Solo travelers can still save thousands on Emirates First Class, and couples willing to take a chance can too
I’ve flown Emirates First Class more times than I can count on both hands. Dubai, Maldives, Milan, Seychelles, Jeddah – you name it, I’ve probably sipped champagne and asked for a second serving of caviar at 40,000 feet on the way there, sometimes even taking a shower when it’s on the A380.
While it’s debatable whether Emirates offers the absolute best First Class in the world, their route network is so expansive and their U.S. departures so numerous that they’ve become the go-to airline when comfort is your top priority. That’s simply due to their number of options for flexible opportunity travelers like me.
Emirates Has Been Making It Harder for Years
That’s what makes it heartbreaking to watch the golden age of “affordable” (i.e., 80%-ish off) Emirates First Class deals slowly slip away. They’ve slashed available seats, limited bookings to one seat at a time, hiked their mileage requirements, and – adding insult to injury – cranked up those pesky taxes year after year.
Now comes the final blow? Emirates just rolled out a restriction in their Skywards loyalty program that only allows its elite status members to book First Class seats with miles. This is bad news. Really bad news.
The Three First Class Workarounds
1. Become an Emirates Elite Status Member
For just $95, you can snag one of their co-branded Barclays credit cards. Here’s how this works:
- As a primary Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard holder, you receive Silver tier status for 12 months from your card account open date
- The Silver tier status can take up to eight weeks to reflect in your account (patience, grasshopper)
- To keep your Silver status from year two onwards, you’ll need to spend $20,000 annually in net purchases, starting from your card anniversary date
- Score 40,000 bonus miles just for signing up
- This promotion runs through July 15, 2025
Okay, not bad—if you want to fly the airline’s First Class often.
2. The Qantas Backdoor (for Amex Points Players)
Transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to Qantas, an Emirates partner. You can snag First Class to Dubai for as low as 149,800 Qantas miles (which equals the same number of Amex points with the 1-to-1 transfer option). New York/Newark to Athens? Even fewer miles required, 129,300 one-way. If you’re sitting on a mountain of Amex points, you’re golden.
3. Buy Your Way to Luxury (When Points Run Dry)
Out of Amex points? Burned them on that last dream trip? No problem — you can buy up to 500,000 Amex Membership Rewards points, yearly at 2.5 cents each. Let’s crunch the numbers on what that means for your wallet. Let’s look at the outbound flight first, where taxes are much lower. The flight you want if you’re only flying Emirates A380 Shower routes one-way for the experience.
Emirates First Class One-Way Data
and asked for a second serving of caviar at 40,000 feet on the way there, sometimes even taking a shower when it’s on the A380.
While it's debatable whether Emirates offers the absolute best First Class in the world, their route network is so expansive and their U.S. departures so numerous that they've become the go-to airline when comfort is your top priority. That’s simply due to their number of options for flexible opportunity travelers like me.
Emirates Has Been Making It Harder for Years
That's what makes it heartbreaking to watch the golden age of “affordable” (i.e., 80%-ish off) Emirates First Class deals slowly slip away. They've slashed available seats, limited bookings to one seat at a time, hiked their mileage requirements, and – adding insult to injury – cranked up those pesky taxes year after year.
Now comes the final blow? Emirates just rolled out a restriction in their Skywards loyalty program that only allows its elite status members to book First Class seats with miles. This is bad news. Really bad news.
The Three First Class Workarounds
1. Become an Emirates Elite Status Member
For just $95, you can snag one of their co-branded Barclays credit cards. Here's how this works:
- As a primary Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard holder, you receive Silver tier status for 12 months from your card account open date
- The Silver tier status can take up to eight weeks to reflect in your account (patience, grasshopper)
- To keep your Silver status from year two onwards, you’ll need to spend $20,000 annually in net purchases, starting from your card anniversary date
- Score 40,000 bonus miles just for signing up
- This promotion runs through July 15, 2025
2. The Qantas Backdoor (for Amex Points Players)
Transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to Qantas, an Emirates partner. You can snag First Class to Dubai for as low as 149,800 Qantas miles (which equals the same number of Amex points with the 1-to-1 transfer option). New York/Newark to Athens? Even fewer miles required, 129,300 one-way. If you're sitting on a mountain of Amex points, you're golden.
3. Buy Your Way to Luxury (When Points Run Dry)
Out of Amex points? Burned them on that last dream trip? No problem — you can buy up to 500,000 Amex Membership Rewards points, yearly at 2.5 cents each. Let's crunch the numbers on what that means for your wallet. Let’s look at the outbound flight first, where taxes are much lower. The flight you want if you’re only flying Emirates A380 Shower routes one-way for the experience.
Emirates First Class One-Way Data
Emirates First Class Round-Trip Data
What About Availability?
Yeah, First Class availability has been dwindling for years. But if you're flying solo or you're part of what I call a "chancy couple," plenty of opportunities still exist.
By "chancy couple," I mean this: Book one ticket first, then keep checking obsessively for a second seat on the same flight. Emirates has this quirky habit of releasing just one seat at a time. If you've got miles to burn and nerves of steel, here's the play: Book one ticket in First and one in Business, then hawk-watch for that second First Class seat right up until departure.
The cancellation fees are usually modest, so the risk-reward ratio works in your favor.
Here's what our deep-dive research uncovered about current availability using Qantas miles for Emirates First Class (remember, these Qantas miles come from transferring your Amex points).
Don’t forget about FCF’s Mindset on Positioning Flights.
Emirates First Class Availability
Using Qantas Miles (Transferable with Amex Points)
New York / Newark > Athens > New York / Newark
Emirates First Class Availability
Using Qantas Miles (Transferable with Amex Points)
Dallas > Dubai > Dallas
Emirates First Class Availability
Using Qantas Miles (Transferable with Amex Points)
New York > Dubai > New York
Emirates First Class Availability
Using Qantas Miles (Transferable with Amex Points)
Boston > Dubai > Boston
Emirates First Class Availability
Using Qantas Miles (Transferable with Amex Points)
Washington, DC > Dubai > Washington, DC
Emirates First Class Availability
Using Qantas Miles (Transferable with Amex Points)
Chicago > Dubai > Chicago
Emirates First Class Availability
Using Qantas Miles (Transferable with Amex Points)
New York/Newark > Dubai > New York/Newark
Emirates First Class Availability
Using Qantas Miles (Transferable with Amex Points)
Los Angeles > Dubai > Los Angeles
Emirates First Class Availability
Using Qantas Miles (Transferable with Amex Points)
San Francisco > Dubai > San Francisco
A word of caution: Don't pull the trigger on transfers unless you've got points to spare and flexibility in your schedule. If your plans shift by a day or two, no biggie. Transfer time from Amex to Qantas is typically instant.
The Bottom Line
If you're a thrill-seeker looking for the ultimate joyride, Emirates First Class Shower Flights should be on your bucket list. It transforms travel from a necessary evil into an experience you'll actually anticipate.
Remember, you only need to splurge one way, and perhaps the night flight – unless you're a comfort connoisseur with cash to burn, in which case, go ahead and book that round-trip.
The game has changed, but it's not over. These workarounds prove that with a little creativity and flexibility, you can still experience the Emirates lifestyle for more than half off, or free + taxes if you have Amex points.
See you there.