The Thrifty Traveler Podcast · Thursday, October 1, 2026
Both Emirates Skywards and Etihad Guest loyalty programs are experiencing significant downgrades, with increased award rates and higher fees making them less attractive for redemptions. Emirates has made intentional decisions to devalue their points, while Etihad has layered on restrictive cancellation policies. The consensus is that these programs are among the worst performers currently.
“Down. Down. Yeah. I'm struggling to think of an airline program that's down worse than everything that they have done. They have made intentional decisions that say, we don't want your points anymore.”
“Emirates down the very worst. Let's talk about Etihad guest miles transferable from Amex built capital one. and city. How do we feel about Etihad? I mean, I think Eddie Head's down there with Emirates. Honestly, it's, yeah, it's not good for me.”
“They took what Emirates has done, and then they also layered in the fact that if you want to cancel an award ticket, you might forfeit all of your miles. Yeah. It's pretty gross. So, yeah, they're in a... They're both circling the drain together racing to see who gets flushed first.”