How I Flew Emirates First Class Without Paying $18,000

barefootshoereview
Oct 7
5 min read

A No-Nonsense Intro to Credit Card Points, Airline Miles, and Playing the Game Right

I used to hate flying cramped like a sardine for hours on end, never able to fall asleep even if I hadn’t slept in 2 days. I’d always feel a bit sick after, and don’t even get me started on the jet lag.

Then I discovered the wonderful world of credit card points and airline miles.

It’s like a video game and if you master it, you can hit the end-game rewards pretty quickly. While it’s significantly easier to play as an American citizen, there are also options for Europeans, UK residents, Australians, or really anyone with a major recognized bank account.

🌟 Fast Forward: Emirates First Class, Dom Champagne in Hand

As I sit drinking Dom in my Emirates First Class seat, I can’t help but reflect: Just a year ago I flew business for the first time and said to myself “Next time I fly this route, it’s gonna be in first.” But obviously… not for that $18,000 price tag.

Well here I am. A year later. And here’s exactly how I did it.

📃 The Basic Strategy

Put all your expenses on credit cards even if you’re a “cash-only” kind of person. STOP. I don’t mean go into debt. If you can’t pay off your bill in full each month, this article isn’t for you (yet). But if you can, keep reading.

American Express, Chase, Capital One, and issuers like Bilt and Citi all offer sign-up bonuses:

“Spend $4,000 in 3 months, get 60,000 points.”

Your reaction:

“$4,000?! Way out of my budget. What the hell are points? How do I even use them?”

Stay with me.

Most people especially couples, especially with kids have basic monthly expenses: groceries, gas, insurance, clothing, eating out, taxis, leisure, etc. That alone can often help you hit the sign-up bonuses.

Card offers vary. Entry-level cards require $1,000–$5,000 in spend. Business cards can go up to $20,000–30,000. Some even have insane offers like:

“Spend $200,000, earn 200,000 points”

(Yeah, even I dream about that one.)

❌ Don’t Redeem Points for Cash

“But points are only worth 1 cent each, right?”

Wrong.

Yes, 60,000 points might equal $600 in your bank’s travel portal, but that won’t even get you a long-haul economy roundtrip ticket these days.

That’s why we use transfer partners.

✈️ Transfer Partners = Game Changer

Banks partner with airlines like Emirates, allowing you to transfer points 1:1 and book directly with the airline.

Let’s say you signed up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred, currently offering 100,000 points. That’s $1,250 in the Chase travel portal.

Or… transfer 102,000 of those points to Emirates, and boom you’ve got yourself a First Class ticket worth $11,000+. That’s over 11 cents per point instead of 1.

Still think this is crazy?

Even if you’re more conservative, you can stretch your points far:

● United flight Athens to Newark: $780–$1,000 cash

● Or just 40,000 miles = ~$400 in value (even last minute)

● United = Chase partner

Getting the picture?

🌟 Airline-Specific vs. Transferable Cards

● If there’s an airline you fly a lot (Delta, United, American, etc.), an airline co-branded card might be useful.

● But if you want maximum flexibility, go with a bank that transfers to multiple airlines.

Quick cheat sheet:

● Chase: United (exclusive) + 10+ others

● Amex: Delta + lots of international options

● Capital One: Emirates, Turkish, British Airways, Air Canada

● Barclays: American Airlines

🧱🏽 Choosing the Right Cards

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred

● Annual Fee: $95

● Bonus: 60k–100k points

● Value: 1.25–1.5x in portal or more via transfer

● Best starter card, hands down

2. Capital One Venture X

● Annual Fee: $395

● $300 travel credit + 10,000 point yearly bonus = effective $0 net

● 2x on everything, 10x on hotels/rentals, 5x on flights

● Priority Pass lounge access to 1,400+ lounges

🪙 Real Value Example

If you transfer 10,000 yearly bonus miles from Venture X to Emirates and get a 10 cent redemption?

You just turned $100 of value into $1,000+.

That’s real-world ROI.

💼 Bonus: Business Cards

Even a small Etsy shop or side hustle qualifies.

Options:

● Chase Ink Preferred

○ $95 fee

○ 110,000 point sign-up bonus

● Amex Business Gold

○ Higher fee

○ 175,000+ point bonuses often

I used these to cover much of my Australia work trip.

🌎 Two-Player Mode

Want to level up faster? Team up with your partner.

You sign up and hit the bonus
Refer your partner for a bonus
They sign up and hit the same bonus

Same household expenses, double the rewards.

This is how we rack up hundreds of thousands of points a year.

⚠️ Disclaimer

This post contains referral links. If you use them, I may receive a small bonus at no extra cost to you. I only recommend cards I personally use and believe in.

Please only apply if you’re financially responsible and pay your cards in full each month. Play the game smart.