Looking to fly with Emirates using frequent flyer points? You’ve come to the right place. And, contrary to what was recently reported on some other websites, it’s still possible to book Emirates First Class using points – even if you don’t have elite frequent flyer status.
From Australia, Emirates operates direct flights to Dubai from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Beyond the UAE, the carrier also offers connections to cities across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and more. Subject to reward seat availability, all of these flights can be snagged using points.
Here’s an overview of how to book Emirates flights using some of the most relevant types of points for Australian travellers. We’ll cover how to book with Qantas Points, Emirates Skywards miles, and also booking using Air Canada Aeroplan points. You’ll see why we’ve included Aeroplan soon enough.
Qantas American Express Ultimate
Booking Emirates flights using Qantas Points
The go-to move for most Aussies flying with Emirates will be to spend Qantas Points. Booking flights with Emirates is one of the main ways that Qantas Frequent Flyer members can secure reward seats to Europe. Reward bookings are available in Economy, Business Class and First Class, but not Premium Economy.
The good:
- Qantas Points are incredibly easy to earn in Australia.
- It’s still possible to book Emirates First Class using Qantas Points (subject to availability).
The not-so-good:
- Qantas members don’t have access to as many Emirates reward seats as members of Skywards.
- Emirates levies hefty carrier charges on most routes, which apply when using Qantas Points.
How it’s done
The Qantas website makes it quick and easy to book Emirates reward flights using points. Just search for the route you want to take, the dates you’d like to travel, and enable the ‘Rewards’ option. It’s the same process you’d take when booking a reward flight on a Qantas aircraft. But, if there are Emirates reward seats available, you’ll see them here.
We’ll start with a simple search: Sydney to Dubai in Economy Class, for one passenger. In the week that we searched (late July 2025), reward seats were available on six out of seven days. Not bad, particularly during the European summer, which can make Dubai-bound flights fuller than usual with passengers connecting onwards.
As you can see above, this journey currently requires 50,300 Qantas Points, plus ~$357 in taxes, fees and charges. But, if making a new booking from 5 August, the cost decreases to 48,200 Qantas Points (plus co-pay). How about Business Class? Currently, the rate is 119,200 Qantas Points + $1,253 from Sydney to Dubai. That’s because Emirates levies hefty carrier charges on most reward sear bookings. Availability is nowhere near as broad as for Economy, but there are still seats if you go hunting. (Usually, these are on the 6am departure, which tends to be less popular with travellers paying full fare).
Making the same Business Class booking from 5 August will see these flights increase to 130,100 Qantas Points (plus co-pay). As for First Class? These seats are scarce, but they’re still bookable from time to time. Again, usually on the less desirable 6am departure. For this, you currently need 170,800 Qantas Points + $1,253. That becomes 195,400 Qantas Points (plus co-pay) when booking from 5 August. So, if you’re already planning your next holiday, get in now!
Pro tip: Emirates seat selection
Once you’ve booked an Emirates flight through Qantas, you’ll receive a six-character Qantas confirmation code. You can then visit the Emirates website (or use the Emirates mobile app) to select your seats. Simply enter your Qantas confirmation code, and Emirates can retrieve your booking. It’s rare that this works when two airlines are on separate booking systems, but Qantas and Emirates have pleasingly done the IT groundwork to make this happen.
Having trouble? There’s another way to retrieve your Emirates confirmation code, which is different to the confirmation number provided by Qantas. You can do this by accessing your booking through the Qantas website, using the Qantas confirmation code that appears on your booking. Then, under the ‘flight details’ section, look for a blue box, which shows your Emirates confirmation code.
Want to know more about using Qantas Points with Emirates? Read our full guide.
Reserving Emirates flights using Skywards miles
Another path for booking Emirates flights is to use the airline’s own Skywards miles. As with all partner programs, reward seats aren’t yet available in Emirates Premium Economy.
The good:
- Skywards members get more reward seat availability on Emirates than members of any other frequent flyer program.
- Skywards generally has better off-peak redemption rates in Economy Class than through partner programs.
The not-so-good:
- First Class reward seats are only bookable for those with Skywards Silver status, or higher.
- The carrier charges impacting Qantas reward bookings also apply through Skywards.
- Skywards miles are difficult to earn in meaningful quantities in Australia. Even where Skywards miles can be converted, the transfer rates are generally less favourable. For instance, 3:1 from Amex Membership Rewards (versus 2:1 for most other airlines) and an unfortunate 5:1 rate from CommBank Awards (versus 2:1 to 3.5:1 for most other airlines).
How it’s done
Head to the Emirates website and log into your Skywards account. Then, return to the main page and be sure to select ‘Classic rewards’ on the flight search screen. You don’t need any Skywards miles in your account to check reward seat availability and pricing. So, if you were considering transferring points to book, you can check that there’s something suitable available – and how much it costs – before you commit.
The best-value reward seat bookings are in Emirates Economy Class. That’s because the redemption rates are low at off-peak times, and Emirates’ carrier charges are also much cheaper on these bookings than when sitting up front. For instance, you could fly from Sydney to Dubai from just 30,000 Skywards miles plus around $357. (By comparison, Qantas Frequent Flyer members would currently part with 50,300 Qantas Points for the same booking, with the same co-pay).
Just be mindful that Economy bookings don’t always provide outsized value. Different flights can cost higher amounts, even for travel on the same day. For instance, those not wanting to be up super early for a 6am flight would need 50,000 Skywards miles. That’s 66% more miles for the same seat, just at a later time. Yikes!
Reward bookings in Emirates Business Class don’t often stack up when spending Skywards miles. That’s because Emirates often levies ‘Flex’ reward seat pricing even on flights that could be booked through partner programs for less. For instance, the same flight that’s bookable for 119,200 Qantas Points costs 152,500 Skywards miles, with the same co-pay.
On the flip side, those reward bookings are available on a greater number of flights. On that date, Qantas members only had the option of the dreaded 6am flight, while Skywards members could fly at 6am or 8:10pm for the same cost in Skywards miles.
Using Aeroplan points to save on Emirates carrier charges
By our calculations, Emirates has the highest reward seat carrier charges in the industry, for passengers travelling in Business Class and First Class. We’re not talking about the genuine government taxes and airport fees, passed on by most airlines. We’re talking about a surcharge that Emirates chooses to charge passengers on top – in addition to the miles required. That’s why you’re spending over $1,200 for a one-way reward flight as above.
It’s only natural to wonder how you might get around that. Well, we’ve found a way! Come meet Air Canada Aeroplan…
The good:
- Reward bookings made on Emirates have zero carrier charges, even in First Class.
- Availability is generally on-par with what Qantas Frequent Flyer members can access. This includes access to First Class reward seats, which aren’t open to Skywards’ own Blue members.
The not-so-good:
- To compensate for having no carrier charges, the number of points needed to fly is often significantly higher. This is especially true in First Class, where reward rates are so high, they’re frankly ridiculous.
- Aeroplan points aren’t easy to earn in Australia, except for business owners using PayRewards (affiliated with Point Hacks) which can transfer to Aeroplan, or for those who buy points in bulk.
So, we’ve found the loophole… but you may not like the numbers. Let’s take a look.
How to book Emirates flights with Aeroplan points
It’s worth knowing about Aeroplan and its decision to absorb Emirates’ carrier charges into its frequent flyer redemption rates. But it’s a move that’s best for those with a near-infinite supply of points, who would rather draw those down while spending minimal cash. Think, business owners who might be able to tax-deduct the processing fees for earning those points in the first place.
To get started, head to Air Canada English website. Log into your Aeroplan account – it’s free to join and you don’t need points to check reward seat availability and pricing. Then, enter the route you’d like to search and tick the ‘Book with Aeroplan points’ box. Easy!
Aeroplan conveniently shows Emirates Economy Class, Business Class and First Class on the one screen, where reward seats are available.
On the plus side, notice the low co-payment amount (displayed in Canadian dollars). This represents only the genuine taxes and fees, plus Aeroplan’s nominal partner airline booking fee. So rather than paying over AU$350 in total costs for an Economy booking or over AU$1,250 for a Business or First Class booking, the actual hit to your hip pocket is only around AU$167 in any cabin class. But, those redemption rates… ouch.
On the date searched, Emirates Economy would set you back 97,300 Aeroplan points. That’s a lot more points than through Qantas Frequent Flyer or Skywards, just to save a couple of hundred in carrier charges. As for Business Class, Aeroplan’s reward cost is roughly triple Qantas’ revised (higher) rate that kicks in from August. In First Class, the points cost is more than quadruple that of Qantas.
In short, ‘no carrier charges’ isn’t as glamorous as it seems. Aeroplan is simply buying out those fees in the background, by charging customers significantly more points for these flights. In essence, the extra points charged are being used to pay those carrier charges to Emirates behind the scenes.
We’re not fans of carrier charges at the best of times. But we posit that it’s better value to pay those charges with money, as occurs when booking through Qantas, than to spend four times as many points to avoid them.
Also read: Aeroplan President: why dynamic pricing is the future, even for partner airline rewards
Featured image courtesy of Emirates. Screenshots generated by Point Hacks.
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