more tier points on cash flights booked direct with Emirates |
| Preferential cash & miles rates | Get “special” cash & miles rates | Get “special” cash & miles rates | Get “special” cash & miles rates |
Which perks feel pointless?
What you’ll get real value from depends on your situation. Firstly, let’s discount some of the perks that are niche and unlikely to impact many travellers. The two luggage perks feel like they will have the lowest value: Emirates already has reasonable carry-on and checked baggage allowances.
The Emirates Holidays perk, which gives you a single 10,000 bonus miles (worth approx £100), specifically says “on your next holiday package from Dubai”. It isn’t clear if this will work for holidays that depart from the UK, and there are no clear T&Cs related to this perk. Assuming that it would work for UK travellers, the 10,000 miles would cost you £229 to buy right now (including a 10% points bonus).
Finally, on perks that feel less valuable, the “Enjoy special rates every time you book your flight using Cash+Miles” perk is a little vague in understanding what this is worth. The specific term in the T&C’s says:
“Skywards+ Members will be offered a preferential Cash+Miles rate for eligible bookings made during their applicable Skywards+ subscription period (irrespective of the scheduled date of travel).”
And what perks offer the most value?
Depending on your situation, this could be the lounge passes, the 20% discount on reward flights or the 20% reduction in upgrade costs. All of these perks have limits: on the lounge passes, you get more as you move up the tiers. Given that you can pay to access Emirates lounges (in Dubai and at outstations) this could be really valuable.
It would cost you approx £122 to gain access to the Emirates Business Class lounges at Dubai Airport if you’re travelling in Economy. The two passes on the Classic Tier would therefore be worth £244.
If you’re desperate to book a reward flight but you’re just short of the required points, then the 20% discount on reward flights could be highly valuable. On most long-haul flights in Business Class and First Class, you will save money by utilising the 20% discount. The discount applies to everyone in the booking, and for return flights. That could add up to a sizeable saving.
(If you want to read more about my Emirates experiences, I reviewed an Emirates First Class flight recently, and also wrote up two long-haul First flights in a diary).
Similarly, the upgrade discount could be very helpful if you’re just shy of the points needed. The value of the two discount vouchers could easily surpass the cost of the subscription IF you are planning reward flights AND upgrades.
Is Skywards+ worth it?
Yes, but you have to give it careful consideration. If you are going to be booking reward flights and/or upgrades, then do the maths, and it could be worth more than the subscription cost. If it isn’t, then there’s not much point in paying for it.
If you don’t have reward flights planned, then the value is questionable. You may get some value out of the lounge passes, but that may not be more than the cost of paying to upgrade at the lounge entrance.
The key is to price in everything that you would absolutely get value from. Possible value, from flights you may book, or trips you may take, isn’t locked in value. If you’re only thinking of taking a trip, leave the decision on a subscription until your plans firm up.
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