Dubai is home to huge skyscrapers, high-rise hotels and amazing beaches, and it’s an ideal holiday for those who want to travel to the future. Plus, you have many good options. You can take many uninterrupted routes with Dubai-based Emirates, or book a connecting ticket on airlines like Air France, KLM or Qatar Airways, or even better, you can do so with hard points and miles.
Whether you want to cash out on a flight to Dubai or on a plane (or both), we will cover the best ways to maximize its coverage. With a certain strategy to choose the right airline and hotel, you will be able to fly to the Persian Gulf pearl style.
Book Air Canada to Dubai
Air Canada flies to Dubai International Airport (DXB) in Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) throughout the year and flies seasonally from Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Thanks to the vast network of routes to the United States, it also provides an easy way for Americans to fly to Dubai.
Air Canada Aeroplan is a great way to book Dubai Air tickets because it offers more reward space than partner airlines – but the price is somewhat unpredictable. Air Canada flights are priced dynamically, meaning prices vary depending on when your booking and plan to fly.
According to Air Canada’s awards ceremony, flights for Economics, Advanced Economy and Business Class are 55,000, 70,000 and 85,000 points on the YYZ to DXB routes, respectively. Still, in my tests, I couldn’t find reward tickets for premium economy or business class lowest level. I also can’t find reward space in any cabin through a Star Alliance partner loyalty program like United Lileageplus.
If you are lucky enough to find low-cost reward tickets on this route in Aeroplan, you can point Capital 1 mile, American Express membership reward, BILT reward or Chase Ultimate Rewards to your flight. You can also transfer Marriott Hotel points to Aeroplan at a 3:1 transfer ratio, earning 5,000 bonus Aeroplan points for every 60,000 Marriott points.
Book flights from Air France and KLM to Dubai
France and KLM are both one-stop service from the United States to Dubai through a one-stop service at the Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). Both airlines have solid business products, France is known for its catering, and Kuala Lumpur is known for its gin-filled Delft blue ceramic houses that can be handed over to passengers.
You will get the best deal booking with France-klm Flying Blue. The program also rewards with dynamic rewards, but I have been able to find flights from New York’s John Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to DXB, the economy lasts 35,000 miles, 60,000 miles of premium economies and 90,000 miles of business class. In Business Class, taxes and fees are estimated at $350 to $450.
Flying blue mileage is the easiest to earn. You can point to American Express membership rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital Oneime, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi Thankyou; many of these plans have limited-time transfer bonuses throughout the year. You can also transfer Marriott’s Bonvoy points to blue at a 3:1 ratio, earning a bonus miles of 5,000 every 60,000 points.
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Book Emirates to Dubai
Emirates is the largest airline in the UAE, flying from its DXB hub to 139 destinations worldwide. This includes the following U.S. cities:
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- George Bush InterContinental Airport (IAH) in Houston
- John Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) (via Athens)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Ocean)
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
It is known for its super luxurious start and business-grade products, with on-board showers, bars and other unique amenities. However, as you might expect, the rewards for premium cabins in the UAE are not cheap. Emirates charges high fees for high miles, taxes and fees. It does not post a reward chart, but you can use this calculator on the UAE website to see how many miles of reward tickets you need.
From Kennedy International Airport to DXB, taxes and fees of 30,000 miles and $202.90 are expected to be paid for one-way tickets for economic tickets, while taxes for business class are as high as $138,000 and $834.90. As of May 12, 2025, only the UAE elite can book first-class reward tickets through Emirates.
You can point American Express membership rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital Oneime, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi Thankyou to the Emirates. However, the Emirates will suspend transfers from Amex and Chase on May 29, 2025, and Citi will reduce its transfer ratio to 5:4 on July 27, 2025. The Marriott Bonvoy point is at a 3:1 transfer ratio and a 5,000 Marriott Marriott point transfer is awarded with a 5,000-mile bonus.
You can also book flights from the UAE through Qantas aircraft. Usually, you will get better booking premium cabin reward tickets with this loyalty program, and you don’t need an elite status to book first-class tickets in the emirate. It is important to note, however, that starting from August 5, UAE flights will be priced based on Qantas reward charts (rather than partner reward tables), which means that the reward rate and surcharge will increase flights operated by UAE. Here are the current prices on the route from Kennedy International Airport to DXB:
American Express member rewards, Capital One and Citi thank you points are transferred to Qantas. Marriott Points moved to Qantas at the same rate as the Emirates.
Book Qatar Airways to Dubai
Located in nearby Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH), Katar Airways offers one of the best business class products in the sky (called QSuites), which fly to several U.S. cities, including major hubs such as Kennedy, Ord and Lax. Once you enter the DOH, you can quickly connect to the DXB like the Al Safwa’s top-notch lounge after enjoying one of the airline’s legendary airport lounges.
Usually when you book QSuites with British Airways Club you will get the best deals. The program charges 70,000 AVIOs to the transatlantic legs in the U.S. or Canada for DOH in QSUITES business class. Plus, you will pay 5,000 Avios for business-grade legs from DOH to DXB, totaling 75,000 Avios plus $300 to $400 in taxes. The same route costs 37,500 in the economy.
British Airways Avios is also easy to make money. You can transfer to British Airways from American Express membership rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital Oneime Chase Ultimate Rewards. Similarly, if you own Avios with Aer Lingus, Iberia, Finnair or other Avios airlines, you can transfer it to your British Airways account. Marriott’s points were also transferred to British Airways at a 3:1 ratio and received a 5,000-Avios bonus, with a transfer bonus of 60,000 points.
Book a joint flight to Dubai
United Airlines is the only American airline to serve uninterruptedly. The airline operates daily uninterrupted services from EWR to DXB and provides DXB connections through a non-partnership partnership with Emirates.
We found that your best option is to book this flight with United MileagePlus Miles, where you will usually find one-way economy tickets on 45,000 miles of one-way economy tickets and 80,000 miles of business-grade tickets, as well as the lowest taxes and fees on flights from EWR to DXB. However, pricing for joint awards is dynamic, so you can pay more miles on peak dates, while joint credit cardholders and prime minister elite members may receive lower pricing. You can transfer Bilt Rewards at a 1:1 transfer ratio or 3:1 ratio and Untimate Rewards at a 1:1 ratio and BONRIOTT BONVOY at a 3:1 ratio, earning a higher 10,000 miles bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points.
You can also book these award tickets through Air Canada. On the uninterrupted EWR to DXB route, 55,000 points are expected to be paid financially, or 90,000 points in business class, as well as minimum taxes and fees under $100 each. Likewise, you can transfer American Express membership rewards, bilt rewards, mile-by-mile, and chase the ultimate rewards pointing to Aeroplan.
Book a Virgin Atlantic Award in Dubai
Virgin Atlantic serves DXB and many major U.S. cities in the hub of London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Its loyalty program – Virgin Atlantic Flying Club – often offers economical flights from the United States to Dubai at low prices. You can get many dates in one direction as low as 12,000 points, plus $200 in taxes. Unfortunately, upper class and higher rewards usually exceed 100,000 points per method. Please note that Virgin Atlantic only serves DXB during winter.
You can point American Express membership rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital Oneime, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi Thankyou to Virgin Atlantic. Similarly, Bonvoy Marriott points are transferred to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 3:1 transfer rate, with a bonus of 5,000 per 60,000 Marriott hotels that you can transfer to the airline.
Best Points Hotels in Dubai
Dubai is home to many points hotels spanning all major loyalty programs. We list some of our favorites below, along with their points price:
- Dubai Parker Hyatt: 21,000 to 29,000 Hyatt Worlds per night
- Hyatt Regency Dubai: 12,000 to 18,000 Hyatt Points per night
- Dubai Edition: 70,000 million per night
- Rigi Dubai Downtown: 83,5 million island Bonvoy points per night
- Conrad Dubai: 39,000 Hilton Honor Points per night
- Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah: 51,000 Hilton Honor Points per night
Related: The Best Hyatt Regency Parks, According to Globalists
Credit card to Dubai
Head to Dubai, which means you will purchase it in Dirhams, UAE. With this in mind, make sure you bring a credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees. This can save you 2% to 5% on foreign transaction fees per purchase and help you earn credit card rewards on your next trip.
Related: Top Travel Reward Cards that You Can Pay Your Own
Bottom line
Whether traveling alone or family, Dubai is an ideal destination for vacation abroad. With some savvy apps for your points and mileage plans, you can save the stress of your wallet while accessing.
