You can still book Emirates First Class with points in 2026, but it’s not as straightforward as it used to be.

This article covers everything you need to know about booking Emirates First Class with points.

For years, the simplest way into Emirates First Class on points wasn't through Emirates at all. It was through Qantas. You'd transfer points to Qantas Frequent Flyer and book Emirates First as a partner award, no Emirates status needed.

That door didn't close completely, but it certainly narrowed. As of February 18, 2026, you need Qantas Silver status or higher to book Emirates First Class reward seats with Qantas points. The Bronze member category — which is most people — lost access entirely. On top of that, Qantas raised the points cost on Emirates awards by around 20% from March 31, 2026, and added a rule barring children under nine from First Class award tickets.

Emirates' own program tightened too. Booking First Class outright with Skywards miles now requires Skywards elite status. No status, no direct First Class award.

So both of the obvious paths now have a status gate. Luckily for us, the upgrade route still works reliably if done right…

Emirates lets you upgrade tickets it issued, including award tickets, by one cabin. Book Business Class directly with Emirates, and you can upgrade that ticket to First Class with Skywards miles.

The status rule only applies to booking First Class outright. It does not apply to upgrading into First. A non-elite member can't redeem miles for a First Class award seat, but the same person can book Business and upgrade.

Two things make this practical rather than theoretical. Business Class award space on Emirates is far easier to find than First. And Business-to-First upgrade space tends to be available even when no First award seat is bookable, because upgrade inventory is separate from award inventory.

Here’s the catch: the ticket has to be issued by Emirates. A Business Class award booked through a partner program like Japan Airlines, Qantas, or anyone else, cannot be upgraded. This only works on Emirates-issued tickets.

So, sadly, even though you can book business class with fewer miles through the Japan Airlines milage program, you wouldn’t be able to upgrade that ticket to first class.

Search Business Class Flex or Flex Plus award availability on the Emirates website, or use a tool like Seats.aero to locate it fast across dates.

Your booking has to be made directly through Emirates. Remember: a cheaper Business award through a partner program saves miles up front but you won’t be able to upgrade from there.

Before you commit, confirm the flight actually has First Class upgrade space. You can confirm through Emirates live chat. Ask the agent to check upgrade availability from Business to First on your specific flight and date.

Saver award tickets (the cheapest award seats) may not be eligible for the instant upgrade, but if there’s space you could possibly upgrade day-of at the airport. The Flex or Flex Plus Business Class award class should be eligible for instant upgrade, providing there’s space.

Once instant upgrade availability is confirmed via chat, book the award through Emirates. Then secure the upgrade to First Class with additional Skywards miles.

You'll spend more total miles going Business-plus-upgrade than you would on a direct First award. But a direct First award needs elite status and an open First award seat, and if you have neither working in your favor, the upgrade path gets you there regardless.

JFK to Milan in the famous A380 with a shower and bar onboard.

Business one-way pricing: Flex Plus fare usually costs 87,000–97,000 Skywards miles
First Class upgrade: 39,000 Skywards miles.
Taxes and fees: about $433 USD one-way in Business or First.

There's also a cheaper Saver fare at 59,000 Skywards miles, but its upgrade costs more and only clears at the airport on departure day.

*Note: Not all programs transfer to Emirates at 1:1. Check your issuers transfer rate to confirm how many points you’ll need to transfer to secure the booking.

Emirates Skywards have gotten a little harder to earn. Most major transferable currencies reduced or cut their Emirates transfers over the past year. Citi reduced its ratio in July 2025, Amex dropped to 5:4 in September 2025, Chase removed Emirates entirely in October 2025, and Capital One devalued to 4:3 in January 2026.

Only one currency still transfers to Emirates Skywards at 1:1: Bilt Rewards. Verify the current ratio for your specific program before you transfer, since changes happen frequently.

If you’re based in the US, the strongest play right now might be picking up the Bilt Palladium card, which will earn you 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months.

Plus, the card earns 2 points er dollar on everything making it a great “catch-all” card. And if you use Bilt cash to buy a points accelerator, you can earn 3X on everything up to $25,000 of spend.

The American Express Gold or Platinum cards are also a solid option, although the transfer rate is not as strong as that from Bilt.

Yes, through the upgrade path. You can't book a First Class award outright without Emirates Skywards elite status, but you can book a Business Class award directly through Emirates and upgrade it to First Class with Skywards miles — no status required for the upgrade.

Only with Qantas Silver status or higher, as of February 18, 2026. Bronze-level Qantas members can no longer book Emirates First Class reward seats with Qantas points. Award prices also rose roughly 20% from March 31, 2026.

The most common reason is that the ticket was booked through a partner program. Only tickets issued directly by Emirates can be upgraded with Skywards miles. A Business Class award booked through Qantas or Japan Airlines sits on partner ticket stock and isn't eligible for an Emirates upgrade. Alternatively, there may be no space available to upgrade to.

It depends on the route and fare — Emirates prices upgrades by distance. Check the exact cost for your specific flight in Emirates' Manage Your Booking upgrade tool, which shows the Skywards miles required before you commit.

As of 2026, Bilt Rewards transfer at 1:1, while Amex (5:4), Citi, Capital One (4:3), and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1) transfer at reduced ratios. Chase no longer transfers to Emirates. Always confirm the current ratio before transferring, as these change frequently.

Not if you book a Flex or Flex Plus Business Class award. Those fares let you confirm an upgrade in advance when space is available, so you can lock in First Class before your travel day rather than waiting to see what opens up at check-in.