How I booked an Emirates Airbus A380 first-class award with out elite standing, and how one can, too

Once I saw the recent news that Emirates had determined to limit first-class awards to elite Platinum, Gold and Silver members of its Emirates Skywards loyalty program, I assumed my dream of flying this aspirational product with onboard bars, showers and limitless caviar was over.

I’ve by no means held, and can doubtless by no means maintain, any Skywards elite standing. Couple this with a number of bank card applications “briefly” suspending points transfers to Skywards, and I used to be chalking this as much as a “ought to have booked it once I might” lesson of incomes and redeeming factors and miles.

Nonetheless, there’s nonetheless a straightforward approach to e-book Emirates top quality, and it finally helped me obtain my dream in spite of everything. Here is what you must find out about it.

Associated: Emirates first class still wows: Fully enclosed suites and unlimited caviar

We’re within the golden age of Qantas factors

Studying that Skywards was including restrictions to its personal members’ skill to e-book first-class awards, I naturally assumed they might add related restrictions to accomplice airline applications. In any case, if an entry-level Skywards member can’t e-book an Emirates award, why let an entry-level member of one other loyalty program accomplish that?

However to date, that hasn’t occurred.

The perfect accomplice applications to e-book Emirates awards have historically been Air Canada’s Aeroplan program and Qantas Frequent Flyer. Aeroplan just lately began pricing Emirates awards dynamically, and whereas Aeroplan nonetheless has entry to first-class awards, these are priced as much as 750,000 Aeroplan factors per flight, which isn’t a superb deal.

Nonetheless, Emirates first-class awards are nonetheless available to all Qantas members utilizing Qantas factors, with related charges and charges, taxes and surcharges as Skywards expenses its elite members.

Utilizing my secret weapon, Seats.aero, I simply discovered a number of nonstop flights from North America to Dubai Worldwide Airport (DXB).

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Here is an instance of some flights obtainable in late September and early October of this 12 months, when the summer season temperatures within the Center East develop into milder.

Qantas presently expenses the next charges for Emirates first-class awards, one-way, per individual:

• Flights 0 to 600 miles in size: 29,000 factors
• Flights 601 to 1,200 miles in size: 43,500 factors
• Flights 1,201 to 2,400 miles in size: 64,500 factors (this contains Emirates’ new service from Florida to Colombia)
• Flights 2,401 to three,600 miles in size: 89,800 factors (this contains most routes from Europe to Dubai)
• Flights 3,601 to 4,800 miles in size: 107,700 factors (this contains Emirates’ fifth-freedom routes between North America and Europe)
• Flights 4,801 to five,800 miles in size: 149,800 factors (this contains departures from the Northeast to Dubai)
• Flights 5,801 to 7,000 miles in size: 170,800 factors (this contains all different U.S. departures, together with from the West Coast)

Associated: A review of Emirates business class on the Airbus A380 from New York to Milan

I jumped on this nice availability and pricing, reserving an Emirates first-class flight from London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) to DXB on the Airbus A380 round two weeks earlier than departure for 89,800 Qantas factors plus 572 British kilos, which is about $775 and contains the compulsory Air Passenger Duty tax for all departures from the UK.

Keep tuned for a full report of my bucket-list flight, however let’s simply say it exceeded my already excessive expectations.

Another excuse proper now’s such a good time to think about Qantas factors is that for bookings produced from Aug. 5 onward, Emirates flights shall be priced in accordance with the Qantas award chart (reasonably than the accomplice award chart), which means charges (and surcharges) will largely enhance as follows:

• Flights 0 to 600 miles in size: 29,000 factors (no change)
• Flights 601 to 1,200 miles in size: 43,600 factors (up by 100 factors)
• Flights 1,201 to 2,400 miles in size: 65,300 (up by 1,200 factors)
• Flights 2,401 to three,600 miles in size: 102,600 factors (up by 12,800 factors)
• Flights 3,601 to 4,800 miles in size: 123,100 (up by 15,400 factors)
• Flights 4,801 to five,800 miles in size: 149,800 factors (down by 2,100 factors)
• Flights 5,801 to 7,000 miles in size: 170,800 factors (no change)

Though some Emirates first-class award flights from the U.S. booked with Qantas factors will lower barely for bookings produced from Aug. 5 onward, we do not know the way lengthy Qantas Frequent Flyer members could have entry to such beneficiant Emirates first-class availability.

In any case, as this entry is healthier than what’s supplied to entry-level Skywards members, I would not be shocked if Emirates decides to cut back the variety of first-class seats obtainable to accomplice airline applications like Qantas.

The way to earn Qantas factors

Qantas factors are straightforward to earn, as Qantas Frequent Flyer is a switch accomplice of American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One and Citi ThankYou Rewards.

Listed here are a number of the greatest bank card welcome gives obtainable proper now that you would leverage to switch to Qantas at a 1:1 charge:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards factors after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards factors after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards factors after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. Plus, earn a $500 assertion credit score after spending $2,500 on qualifying flights booked instantly with airways or by way of American Specific Journey within the first three months of card membership. You’ll be able to earn one or each of those gives, which finish June 30.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases inside the first three months from account opening.
• Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see rates and fees): Earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases inside three months from account opening.