Card details · Barclays
Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard review: fees, rewards and APR
The Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard® is a credit card from Barclays with a $499 annual fee. By our overall score it ranks #171 of the 294 credit cards we rank (store-only cards excluded), and #18 of 23 Barclays cards. It is listed in our airline rankings.
Key facts
- Issuer
- Barclays
- Network
- Mastercard
- Annual fee
- $499
- Welcome offer
- Earn 50,000 bonus Skywards Miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days
- Intro APR
- balance transfers 12 months
- Ongoing APR
- 19.49%-29.49%
- Balance transfer fee
- $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Our overall score
- 45 (#171 of 294 cards)
Sign-up bonus history
Below the highest offer we’ve tracked (70,000 miles)
- Current offer
- 50,000 miles
Earn 50,000 bonus Skywards Miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days - Highest tracked since April 2026
- 70,000 miles
Earn 70,000 bonus Skywards Miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days - Lowest tracked since April 2026
- 50,000 miles
Earn 50,000 bonus Skywards Miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days - Changes tracked
- 2
Show each tracked change
| Date | Headline amount | Offer as recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 2026 | 50,000 miles | Earn 50,000 bonus Skywards Miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days. |
| Jul 23, 2026 | 70,000 miles | Earn 70,000 bonus Skywards Miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days |
| Oct 8, 2026 | 50,000 miles | Earn 50,000 bonus Skywards Miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days |
We compare each offer’s headline bonus amount and track it since April 2026 (earlier history is not covered). Spend requirements and time windows may have changed too. Past offers don’t predict future ones. Methodology.
Rewards
- 3x Skywards Miles per $1 spent on eligible Emirates purchases
- 2x Skywards Miles per $1 spent on eligible travel purchases
- 1x Skywards Mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
Benefits and notes
Lounge access; Annual Companion Ticket after each account anniversary
Intro APR and balance transfers
0% intro APR on balance transfers for 12 months. Balance transfer fee: $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Balance transfer fee: $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Ongoing APR: 19.49%-29.49%
Where it ranks
- Overall: #171 of 294 cards (score 45)
- Barclays credit cards: #18 of 23
- Airline cards: #39 of 39 by our airline score
Category positions use the score each category ranking is built on, among the non-store cards tagged with that category in our database; a category page can show fewer cards (for example after filters), so its on-page position can differ slightly.
How we put this page together
Everything on this page comes from our card database (checked against Barclays’s own site) as of October 21, 2026: fees, APRs, rewards and the welcome offer are shown as stored, without our own estimates. The score is our overall card score, explained in our methodology. We don’t publish star ratings or user reviews. Terms apply; confirm current terms with the issuer before applying.
Frequently asked questions
What is the annual fee on the Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard?
$499, as stored in our database. Confirm the current fee on Barclays’s site.
Does the Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard have a welcome bonus?
Our database lists this offer: Earn 50,000 bonus Skywards Miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days Offers change often and terms apply.
Does the Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard have a 0% intro APR?
Our database lists: 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 12 months. Balance transfer fee: $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. Terms apply.
Does the Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard charge foreign transaction fees?
Our database lists no foreign transaction fee for this card.
How does the Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard rank on YourBestCards?
#171 of 294 cards by our overall score (45). In our category lists: #39 of 39 airline cards.
What is the highest Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard sign-up bonus you have tracked?
Since April 2026, the highest headline amount we have tracked is 70,000 miles and the lowest is 50,000 miles, across 2 changes. The current offer is 50,000 miles. This only covers the period we have tracked; terms apply.
Other top Barclays cards
- 6X points on eligible JetBlue purchases
- 2X points at restaurants and eligible grocery stores
- 1X points on all other purchases
- Annual fee
- $99
- Welcome offer
- Earn 70,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
- Intro APR
- balance transfers 12 months
- 8X on eligible purchases made at Hotels by Wyndham, including hotels through Wyndham Travel Bundles
- 4X on eligible Vacation Club, travel, dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®)
- 1X points on other purchases
- Annual fee
- $395
- Welcome offer
- Earn up to 120,000 bonus points - Earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on qualifying purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 120 days, and also earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $750 at Hotels by Wyndham in the first 180 days.
- Intro APR
- purchases 6 months · balance transfers 15 months
- 6X points on eligible JetBlue purchases
- 2X points at restaurants and eligible grocery stores
- 1X points on all other purchases
- Annual fee
- $499
- Welcome offer
- Earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
- Intro APR
- balance transfers 12 months
- 15X miles on eligible purchases at flyfrontier.com
- 3X miles on eligible restaurant purchases
- 1X miles on all other purchases
- Annual fee
- $99
- Welcome offer
- Earn 60,000 Travel Miles after making your first purchase and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
- Intro APR
- balance transfers 15 months
- 3X miles on eligible Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines purchases
- 2X miles on gas, dining and grocery store purchases
- 1X miles on all other purchases
- Annual fee
- $99
- Welcome offer
- Earn 80,000 Atmos Rewards points after spending $2,500 on purchases in the first 90 days.
Offers, fees and APRs are shown as stored in our database and can change at any time; terms apply. Always confirm current terms on the issuer’s site before applying. Not financial advice. Partner links, where they exist, never change the order. Affiliate disclosure.