I joined Emirates Skywards’ My Family scheme to pool miles for practical uses — only to discover the account is severely restricted. Miles in a Family account cannot be converted to hotel programs (e.g. Marriott Bonvoy), cannot be gifted or transferred out, and many partner redemptions (hotels, shopping, some experiences) are blocked. You’re basically limited to booking Classic Reward flights, occasional Cash+Miles offers, instant upgrades, or donating the miles. Critical actions like reinstating/ extending expiring miles, buying miles, or converting them to hotel points are not available from the family pot.These restrictions make the Family account almost useless for anyone who wanted flexibility or to use miles for hotels or other non-flight redemptions. There was no clear, prominent warning about these limitations when I set up the account. If you’re considering pooling points, be warned — you may end up unable to use them the way you expected.Would I recommend? No. If you value flexibility, keep miles in an individual Skywards account instead of pooling them into My Family.
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