• Rates
  80%
• Fees
  66%
• Rewards
  79%
• Customer Service
  80%
• Value
  78%

Roland Bleyer

Credit Card Expert with over 15 years card experience and the founder of Creditcard.com.au.

The Big Review: Emirates Citi World Mastercard

Offering up to 60,000 bonus Skywards Miles to new cardholders, the Emirates Citi World Mastercard is an appealing rewards card that is currently offering 0% p.a. on balance transfers for 9 months and a discounted annual fee of $149 in the first year. With a wide range of perks on offer, this is the only direct-earn card in the market for Emirates Skywards miles providing Emirates lounge passes, airport transfers, and complimentary travel insurances.

• Receive up to 60,000 bonus Skywards Miles
• Earn up to 1.5 Skywards Miles per $1
• Two complimentary lounge passes per year to use at any Emirates Lounge in Australia when flying Emirates
• One complimentary chauffeur-drive service per year to and from the airport when flying Emirates
• Access to some of the most celebrated golf properties in the world
• Complimentary insurances covering retail and travel purchases
• Free wine when you dine with the Citibank Dining Program
• World Mastercard exclusive benefits
• Personal concierge service
• Access to Citi World Privileges
• Discounted annual fee of $149 in the first year
• 0% p.a. on balance transfers for 9 months. No interest free days apply to retail purchases while you have a balance transfer

• Annual fee: $149 in your first year (normally $299)
• Purchase rate: 21.49% p.a. (variable)
• Cash advance rate: 22.24% p.a. (variable)
• Interest free period: Up to 55 days interest free
• Your total balance transfers may not exceed 80% of your credit limit. Any transferred balances left unpaid after nine months will revert to the card’s cash advance rate.

This Card: The Lowdown

With an earn rate of 1.5 Skywards Miles per $1 spent on airline tickets purchased via emirates.com, the Emirates Citi World Mastercard could be the perfect option for anyone who regularly flies and books directly with Emirates. Working well for business owners or frequent leisure travellers, the card also offers two lounge invitations and an airport limo service each cardholder year when flying with Emirates.

Offering one of the better earn rates for Skyward Miles on everyday spending, the card could certainly be valuable for Emirates lovers. Plus, the card keeps it interesting with an extensive range of Citi perks and privileges, insurance covers and a personal concierge service, all for a discounted annual fee of $149 in the first year.

Digging Deeper

With the basics covered, it’s time to dig a little deeper into what’s on offer with the Emirates Citi World Mastercard, so you can decide whether this card is right for you.

This Card: As a Rewards Card

Designed to entice new cardholders, the Emirates Citi World Mastercard is currently offering up to 60,000 bonus Skywards Miles to cardholders who apply and are approved by 31 December 2019. 

You will receive 50,000 Skywards Miles on your first spend within 90 days from card approval. Then, if you spend at least $500 on airline tickets at emirates.com during that period, you will receive an additional 10,000 Skywards Miles. Bonus Skywards Miles will usually be credited to your account within ten weeks of meeting each spend criteria.

To earn Skywards Miles on the card, you must be an Emirates Skywards member. To apply, simply visit the Emirates Skywards site and you can join for free. Be aware that you must provide Citi with your valid Emirates Skywards membership number within six months of your account opening, or your bonus Skywards Miles will be forfeited.

Everyday Earning

While other rewards cards allow cardholders to transfer the points they earn to Emirates Skywards, the Emirates Citi World Mastercard is designed as a direct-earn card. That means all points earned on the Emirates Citi World Mastercard are transferred directly to the cardholder’s Emirates Skywards account.

• 1 Skywards Mile for every $1 spent on eligible domestic spending up to $3000 per statement period, and then 0.5 Skywards Miles per $1 spent up to $10,000 per statement period
• 1.25 Skywards Miles for every $1 spent on eligible international spending (uncapped)
• 1.5 Skywards Miles for every $1 spent on airline tickets purchased via emirates.com

Working out whether this earn rate offers value to you obviously involves taking into account how much you pay to use the card. Weighing up the value of the rewards you receive against the annual fee you pay out is a good place to start. Happily, the Emirates Citi World Mastercard offers a discounted annual fee of $149 for the first year, helping you get more value from the card.

You may also choose to add up to four additional cardholders to the account, at no extra cost. With five cards being used day-to-day, you may find you rack up points faster, helping you gain more value from the card. However, bear in mind as the primary cardholder, you are responsible for all cardholder spending.

As long as you have provided Citi with your Emirates Skywards membership details, the points you earn will be credited directly to your account. Again, if you don’t provide those details within six months of account opening, any Skywards Miles you have earned will be forfeited.

At the end of your statement cycle, the total Skywards Miles earned from retail purchases during that month will be credited to your Emirates Skywards account within 15 days. Take note, Skywards Miles can only be transferred to your Emirates Skywards account at the end of your statement cycle.

Redeeming Points

The award-winning frequent flyer program from Emirates, Emirates Skywards, offers four tiers of membership: Blue, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Members can enjoy varying levels of exclusive privileges within each membership tier. In terms of redemption options, members can redeem their Skywards Miles on flights, hotels and tours, and on merchandise through The Emirates High Street.

Skywards Miles can be redeemed for flights with Emirates, and for international flights with other Emirates Skywards partners. You could opt for Classic Rewards to pay for the full cost of your Emirates flight with Skywards Miles, or choose Cash+Miles to pay for your Emirates flight using a combination of cash and Skywards Miles.

Alternatively, you could redeem your Skywards Miles to cover hotel stays and car rentals, or against activities with Emirates’ other leisure and lifestyle partners. Or, you could head to the High Street. The Emirates High Street allows Emirates Skywards members to use their Skywards Miles to purchase products and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, with delivery to 60 countries around the world.

This Card: As a Travel Rewards Card

As a frequent flyer card, the Emirates Citi World Mastercard offers cardholders valuable perks and privileges perfect for the frequent traveller, including lounge access, airport transfers, golf perks and insurance cover.

Lounge Access

Making long airport waits much more enjoyable, the Emirates Citi World Mastercard offers cardholders two complimentary lounge passes each year, providing access to any Emirates Lounge in Australia when flying Emirates. These passes will be made available to the cardholder each year upon payment of their annual fee.

Available to the primary cardholder only, passes can be used by the cardholder and a guest during one visit, or alternatively, by the cardholder alone on two separate trips. To access the lounge, the cardholder must have used their Emirates Citi World Mastercard to pay for the flight, and if bringing a guest, both the cardholder and guest must be departing on the same flight.

Airport Transfers

Another alluring feature for the world-weary traveller, the Emirates Citi World Mastercard provides one complimentary chauffeur-driven service per year to and from the airport, when flying Emirates. To be eligible for this service, the cardholder must use their card to book and pay for an Emirates long haul flight in Economy Class.

This is valid for the primary cardholder and one guest, from one pick-up point. There is a total luggage limit of one suitcase plus one carry-on bag per person. Certain kilometre restrictions for each capital city in Australia apply, and any travel which exceeds the kilometre cap will not be eligible for this service. Trans-Tasman flights, Emirates Skywards reward tickets, travel industry tickets and group bookings are also excluded.

World Golf Benefits

If you love golf, you’ll love this feature. With the Emirates Citi World Mastercard in your wallet, you will have access to some of the most illustrious golf properties in the world, allowing you to tee off on world-famous Tournament Players Club (TPC) courses, as well as receiving on-site perks at PGA Tour events.

Travel Insurance

Providing you peace of mind as you travel, the Emirates Citi World Mastercard offers a range of handy insurance covers.

• International Travel Insurance: When you use your card to purchase overseas travel tickets for you and your family, you may be covered for medical expenses, trip cancellation due to unexpected circumstances, loss or theft of personal items and more.
• Transit Accident Insurance: By using your card to purchase overseas travel tickets for you and your family, you may may receive up to $500,000 should you sustain a fatal injury as a passenger while travelling.
• Interstate Flight Inconvenience Insurance: Use your card to purchase your travel tickets and you may be covered for events like flight delays, cancellations, baggage delays and personal item damage.

This Card: Extras on Offer

Credit cards offered by Citibank often come equipped with lots of tempting extras. The Emirates Citi World Mastercard is no exception.

Free Wine When You Dine

Allowing you to enjoy a free bottle of wine when you dine at hundreds of participating restaurants and pay with your card, the Citibank Dining Program offers you the opportunity to save money on your dining experience, while sampling wine from award-winning wineries.

World Mastercard Exclusive Benefits

The Emirates Citi World Mastercard offers cardholders a range of Mastercard features, including access to travel, entertainment, dining and golf events and experiences exclusive to World Mastercard cardholders, and even more through Mastercard Priceless Cities.

Personal Concierge Service

Likely to come in handy if you’re short on time, the Emirates Citi World Mastercard offers a personal concierge service, available 24/7. This useful service can help you book travel, find tickets for concerts and events, or simply offer a recommendation on where to eat, wherever you happen to be in the world.

Retail Cover

Alongside its range of travel insurances, the Emirates Citi World Mastercard also provides cover for retail purchases.

• Purchase Cover Insurance: If items purchased using your card are lost, stolen or damaged anywhere in the world within 90 days, they may be repaired, replaced, rebuilt or reinstated, free of charge if you make a claim within 21 days.
• Extended Warranty Insurance: Typically extending the manufacturer's warranty period by up to 12 months, this insurance offers additional cover for items purchased using your card.
• Guaranteed Pricing Scheme: Allowing you to receive a refund of the price difference on an item purchased using your card, when you buy in-store and then see the same product advertised at a lower price within 25kms. You can claim the difference as long as it is greater than $75, up to $500, and the product hasn't been purchased online.

This Card: The Essentials

Determining whether the Emirates Citi World Mastercard is right for you means looking at how much it will cost you, and the way in which you will use it. Happily, the card offers a discounted annual fee of $149 in the first year, but that fee doubles in size in the following year, costing cardholders $299 each year. Is the card still of value to you? You’d need to assess the value of the rewards and features you receive from the card to work that one out.

If you tend to carry a balance on your credit card, you may either want to change your ways, or opt for a card with a lower rate. However, if you clear your balance by the due date each month, you should be able to enjoy more value from the card. Similarly, it would probably be best to avoid cash advances to save on fees and that high cash advance rate.

To be eligible for the Emirates Citi World Mastercard, you must be 18 years or older and an Australian resident. You must also earn more than $75,000 a year. As mentioned previously, you must be an Emirates Skywards member, but that’s easy to achieve as joining is free and can be completed online in just a few minutes.

Decision Time

An excellent option for frequent Emirates travellers who tend to book with Emirates direct, the Emirates Citi World Mastercard offers a great earn rate on Emirates flights as well as everyday spending. As icing on the cake, the card provides up to 60,000 bonus Skywards Miles to new cardholders, alongside a host of features and extras, including lounge access and airport transfers.