Chase and Amex will temporarily suspend Emirates Skywards point transfers — devaluations next?
Following the news that Citi ThankYou Rewards will be devaluing point transfers to Emirates Skywards by 20% beginning July 27, Chase and American Express have announced that point transfers to the international airline loyalty program will be "temporarily" unavailable.
Keep reading to find out more about the temporary Emirates partner suspension and when point transfers will resume.
Related: Credit card transfer partners: Guide to transferring points and miles to airlines and hotels
Chase and Amex to suspend Emirates Skywards point transfers
As first reported by One Mile at a Time, Chase has issued the following notice to Ultimate Rewards members:
Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points online or over the phone to Emirates Skywards will be unavailable between [12:00 a.m. EDT on May 29 and tentatively June 30]. We apologize for the inconvenience.
In a similar statement on its transfer partner page, American Express Membership Rewards posted:
Beginning May 28th, the ability to transfer Membership Rewards points to Emirates Skywards miles will be temporarily unavailable. Please visit Emirates.com for more information. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
While Chase offered a tentative resume date for its members, Amex did not offer additional information on when (and if) transfers to Emirates Skywards will commence.
Both card loyalty programs offer 1:1 transfers to Skywards, meaning you can transfer 1,000 points and receive a value of 1,000 Skywards miles in return.
Emirates is also a 1:1 transfer partner of Bilt Rewards and Capital One miles. At this time, members of those reward programs have not been notified about transfer changes to Emirates Skywards.
Will Chase and Amex devalue Emirates point transfers?
Less than one week after Citi announced that ThankYou Rewards points now transfer at a rate of 5:4, meaning for every 1,000 points transferred, you'll receive 800 Skywards miles, both Chase and Amex have issued statements halting transfers to Emirates altogether.
So, is a transfer devaluation imminent?
As I noted in my reaction to Citi's news, while devaluations are never good, what I was more afraid of happening was other credit card companies following suit. Chase and Amex have not publicly announced that they're losing Skywards as a transfer partner or devaluing the transfer rates. However, I wouldn't be surprised if devaluing transfer partners becomes a growing trend.
Members are able to get outsize value for their points and miles thanks to the flexibility they have to transfer those points and miles to loyalty programs. So, are airline and hotel loyalty programs trying to deter this flexibility and coerce more loyalty within a program by devaluing transfers?
Overall, I'm interested to see how this plays out. Let the chess match begin.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees