Should You Book Emirates Award Travel With Air Canada, Emirates, JAL, Or Qantas Miles?

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Back in the day, some of the best mileage redemptions were using Alaska or JAL miles to fly Emirates first class. Emirates A380 first class is affectionately known as “Shower Class.”

Sure, you get your own walled-in suite and access to the onboard bar.

 

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But it’s the onboard shower that sets it apart. My review of the experience can be found here.

 

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Alas, Emirates and Alaska ended their relationship and Emirates ended the ability for JAL to book Emirates First class.

Air Canada can now book Emirates awards without fuel surcharges, but mileage rates can be very high.

Emirates, JAL, and Qantas can also book Emirates awards, but fuel surcharges apply.

So which should you use?

It’s highly route dependent, so you should always compare the mileage requirements.

• Anyone can check the Air Canada rates by searching for an Aeroplan points award from the home page without needing to login.
  • Transfers available from AMEX, Capital One, and Chase instantly at a 1:1 ratio, or from Marriott at 60K:25K ratio.
• You’ll need to be logged into to Emirates to search for a classic points award from the home page.
  • Transfers available from AMEX, Capital One, Chase, and Citi instantly at a 1:1 ratio, or from Marriott at 60K:25K ratio.
• You’ll need to be logged into to Qantas to search for a points award from the home page.
  • Transfers available from AMEX, Capital One, and Citi instantly at a 1:1 ratio, or from Marriott at 60K:25K ratio.
• You can login to a JAL account here and then click on this link to search for partner awards.
  • Transfers available from Barclays at a 1.7:1 ratio or Marriott at 60K:25K ratio.

It’s worth noting that Emirates has the most award space as they only release a subset of the award space to partner airlines. Additionally, JAL’s website wasn’t able to find awards on several routes, which are noted by N/A below, though their phone center might be able to find them. JAL also can’t book Emirates First Class.

Below is a comparison of mileage requirements and fees several different Emirates routes. The best option is bolded, though the best option wil vary depending on how you value your miles and which miles you have access to.

AMEX cards with transferable Membership Rewards points include:

• AMEX Blue Business Plus
• AMEX Platinum Business
• AMEX Gold Business Card
• AMEX Platinum Consumer Card
• AMEX Gold Consumer Card
• AMEX Green Consumer Card
• AMEX Everyday Preferred Consumer Card
• AMEX Everyday Consumer Card

If you, a member in your household, or an authorized user has one of the following Chase cards, you can transfer points into miles:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred has 60K signup bonus, earns 2.1 points per dollar on travel, 3.1 points per dollar on dining, streaming, and online groceries, has a $50 hotel credit, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1.3 cents each for paid travel or pay yourself back categories ($95 annual fee). Read more here.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve has a 60K signup bonus, earns 3 points per dollar on dining/travel, has a $300 travel credit, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1.5 cents each for paid travel or pay yourself back categories ($550 annual fee with $300 travel credit). Read more here.
• Chase Ink Preferred has a 100K signup bonus and earns 3 points per dollar on shipping, advertising, and travel, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1.25 cents each for paid travel or pay yourself back categories ($95 annual fee). Read more here.

Chase no-annual fee cards that are fantastic for earning points, but require one of the cards above for points transfers include:

• Chase Ink Cash has a record high 90K signup bonus and earns 5 points per dollar on cable, TV, telecom, cellular, office supply stores, and gift cards from office supply stores, plus 2 points per dollar on dining and gas ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
• Chase Ink Unlimited has a record high 90K signup bonus and earns 1.5 points per dollar everywhere ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
• Chase Freedom Flex has a 20K signup bonus, plus 5 points on rotating categories, 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, and 3 points per dollar on dining and drugstores ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
• Chase Freedom Unlimited has a signup bonus offering 3 points per dollar on up to $20K of spending in your first 12 month, afterwards earn at least 1.5 points per dollar everywhere, 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, and 3 points per dollar on dining and drugstores ($0 annual fee). Read more here.

If you or a friend has one of the following Citi cards, you can transfer points into miles:

• Citi Premier has a 60,000 point bonus for spending $4,000 in 3 months, 3 points per dollar on airfare, hotels, travel agents, groceries, gas, and dining. $95 annual fee. Read more here.

Citi no-annual fee cards that are fantastic for earning points, but require one of the cards above for points transfers include:

• The Citi Double Cash card offers 2% cash back or 2 points per dollar spent everywhere that can be transferred into ThankYou points. If you also have a Citi Premier Card you can transfer points into miles. No annual fee. Read more here.
• The Citi Custom Cash Card offers 5 points per dollar on up to $500 in purchases in your top eligible spending category each billing cycle. This is marketed as 5% cash back, but will actually come in the form of 5 ThankYou points per dollar spent! Eligible categories include Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs, and Live Entertainment. You will also get 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. No annual fee. Read more here.
• The Citi Rewards+ Card offering 20,000 points for spending $1,500 in 3 months. This card can’t transfer points on its own, but can transfer points if you have one of the Citi cards above. This card automatically rounds up rewards earned on every purchase to the nearest 10 points, meaning you earn 10 points on a $0.50 Amazon balance reload. Earn 2 points on $6K in annual spending at supermarkets, and a 10% points rebate when you redeem points, up to a 10K points rebate per year. If you also have a Citi Premier Card you can transfer points into miles and get a 10% points rebate on transferred or redeemed miles. No annual fee. Read more here.

Capital One cards with transferable points include:

• Capital One Venture X Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles for spending $4,000 in 3 months, plus earn 2 miles per dollar spent, $300 annual travel credit, 10K anniversary bonus miles, Global Entry/Pre-Check, Capital One lounge access, Priority Pass Lounge membership, and more. Read more here.
• Capital One Venture: Earn 75,000 bonus miles for spending $4,000 in 3 months, plus 2 miles per dollar spent. Read more here.
• Capital One Spark Miles: Earn 50,000 bonus miles, plus 2 miles per dollar spent.
• Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card: Earn up to 100,000 bonus miles, plus 2 miles per dollar spent, convertible into transferrable miles with any of the 3 cards above. Read more here.

Marriott cards with transferable points include:

• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Consumer Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^™ American Express^®Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card