I’m always interested to see new cobranded cards enter the market. More options is always better for our hobby, in my opinion.
According to Barclays’ fourth-quarter 2019 earnings report (and as originally reported by Doctor of Credit) Barclays has established a new partnership with Emirates Airlines. It’s not totally clear when the new product will be introduced to the market, or even if it’ll be introduced on the American market. Remember, Barclays is based in England.
Image courtesy of Emirates Airlines.
(SEE ALSO – The Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Is Ridiculous…)
You can check out the full 2019 Q4 report here from Barclays. In addition to the note on their Emirates partnership on page 20, there’s some interesting information throughout the report. The company seems to be very proud of increased management and technology progress, and it’s evident the bulk of their customer base is in the United Kingdom. Interesting to peruse, but unfortunately no other details on the future Emirates card.
Right now, you can transfer Chase, American Express, and Capital One currencies to Emirates Skywards. Marriott Bonvoy points also transfer to Emirates through the use of their travel packages. It’s tough to say whether these are good options, simply because Emirates doesn’t publish an award chart. As always, make sure you have a good redemption in mind before transferring points.
Image courtesy of Emirates Airlines.
What’s the Emirates Card Going to Look Like?
Barclays currently offers cobranded cards for American Airlines, JetBlue, Frontier, Lufthansa, and others. Personally, I only have the JetBlue Plus card open, as Barclays tens to frown on too many new applications. Based on what I’ve seen form Barclays in the past, here’s what I’m guessing for the new Emirates card.
- 3x Skywards on Emirates Airlines purchases
- 2x Skywards on either dining, groceries, gas, hotels, and/or travel (broadly defined)
- Annual fee of between $99 and $150
- Preferred boarding
- Some kind of companion benefit or discount
- Free or discounted bags on Emirates flights
- No foreign transaction fees
- Welcome offer of 40,000 Skywards after $2,000 spend in 90 days.
What would you like to see on an Emirates credit card?