The Emirates Citi Platinum credit card provides customers with access to cheap products from a huge range of leisure, travel and financial companies. The premium travel card comes with costs, but a great introductory rate on balance transfers and lots pf perks such as a personal concierge and free lounge access in Australia and Dubai to make travelling less stressful.

Frequent Flyer Points

With the Emirates Citi Platinum card, customers get 1.5 Skywards Miles per $1 spent, which is an impressive points-to-dollars ratio. Internationally, Skywards Miles can be redeemed with Emirates, Continental Airlines, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Korean Air, South African Airways, and United Airlines. Those points can also be redeemed on domestic flights with Virgin Blue.

Aside from flights, the points can also be used to pay for accommodation with hotel groups such as Accor Group, Concorde Hotels and Resorts, Coral International, Emirates Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Global Hotel Alliance, Habtoor Hotels LLC, Hilton Family of Hotels, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group), Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, Langham Hotels, Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International, Marriott Vacation Club International, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Rotana Hotels, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Swissotel Hotels & Resorts, Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, and The Rezidor Hotel Group.

It isn’t just hotels and flights either with the Emirates Citibank credit card. Skywards Miles can be redeemed with car hire companies including Avis, Budget Rent A Car and Dollar Rent A Car, helping to save on the smaller costs of trips. Points are redeemable with leisure companies such as Ahmed Seddiqi and Sons and Arabian Adventures, and even with financial service providers such as Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Citibank Australia, Emirates Bank international and Standard Chartered Bank.

Other Rewards

The points system is expansive, but there are also other perks to having an Emirates Citi Platinum card. Card holders get free lounge access in Australia and Dubai, free chauffeur drive services to and from Australian airports, and even free international travel and purchase cover insurance.

Pros

The Emirates Citi Platinum card, as well as its great points scheme, also has a good introductory balance transfer rate for the first 7 months months of customer’s use of the card. As well as this, card holders get around-the-clock personal concierge service all over the world, and the option of credit card insurance, which covers customers if they cannot make their repayments. Complimentary travel insurance is provided with the card, although it applies only to travel purchased with your Citibank Emirates credit card. Purchase protection is also provided for free to cover you against loss, theft or accidental damage on goods purchased with your Emirates card within 90 days.

Cons

This card does come with some drawbacks, namely the relatively high $229 p.a. annual fee for using the card. Also, there is a cap of 150,000 points maximum that can be earned per year. Also, lounge access in Australia is restricted to once per year as long as you use your Citibank Emirates credit card to purchase a flight with Emirates.

Eligibility

To apply successfully, applicants must be aged 18 or over, have a very good credit rating, a taxable income of $40,000, and be a permanent Australian resident.

Is This Card Right For You?

This card comes with some costs, but the points system it provides for customers can far outweigh those charges to provide some fantastic savings on travel, accommodation, car hire, leisure and banking. If you fly regularly with Emirates, this could be the card for you!