Emirates Skywards credit cards UK: £250 Premium and £120 Rewards cards, up to 30,000 miles

Short answer: Emirates now has its own UK credit cards again, the first to earn Skywards miles directly in the UK since 2018. There are two: the Emirates Skywards Premium Credit Card (£250 a year, up to 30,000 bonus miles) and the Emirates Skywards Rewards Credit Card (£120 a year, up to 20,000 bonus miles). The lender is Jaja Finance, not Emirates. Applications opened on 29 October 2026 as an invitation-only pilot, so most Skywards members cannot apply yet.

What the two cards offer

Fees, earn rates, APRs and welcome bonuses below are read off Emirates' own card page. Credit limits and the foreign transaction fee come from Head for Points and Points Well Made, which agree on both.

The representative APRs look extreme because they assume a £1,200 credit limit and fold the annual fee in, Points Well Made explains. The purchase rate is 29.9% on both cards. As with any rewards card, carrying a balance wipes out the value of the miles.

Who can get one

• Right now, almost nobody. Points Well Made reports the pilot went out by email to a small group of UK Skywards members on 29 October and that Emirates confirmed every place was taken within 24 hours. Emirates told the site a second, invitation-only phase opens later this year, with a public launch "in the coming months".
• The bonus has a deadline. Emirates' page says you must apply by 30 November 2026, 23:59 GMT to get the welcome bonus.
• Bonus exclusion. The welcome miles are only for Skywards members who have not held an Emirates credit card in the previous 24 months.
• Eligibility. UK residents aged 18 or over, subject to status, affordability and credit checks.

Is it worth it?

It depends on how much of your spending is in foreign currency or with Emirates. On sterling spend both cards earn 1 mile per £1, which is the same as a free Avios card, and the 2.99% fee on non-sterling spend eats most of the extra 0.5 miles the Premium card earns abroad.

The real draw of the Premium card is status. Head for Points reports you keep the year-one Silver only by putting £5,000 of foreign-currency spend on the card each card year, and Points Well Made reports card Tier Miles on the Premium card are capped at 15,000 per card year. If you fly Emirates enough to care about Silver or Gold, that can justify £250. If you do not, the Rewards card's two UK lounge passes are the simpler pitch, and the free UK Avios cards may serve you better.

Head for Points also notes a temporary offer on both cards: until 31 March 2027, 2,000 Skywards miles can be put towards an Emirates cash fare, valued at Dhs 70, roughly 0.7p a mile. That is a floor, not a good redemption.

What to do now

1. Check your inbox and spam folder if you are a Skywards member. The pilot and the next phase are by invitation.
2. If you are invited, apply before 30 November to keep the 30,000 or 20,000 mile bonus, and make sure you can spend £3,000 in 90 days without buying things you do not need.
3. If you are not invited, do nothing yet. Compare against the UK Avios cards first; for sterling spend they earn at least as much for a lower fee.

Common questions

Is there an Emirates credit card in the UK? Yes. Since 29 October 2026 Emirates has two UK cards issued by Jaja Finance: the Skywards Premium Credit Card at £250 a year and the Skywards Rewards Credit Card at £120 a year. For now they are invitation-only.

How do I apply for the Emirates Skywards credit card in the UK? Only by invitation at the moment. Emirates says a second invitation-only phase opens later this year, followed by a public launch. Apply by 30 November 2026 to get the welcome bonus.

Who issues the Emirates UK credit card? Jaja Finance Ltd is the lender. Emirates acts as a credit broker and is an appointed representative of Jaja Finance, according to Emirates' card page.

For the wider UK picture, our UK Avios cards guide compares the BA and Barclaycard options. Then see where your points go furthest in the transfer partners matrix, or let Polo Match rank cards against your own spend.