Changes in Emirates Amex Transfer Ratio Coming Soon
Emirates has long been a key option for travelers looking to transfer American Express Membership Reward points, especially for booking Business Class or upgrading to First Class. But some significant changes are looming on the horizon.
On Tuesday, American Express quietly revealed an update to its transfer chart for Emirates. Starting September 16, 2025, the conversion ratio for transferring Membership Reward points to Skyward will shift from “1 Membership Reward Point = 1 Skyward Mile” to a less favorable “5 Membership Reward Points = 4 Skyward Miles.”
This means that Emirates will no longer offer a 1:1 transfer rate, decreasing to a ratio of 1,000:800 in just a couple of months. So, for example, transferring 50,000 points from an Amex Gold or Platinum card, which currently nets 50,000 Skywards miles, will only yield 40,000 miles after the change.
Once this adjustment takes effect, navigating point transfers to Emirates might become a bit trickier. Emirates will only collaborate with JetBlue under a sub-1:1 transfer ratio, which means that cardholders may have to redeem more points than before.
While this news seems sudden, there were hints along the way. In fact, earlier this spring, Citi announced a similar 5:4 transfer ratio change, set to begin in late July. Soon after, there were indications that other card issuers—Chase, American Express, Built, and Capital One—would follow suit with Emirates transfers. However, what’s truly concerning is this recent communication from American Express.
To date, aside from Citi, no other banks have publicly confirmed any changes regarding their point transfer options to Emirates. As for Chase and Capital One, they haven’t responded to inquiries about potential adjustments. A representative from BILT Rewards did mention that their current 1:1 transfer rate to Emirates will remain unchanged.
Clearly, these upcoming changes suggest that Emirates is reevaluating its Skyward program. Just a few months ago, the airline made using points for First Class bookings more complicated by requiring members to have certain status levels.
This story is unfolding, and it will be interesting to see how travelers and cardholders react to these modifications.
