This card is no longer available. This card guide is for reference purposes only.
Note: You need to have an Emirates Skywards Miles frequent flyer account prior to applying for this card. There’s also a $75,000 p.a. minimum income requirement for applicants to this card.
Card Details
| Loyalty program | Emirates Skywards |
| Points earned from spend | 1 Skyward Mile per $1 on eligible Domestic Spend, 1.25 Mile per $1 on eligible International Spend and 1.5 points per $ spent directly with emirates.com |
| Points cap | Earn rate drops to 0.5 Skywards Mile per $1 on eligible Domestic Spend after $3,000 spent each statement period up to $10,000 |
| Earns points at ATO | No |
| Travel benefits | Each year: Emirates lounge passes and airport limo transfers when flying Emirates |
| Minimum income | $75,000 |
| Included insurances | Travel and purchase protection insurances (PDS) |
| Overseas transaction fee | 3.40% of the converted amount |
| Mobile wallet | Apple Pay, Samsung Pay |
| Regular Annual fee | $299 p.a. |
Guide to the Emirates Citi World Mastercard
The earn rate on eligible Domestic Spend is 1 Skyward miles per $1 for the first $3,000 spent each statement period, dropping to 0.5 Skywards miles per $1 spent up to $10,000 per statement period.
This is one of the better earn rates for Skyward miles on the market for regular spend – but Skyward miles are not the most valuable currency out there, so you’ll have to really want these miles to go for this card.
There’s also 1.25 Skywards Miles per $1 on eligible International Spend which is uncapped, along with a spend bonus of 1.5 Skywards Miles for every $1 spent on airline tickets purchased via emirates.com.
The annual fee is usually $299, and supplementary cardholders are free.
It’s really a card that will be most appropriate for those who spend heavily on bookings directly with Emirates with the 1.5 Skywards miles per $1 on offer on Emirates spend.
This could work well for business-owners who have a need to book flights directly with Emirates for their staff. The vouchers for lounge access and the limo transfer benefit could also be useful in this context as they can be given to others to use too.
Emirates specific benefits with the Emirates Citi Skywards Mastercard
The two Emirates lounge access vouchers are valid for the primary cardholder, travelling on an Emirates flight, for use in Australian lounges. The primary cardholder can use both pass for themselves, or both passes at once for themselves and a guest.
You’ll of course need to be travelling in Economy to make use of the voucher too, as Business and First Class travellers get access to the Emirates lounge by virtue of their ticket.
This benefit has recently changed – it used to be one voucher for the primary cardholder and a guest, and for long-haul flights only.
You’ll now get two vouchers per year, and you can’t bring any additional guests into the lounge, so using it on a family trip is a no go. The vouchers do now seem to be valid for Trans-Tasman flights with Emirates however.
You’ll also get access to an Emirates chauffeur-driven transfer ‘to and from the airport’ in Australia once per year as a cardholder.
The terms don’t make it clear if this is a single transfer on a trip, or whether it’s possible to book a return transfer. The ‘to and from the airport’ language is ambiguous, and the terms state the benefit is ‘once per calendar year’. We’re trying to get this cleared up and will update this guide when we know more.
Either way, this is still a valuable benefit if you know you’ll use it, and transfer is probably worth valuing around ~$100 each depending on how far you live from the airport.
Other benefits
The Emirates Citi World Mastercard also gains access to the Citi dining program where you’ll get a bottle of wine at participating restaurants. From what we’ve seen, the execution and value of this program is mixed, so not a benefit to bank on.
There’s also a set of insurances on offer for purchases made on the card, such as International Travel Insurance and Transit Accident coverage. Read the full PDS here.
This guide references some of the benefits of insurance policies provided with this card. You should read the PDS and obtain independent professional advice before obtaining this product.
Apple Pay, Google Pay & Samsung Pay Support
Citi cards supports Apple Pay & Google Pay & Samsung Pay, meaning you can use this card on your smartphone for easier payments.
Summing Up
The Emirates benefits with the Emirates World Mastercard is going to appeal most to the infrequent, but committed Emirates traveller. Usually the card wouldn’t be for everyone, and not even for the average Skywards member only given its relatively high annual fee for the benefits on offer.
If you’re interested in how the numbers stack up for earning Skywards Miles vs Qantas Points with your Emirates flights, then I’ve run a comparison on this here.
It does have its place for those who fly exclusively on Emirates network frequently, and who buy their own tickets for themselves (and others to do the same), given the bonus points and perks on offer with Emirates. The lounge access and airport transfer benefits are then the cream on top of the chunky 1.5 miles per $ earn rate on Emirates spend. If this is you, it’s worth considering.
You’ve written a good article, but minor grammatical lapses like this undermine its credibility.
I noted that SPG Gold is not automatic. To obtain SPG Gold status you’ll need to enrol via the provided SPG link for “complimentary upgrade to Gold Preferred status after just one night’s stay at participating resorts in the Asia Pacific”
“You are now entitled to receive Gold Preferred status for 1 year when you next use your World or World Elite MasterCard®, for any bookings in Asia Pacific by July 13, 2015. In addition, enjoy 20% savings when you book two nights or more before March 31, 2014 at Starwood hotels and resorts in Asia Pacific and pay with your MasterCard.”
Do you have clear information on for which flights the lounge pass is valid? You mention long-haul, which I presume does not include flights to New Zealand? You also mention Dubai. Emirates also flies to Bangkok and Singapore, wonder if these count? One would imagine they do.
Long haul is now not mentioned, Dubai is excluded – it’s all about using a lounge within Australia with the pass.
It doesn’t mention it on the website or in the t+c, but if it was a feature I would have expected it to have been proudly listed and highlighted.
AFG buy flights with FF points and sell them to you.
my wife and kids were going to the UK and i got 2 business class tix with Singapore Airlines – they struggled to get 4 due to the way they work. By the time i figured out how it worked i crapped myself and shelled out on the full price for the other 2.
As these tix were for my family i got very nervous especially after the friend who recommended AFG went to the airport and was turned away from his flight after the airline simply cancelled his tix.
i’d say i saved about $1200 on a $8400 ticket and the stress has not been worth the money although its worked for me this time.
40k points, 2 free Australian lounge passes, 1 (maybe 2) Australian chauffeur transfers, SPG gold, first year $149 and then $299.
just not compelling enough.
And its main benefit it tied to US residents, but having said that, its still a bargain.
I’m using it in London, I have a short stop and rooms at the May Fair Hotel start at $420 a night, so $840 altogether. with this, it will only cost $297 per night, so about $600. I guess its just a saving of $240 bucks.
but of course, its only one night, since its 70,000 points.