Emirates Airlines is introducing changes to the calculation of the validity period for its Skywards Miles loyalty program, which will take effect next year.
Under the updated policy, accumulated Skywards Miles will be valid for three years from the date of receipt, regardless of whether they were earned through a flight or a partner activity. The period will be rounded to the end of the month in which the miles were received. This replaces the current method where miles expired three years from the accrual date, rounded to the end of the program member's birth month.
This change will only affect miles earned from June 1, 2027. Miles already held by members, or those earned before this date, will remain unchanged and continue to expire according to the existing rule based on the birth month.
Emirates stated that this update aims to provide every Skywards member with a consistent and predictable miles validity period, simplifying the tracking of their expiration date regardless of the member's date of birth.
At the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year, Emirates had over 38 million Skywards members, with more than 78,000 new participants added weekly. Since 2000, over 450 billion miles have been redeemed for flight rewards and upgrades. More than 800 Classic Rewards are exchanged daily on Emirates flights.
In celebrating the 25th anniversary of Emirates Skywards, the company conducted a large-scale campaign and expanded reward opportunities for members. These opportunities included the ability to use Classic Rewards on all flydubai flights in all classes, as well as using Classic Rewards and Upgrade Rewards in Emirates Premium Economy. Additionally, a charity auction of seven rare Platinum-level Skywards membership numbers was held.
Under the old rule, two members who earned miles on the same day could have completely different expiration dates depending on their birth month. For example, miles earned on May 10, 2024, by a member with a July birthday would expire on July 31, 2027, whereas the same miles earned by a member with a March birthday would expire on March 31, 2028.
Under the new rule, all members will follow a single formula: 'three years from the accrual date,' rounded to the end of that month, regardless of the birth month.
Separately, Emirates Skywards offers members a temporary relaxation of tier upgrade requirements. Until August 31, 2026, members can maintain their current status or move up to the next tier by achieving only 80 percent of the standard requirement for miles or qualifying flights. The reduced thresholds are: Silver — 20,000 Tier Miles or 20 qualifying flights; Gold — 40,000 Tier Miles or 40 qualifying flights; Platinum — 120,000 Tier Miles, provided at least one flight in First or Business Class is taken.