After a brief pause, you can again transfer American Express membership rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital 1 Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi Thankyou notes the Amirates Skywards program.
The news was first frequently reported by Miler.
In April, each major issuer paused the reward transfer and had a different schedule when (or whether) returns. American Express and Citi have not given an end date, resulting in concerns that the suspension may last for a long time. Chase said that by June 30, the transfer will be unavailable, so it’s nice to see this issue resolved earlier.
In our tests, although the schedule may vary, the transfer to Emirates was immediately available. Remember that transfers from credit card programs to partner programs such as the UAE cannot be reversed, so be sure to find reward availability before transferring points or miles.
While credit card points or mileage are typically transferred to the Skywards program at a 1:1 rate, Citigroup points will depreciate by 20% starting July 27. This means that for each 1,000 Thankyou bonus points you transfer to the UAE, you will get 800 Skywards Miles value, so a 5:4 transfer rate.
Additionally, Emirates now limits first-class reward bookings to elite members of its loyalty program. However, even if you don’t have an identity, you can still book top-notch reward tickets for points and miles if you book through the Partner Program. To book luxury top-notch seats in the UAE, you can transfer Amex points, Citi points or 1 mile capital to Qantas’ frequent flyer plans at 1:1. Again, make sure you first find the UAE seat through Qantas’ booking platform before transferring the rewards.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with TPG Daily Newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG experts
Related: How I Book First-Class UAE Awards Without Elite
Bottom line
It’s nice to see all credit card transfer options return all credit card transfer options to the Emirates program, which alleviates concerns that such unexpected transfer pauses may not be temporary or short life span.
Disappointingly, the new restrictions are redemption for first-class and booked with Skywards Miles, as well as the upcoming 20% Citi transfer depreciation; however, there is a convenient job in this regard by transferring the rewards to Australians instead of Emirates.
Related readings:
