How I Booked a 13-Hour Emirates Flight by Spending ₹4 Lakh on Amex Platinum Travel

Shruti and I booked a 13-hour Emirates flight by spending ₹4 lakh on our Amex Platinum Travel credit cards. We paid a fraction of what a revenue ticket would have cost. Here's how we made it happen.

The SAS 1 Million Points Challenge

To set the stage: I was in the middle of the SAS 1 Million Points Challenge, where Shruti and I had to fly 15 SkyTeam airlines within a few months to earn a million EuroBonus points. (I wrote about why we signed up for this and how the KLM business class leg to Colombia turned out.)

As part of the challenge, I needed a long-haul flight from Spain to Mexico to connect to an AeroMexico flight. Revenue fares were high, which pushed me to explore using points for a better deal.

Emirates from Spain to Mexico? Really?

While searching for flights, I came across Emirates' fifth freedom flight operating between Barcelona and Mexico City. For those unfamiliar, a fifth freedom flight is when an airline operates a route between two countries that aren't its home base. Emirates is a UAE airline, but they fly BCN to MEX as part of a Dubai → Barcelona → Mexico City routing. Mexico City's airport sits at over 2,200 metres above sea level, so a fully loaded aircraft can't always make it nonstop from MEX back to Dubai. Barcelona serves as a stop along the way, and Emirates sells the BCN-MEX segment separately.

This was a perfect opportunity to use points, giving me access to Emirates on a 13-hour flight at a much lower cost. And the sweet spot didn't end there. The flight was available for just 20,000 Emirates Skywards miles + ₹6,700 in taxes. Compared to revenue fares, the value was exceptional.

How the Amex Platinum Travel Card Helped

The Amex Platinum Travel credit card comes with an attractive bonus for those who spend ₹4,00,000 (₹4 lakh) within a year. Hit that threshold, and you earn 40,000 bonus MR points. On top of that, you earn 1 MR point for every ₹50 spent.

Here's how it breaks down:

• Spend ₹4 lakh and earn 40,000 bonus MR points
• Base earning of 1 MR per ₹50 adds another 8,000 points
• Total: 48,000 MR points

More than enough for this flight. You're still left with 8,000 points after the transfer. And cherry on top: you also get a ₹10,000 Taj voucher to stay at any Taj, SeleQtions, or Vivanta property in India. This card is a no-brainer if your annual spending is anywhere near ₹4 lakh.

Transferring Points to Emirates

Shruti and I each had 40,000 MR points on our respective Amex cards. These MR points can be transferred to multiple airline partners, and Emirates Skywards is one of them. The ratio is 2:1, so 40,000 MR becomes 20,000 Skywards miles.

The transfer was instant, which I really appreciate about Amex. No waiting around for days.

We each transferred 40,000 MR to our Emirates Skywards accounts, giving us 20,000 Skywards miles per person. That was exactly what we needed for both of us to book the flight.

Breaking Down the Costs

With 20,000 Emirates Skywards miles + ₹6,700 in taxes, we secured a 13-hour Emirates flight from Barcelona to Mexico City.

Compare that to revenue options:

• Cheapest revenue flight on this route (with a self-transfer and two stops, 26+ hours of travel): ₹49,000
• Emirates' own revenue fare for the same direct flight: ₹80,000

By using Skywards miles, we paid a fraction of either price. I'm not getting into the value-per-point math here, be my guest :)

Wrapping Up

By spending ₹4 lakh each on our Amex Platinum Travel credit cards, Shruti and I booked Emirates' fifth freedom flight from Barcelona to Mexico City for 20,000 Skywards miles and ₹6,700 in taxes per person. The alternative? A 26-hour, two-stop self-transfer for ₹49,000, or Emirates' own revenue fare at ₹80,000. Not to forget, the ₹10,000 Taj voucher that comes along the way.

If you have the Amex Platinum Travel card, this is one of the best ways to put your spending to work. The milestone bonus alone gets you most of the way to a long-haul Emirates award flight.

You can check which of your credit cards transfer to Emirates Skywards on the Magnify app. It shows all transfer partners with current ratios in one place.