Emirates Locks the First-Class Door—Unless You’re Elite (Or Have the Right Credit Card)

Emirates just made a major move—and for most award travelers, it’s not the good kind.

Starting May 12, 2025, Emirates will restrict First Class award redemptions exclusively to Skywards elite members(Silver, Gold, or Platinum). If you’ve been dreaming of Dom Perignon at 40,000 feet or that private shower spa onboard the A380, your window to book is closing—unless you’re holding elite status… or the right piece of plastic.

🚨 What’s Changing?

Until now, anyone with Emirates Skywards miles could potentially book First Class award seats. But as of Monday, only elite members will be able to see and book those seats using Skywards miles.

A quiet notice inside member accounts and a subtle update to the Skywards miles calculator confirmed what many suspected: Emirates is tightening the velvet rope around its most premium cabin.

💳 Two Credit Cards Still Offer a Backdoor

Don’t have elite status? There may still be a path.

Both Emirates co-branded credit cards from Barclays grant elite status as part of their welcome offer, making them a viable shortcut for travelers hoping to lock in a first-class seat.

Option 1: Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard

• 🎁 40,000 Miles + 1 Year of Silver Status

• 💰 $99 Annual Fee

• 🛍 Earn: 3X on Emirates, 2X on travel, 1X everywhere else

• 🏆 Maintain Silver Status with $20K spend annually

Option 2: Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard

• 🎁 50,000 Miles + 1 Year of Gold Status

• 💰 $499 Annual Fee

• 🛍 Earn: Same as above, plus lounge access perks

• 🏆 Maintain Gold Status with $40K spend annually

Unless you're chasing the full Gold experience (including worldwide Emirates lounge access), the $99 version might be the best move to keep first class within reach—without breaking the bank.

💥 Why This Matters

This move isn’t totally out of left field. Emirates has been slowly making First Class redemptions harder to access:

Partner programs like Alaska and JAL lost access years ago.

Air Canada Aeroplan still offers Emirates First Class, but at sky-high redemption rates.

Surcharges have climbed, and award pricing has quietly crept up.

Now, even within their own program, Emirates is making First Class a velvet-rope experience. It’s a play straight from the Air France / Lufthansa playbook—reward the most loyal and box out the rest.

✈️ Can You Still Upgrade to First?

Here’s the wildcard: Emirates has long been known to offer last-minute upgrades at check-in or even the airport kioskfor miles—sometimes at favorable rates. Will those opportunities disappear too for non-elites?

We don’t know yet—but it’s certainly possible that on-the-day upgrades could also be reserved for elite members only, mirroring this award redemption policy.

🛑 What You Should Do Now

If you’ve been saving Emirates miles for First Class, book before May 12.

Consider grabbing the $99 Emirates credit card to gain Silver status for a year.

If you’re sitting on Aeroplan or another partner’s points, watch closely to see if partner redemptions disappear without notice.

🥂 Final Boarding Call

Emirates’ First Class is a bucket-list experience. But with this latest change, it's becoming a lot harder to access—unless you’re in the inner circle.

Whether this is a way to protect inventory for paying customers or just another loyalty squeeze, one thing is clear: elite status is no longer a “nice-to-have”—it’s a must for aspirational redemptions like this.