Condé Nast Traveler has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Condé Nast Traveler and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. We don't review or include all companies, or all available products. Moreover, the editorial content on this page was not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are entirely those of Condé Nast Traveler's editorial team.
You’ve seen the commercials: Jennifer Aniston drinking a cocktail at a bar, blow-drying her hair in a bathrobe, waking up while wrapped in white bed sheets—all on a plane. An Emirates plane, to be exact, outfitted with the airline’s famous first-class cabin.
Emirates first class is a dream travel experience for many, though it’s a costly one: A flight from the airline’s hub in Dubai to Los Angeles, for example, can cost $9,800 one-way. Included in the price tag are opulent personal suites on board, free-flowing Dom Pérignon, Byredo and Bulgari toiletries, and impeccable service by a highly trained crew—not to mention the dine-on-demand food and drink menus, the lie-flat seats, and ever-so precious privacy.
But even without an Aniston-level checking account, there’s hope. The flight of a lifetime can cost just a little cash and plenty of credit card points. That’s what I spent when I had the privilege of flying Emirates first class last year. Here’s how I made it happen.
Saving up the points
Like many people, I didn’t travel abroad in 2020. Once borders opened, I was ready to book a trip somewhere—anywhere!—using credit card points I accumulated in the pandemic through everyday spending.
As a points geek, I carry multiple AmEx cards with points-earning features tied to certain categories. At restaurants, my American Express® Gold card earns four points per $1 spent (terms apply). My Green card earns three points per $1 spent on transport like Uber or the subway. And for every $1 spent using The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (for the first $50,000 in purchases per year), I earn two points regardless of category (terms apply; after that cap is reached, it earns one point per dollar). (Other issuers have similar card “families” you can use to build a points strategy around your spending habits.)
By fall of 2021, I had 100,000 Amex points ready to be converted into airline miles—and into a plane ticket. After months of staying home, ordering food in, and shopping online, you likely have points waiting to whisk you away, too.
Finding the flight you want
To find an Emirates first class seat bookable with points, use the airline’s search engine and its frequent flier program Emirates Skywards. From there, simply search using your desired points of departure and arrival, or experiment with options based on what your points can afford.
In my case, I didn’t have the 136,250 points needed to fly from New York to Dubai. Thankfully, in addition to flights to and from the UAE, Emirates operates some fifth freedom flights that do not terminate or originate in its home country. I experimented with different airports and travel dates, et voila: A shorter flight from Milan to New York would cost me only 85,000 points, leaving me with plenty to spare.
Double-check that your flight has the first-class cabin you want—and be ready for last-minute changes. When I booked my ticket, I was thrilled that the flight would be served by an Airbus A380, which features Emirates’ famous onboard shower. But a week later, it was replaced with a Boeing 777, which still has first class but not the shower. (I won’t say I didn’t throw a small tantrum when I found out, but . . . you know.)
Booking the flight
Once you’re ready to book, convert your credit card points into Emirates Skywards miles. It doesn’t matter whether you’re with American Express, Capital One, Chase, or Citi—or a mix of them, if you’re fancy—because all their points transfer instantaneously to Emirates at a 1:1 ratio. Keep an eye out for limited-time transfer bonuses too!
The instant transfers make it easy to book your flight as soon as you find it, whether online or on the Emirates mobile app. (I felt so powerful booking first class with just my phone, let me tell you.) You still have to spend some cash to book your ticket and cover fuel surcharges, but they’re never more than a couple hundred dollars at most. For my Milan to New York flight, which retails at $4,000, I paid 85,000 Skywards miles transferred from AmEx and $97—that’s 2 percent of the full cash price.
Kicking back in first class
After a week in Italy, it was time to fly home in style. The crew laughed as I excitedly photographed my enclosed suite, my amenity kit and pajamas, the over-the-top gold-plated fixtures, even the leather-bound wine menu. “It’s my first time flying Emirates first class,” I told them. The purser said, “How wonderful! Hopefully we meet your expectations.”
They did, naturally. Though I didn’t get to shower at 30,000 feet, the whole experience was worth the wait. I felt pampered after a long week of travel: I had an exquisite dinner of caviar, mushroom soup, chicken mandi, and Arabic desserts. After the meal, I went to the spacious bathroom and changed into the most comfortable pajamas I’ve ever worn—both on the ground and in the air. I slept for five hours straight on a lie-flat bed with pristine bedding as I was ferried across the Atlantic. I even got to try Hennessy Paradis (over $1,000 a bottle!); it was like drinking silk.
Over dinner, I watched CNN live via satellite. News of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was nonstop. As a flight attendant poured me more champagne, we got to talking. We were both grateful to be back in the air, we said, doing what we love while we can. We thanked each other, smiling—I could tell—beneath our face masks.
The bottom line
Though the whole point of Emirates first class is luxury in excess (and the price tag to go with it), it’s a travel dream that can easily become reality with patience, flexibility, and strategy—all funded by the spending you’re already doing everyday.
Rates and fees for the American Express cards listed: The Gold Card ; The Green Card; The Business Platinum Plus
Condé Nast Traveler has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Condé Nast Traveler and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
