Emirates First Class To Dubai & Beyond For 4+
Emirates first class award space hasn't been particularly widespread recently so I was pleased to see a nice chunk from several US airports and Toronto. Generally, it's only available on the outbound, but you will find round-trip availability from Chicago and Toronto.
I will note that there is a ton of business class award space on the return from Dubai. If it's on the A380, that's still a fun way to fly with the inflight bar.
Plus, I've included a little info on Skywards+ which could be worth signing up for to get a 20% discount on the award rate.
Now, let's get into it!
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Straight To The Points:
Routes: BOS/IAD/JFK/ORD/YYZ-DXB
Operating airline: Emirates
Class of service: First Class
Dates: January - July 2022
Seats available: 2
Cabin layout: 1-2-1
Book with (per person, one-way):
- Emirates Skywards: 136,250 miles
- JAL Mileage Bank: 120,000 miles (165,000 or 190,000 round-trip)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer: 170,800 miles
Taxes/fees with Emirates Skywards (per person):
- One-way: ~$181 (~$200 from YYZ)
- Round-trip: ~$400 (~$385 from YYZ)
JAL Mileage Bank does not pass on most of the surcharges.
Bank transfer partners:
- Emirates: Amex, Brex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
- JAL: Marriott
- Qantas : Amex, Brex, Capital One, Citi, Marriott
Drop me an email if you book!
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DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that the COVID-19 situation and the resulting travel restrictions could prevent you from traveling. Additionally, please make sure you understand the cancellation, redeposit, and change fees required before booking with a particular program.
Details
Emirates first class is known for being over the top. From the caviar to the Dom Perignon to the wine collection to the inflight showers to the inflight bar... I think you get the picture.
While some think the cabin features are a bit much, I haven't heard complaints about the experience. A few glass of Dom will make anyone pretty happy.
The Boston and Chicago routes are currently scheduled to be operated by Boeing 777s. Neither are the new Game Changer at this time. Also note that the B777s do not have showers or the inflight bar.
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Curve Card Coming To The USA: Join The Waitlist
Popular in the UK, the Curve card is coming to the USA. You can join the waitlist to become a beta user and earn 1% cashback for 6 months on top of credit card rewards.
For those unfamiliar, Curve is a debit card that lets you link credit cards. Once you pay, you have 30 days to change the credit card you used to another - nice if you get a new card and need to hit a minimum spend.
For those who pay estimated taxes, this might end up being a fun way to earn points on those payments without the pricey processing fees. You can even use it abroad since there's no foreign transaction fee. Could be an interesting opportunity.
Join the waitlist!
You can find links to credit cards here. Thanks for your support!
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Available Dates
ORD-DXB B777
January: 2-4, 8-11, 15, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24-26, 29-31
February: 1, 5, 6, 8-10, 14-17, 19, 20, 22-24, 27, 28
March: 2-16, 19, 22, 23, 26-31
April: 1-30
May: 1-7, 9, 10, 12-24, 26, 28-31
June: 2, 4-7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 19-21, 23, 25-30
July: 2-5
DXB-ORD
January: 24-27, 29
February: 3-5, 7-10, 14, 15, 19, 23, 25
March: 1, 2, 4-8, 10-12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 28, 29
April: 4, 11-14, 18, 20, 22, 23-25, 27-30
May: 1-7, 9-14, 16-19, 22-26, 28, 30
June: 1-5, 7-11, 13, 14, 16-23, 28-30
YYZ-DXB A380
January: 2, 5, 12, 19, 22-24, 26, 30
February: 2, 5-7, 9, 19, 20, 26-28
March: 2, 4-7, 9, 11-14, 16, 18-21, 23, 25-28, 30
April: 1-4, 6, 8-11, 13, 15-18, 20, 22-25, 27, 29, 30
May: 1, 2, 4, 6-9, 11, 13-16, 18, 20-23, 25, 27-30
June: 1, 3-6, 8, 10-13, 15, 17-20, 22, 24-27, 29
July: 1, 2-4
DXB-YYZ
February: 2, 4-7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 23, 25, 26, 28
March: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11-14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25-28, 30
April: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8-11, 13, 15-18, 20, 22-25, 27, 29, 30
May: 1, 2, 4, 6-9, 11, 13-16, 18, 20-23, 25, 27-30
June: 1, 3-6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 18, 19, 22, 24-27, 29
July: 1-4
The following routes have a bunch of first class award space to Dubai. First class award space on the return is sporadic. You'll find plenty of space in business class or you could return to ORD or YYZ in first class.
JFK-DXB A380
January: 9, 18-21, 23-25, 27, 30, 31
February: 6, 8, 9, 11, 14-17, 19-25, 28
March: 2, 4, 7, 9. 11, 15, 16, 25, 29
April: 1-4, 9, 10, 12, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29
May: 2, 3, 5, 8-10, 20, 24
June: 1, 5-8, 10
IAD-DXB A380
January: 3-8, 12, 14, 17-24, 26-28, 31
February: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8-12, 14-23, 25-28
March: 1, 2, 4-10, 13-17, 21-29, 31
April: 1-7, 11, 12, 14, 22-26, 29
May: 1-4, 6-10, 13-15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 28, 29, 31
June: 1-15, 17, 18, 20-24, 26-30
July: 1-5
BOS-DXB B777
January: 2-5, 10-12, 17-19, 22, 24, 25, 27, 30, 31
February: 1, 5, 6-9, 12, 13, 15, 21-23, 26-28
March: 1-3, 5, 7-9, 13
April: 3-5, 12, 13, 17-20, 24-28,
May: 1-5, 8-11, 17, 18
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Best Ways To Book
For most people, I think Emirates Skywards will be the easiest program to use as you can transfer points from Amex, Brex, Chase, Citi, and Marriott. Capital One miles can also be transferred to Emirates but at a weak 2:1 ratio.
A one-way award is 136,250 miles. If you connect in Dubai on your way to another destination, that will increase the rate. You can use Emirates' miles calculator to see how many miles you'll need.
If you book a round-trip ticket with a return in business class, the return leg will be booked at the business class award rate.
Emirates Skywards+
Emirates just revamped it Skywards+ subscriptions. There are three tiers but one is of particular interest and that's the Classic option for $399 per year.
With this membership, you're entitled to a 20% discount on a Skywards Classic Reward once each year. If you book a round-trip first class ticket to Dubai for 272,500 Skywards, you'd save 54,500 miles. If you value Skywards at just 1 cent per mile, that's like paying $399 for to save $545.
If you book two round-trip first class tickets, you'd 109,000 miles.
Personally, I think it's worth it but I know some earn more points than they know what to do with so there's no need pay a little to save miles.
OMAAT put together a quick rundown on the program.
Other Options
If you have JAL Mileage Bank miles sitting around or a ton of Marriott points, this could be a great option. However, I doubt it's a feasible option for many people.
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How To Book
I would search with Emirates' site to start:
- Visit Emirates' site
- Select "Log in to earn and spend Skywards Miles" and log in
- Check the box "Classic rewards"
- Enter your origin/destination
- Select your departure and/or return date(s) via calendar
- If booking one-way, check box "One-way" above calendar
- Check box for "My dates are flexible (-/+ 3 days)"
- Select number of passengers
- Select class of service
- Select date
- Select flight (make sure you select a flight operated by an A380)
If you know the exact dates you want to fly, you can search online with Japan Airlines or Qantas and book online.
Bottom Line
Whether you're looking for a relaxing beach vacation, to explore the Middle East, or to check out Sri Lanka (highly recommend it), Emirates first class is a seriously luxurious way to get there.
Happy booking!
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