Earning elite status in Emirates Skywards usually requires plenty of flying. You need to accumulate 25,000 Tier Miles just for the Silver Tier status and 50,000 Tier Miles for Gold Tier.
It would take you over 11 return trips between Dubai and London on Economy Flex Plus tickets to earn Skywards Gold status and seven return trips flying on Business Saver fares.
You can reduce this with a Skywards+ Premium subscription, which gives you a 20% Tier bonus for every flight you take, significantly shortening the time to either attain or retain elite status. Check out the details on Skywards+ subscriptions here.
In my experience, Emirates is an airline in which having elite status makes more of a difference to your flying experience in all cabins compared to other airlines. There will be more on that in a future post.
Thankfully, there is an alternative for UAE residents. Several co-brand cards offer a fast track to quickly acquiring elite tier status in Emirates Skywards.
Which cards offer complimentary Emirates Silver Tier status?
Seven UAE-issued co-brand cards include complimentary Emirates Skywards Silver Tier status as a card perk. The seven cards are:
- ADIB Emirates Skywards Visa Infinite
- DIB Emirates Skywards Visa Infinite
- Emirates Islamic Skywards Black
- Emirates Islamic Skywards Visa Infinite
- Emirates NBD Skywards Visa Infinite
- HSBC Emirates Skywards Visa Infinite
The benefits of Emirates Skywards Silver Tier include complimentary seat selection, priority check-in, extra luggage allowance and Business Lounge access in Dubai International Airport.
Which cards offer a fast-track to Skywards Gold Tier?
Two cards take things further and offer a fast-track to Skywards Gold Tier status as a benefit to their cardholders:
For both cards, you will need to spend USD 5,000 (or equivalent in AED) with Emirates Airlines to trigger the Gold Tier status. If you already have Gold Tier status, it will be extended by an additional 12 months.
Emirates Skywards Gold Tier perks include all of the above Silver perks plus priority baggage handling and global lounge access, including the flydubai Business Lounge in Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport.
What about supplementary cardholders?
Both the ADIB Emirates Skywards Visa Infinite and Emirates Islamic Skywards Black offer Skywards Gold Tier status for supplementary cardholders.
However, you will need to spend an additional USD 5,000 (or equivalent in AED) with Emirates Airlines to trigger the Gold Tier status upgrade.
Check out current signup bonuses
If you’re considering applying for an Emirates Skywards cobrand card, check out the full list of current signup bonuses available in the UAE.