Advertising Disclosure: Links and credit card offers on this page may earn us a small commission. They never influence what we cover but they do keep the lights on. Learn More
Emirates has been on an absolute tear with making their program harder and harder to love. They seem to be doing it quite intentionally – barring First Class redemptions for children (yes, I know, raging debate on that one!) and also charging transferable points programs more, leading to some transfer partner removals and some lowered transfer ratios. (You can see what the rates are across programs at our new Transfer Partner Matrix)
The icing on the cake has been increased award surcharges.
📰 Want MilesTalk to show up in your Google News? (Yes, you do!).
👉 Click here to add MilesTalk as a trusted news source for all things related to miles, points, and credit card rewards in your Google searches!
I usually like to reference the Fifth Freedom flights as what is left with ANY value as DXB in terms of cost + surcharges is out of hand.
On to the devaluation / program improvement. Now, first off, Loyalty Lobby flags that the devaluation took place today and adds 15% to awards.
Meanwhile, I see this:
From May 21, 2026, there will be an adjustment to the number of Miles required for Classic Reward tickets and selected Upgrade Rewards.
It may be due to LL being in Europe and my being in the US, but I wanted to write this today as I’m not yet seeing the devaluation but I AM seeing the improvement. That is improvement is that you can now book one-way Classic award fares.
With JFK-MXP and EWR-ATH, there are two bands of pricing, though if you see pricing over 100k, note that is routed via DXB so don’t be alarmed.
87,000 points is the Flex Plus rate. Until now, a one way flight could only be booked as Flex Plus.
As of today, you can book a Business Saver for 59,000 miles and the same co-pay.
Why is this such an improvement? Well, 87,000 miles and $434 is hardly a thrifty way to get to Europe and it’s also not always available both ways for a RT. I don’t think I’ve ever booked Emirates round trip!
This means I can finally book a Saver, when available, for 28,000 less miles!
So while this may be a devaluation, I am calling it a program improvement!
Thoughts?
Let me know below in the comments, on Twitter, or in the private MilesTalk Facebook group. And don't forget to follow me on Instagram for all sorts of tips on miles, points, credit cards, and travel.
If this post helped you, please consider sharing it!
You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards.
New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.
