Partner award chart revamped; short-haul awards fall as low as 3,000 miles

6,000-mile minimum partner award → 3,000-mile minimum (flights up to 300 miles)

Without announcement, effective March 4, 2026, Emirates Skywards moved most of its airline partners onto a new distance-based award chart. The minimum partner award dropped from 6,000 to 3,000 miles one-way for flights up to 300 miles, economy awards under roughly 900 miles fell by up to 50%, and business class awards under roughly 1,500 miles fell 40–70%, with AwardWallet documenting cuts of up to 76% on some awards. A minority of awards rose: economy in the 2,000–4,000-mile bands increased about 2–5%, and Condor awards moved onto the standard chart at roughly 33% higher; some partners remain on the previous chart. The Qantas chart was revised again in early April 2026 with mixed results, including some business awards up 79%. Skywards receives transfers from American Express (5:4), Capital One (1,000:750), Citi and Bilt (1:1).

What to do: Price short partner flights through Skywards before other programs; check the current chart at booking since Emirates changes it without notice.