Award sweet spots · from India
Cathay stopped publishing charts in May 2026, but the reconstructed Standard tables still make Asia Miles the sharpest way to Hong Kong from India — 33,000 miles in business to Cathay's own hub, even after the devaluation and the "type 2" surcharge India carries. The catch is Standard space: capped per flight, and when it's gone the dynamic "Choice" price is ordinary. SBI's 1:1 is the only clean Indian feed; HDFC and Amex haircut to 2:1. Best on Cathay metal to HKG and onward oneworld Asia; mediocre for anything you'd rather just buy.
| Redemption | Points | Surcharge | Typical cash | ₹ / pt | vs index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEL/BOM → HKG, business Standard (one-way) | 33,000 | — | — | — | — |
| DEL/BOM → HKG, economy Standard (one-way) | 13,000 | — | — | — | — |
₹/pt = (typical cash − surcharge) ÷ points, computed only from sourced numbers — the build fails if a row's arithmetic doesn't. A dash means no honest cash anchor exists; the row's note below says why. Dynamic-priced programs are framed as “typical”, never guaranteed.
33,000 Standard one-way to CX's own hub in the 751–2,750-mile "type 2" band (type 1 pays 27,000) — the reconstructed post-May-2026 table. We couldn't pin an honest typical J cash fare on the corridor, so no cpp is claimed; paid Cathay business BOM/DEL–HKG prices in multiples of ₹40–70k. SBI's rare 1:1 makes this a ₹33,000-equivalent flat bed.
Feed it: SBI MILES ELITE 1:1 · HDFC Infinia/DCB 2:1 · Amex MR 2:1 · Kotak Solitaire 2:1
13,000 Standard (type-2 India band; type 1 pays 9,000). Cash economy BOM/DEL–HKG runs from the low ₹20,000s one-way and Standard space is capped, so a clean 1:1 SBI balance can clear the ₹1/mile anchor while any 2:1 feed halves what you started with — no honest cpp claimed without a firm dated fare. The front of the plane is where Asia Miles earns its keep.
Feed it: Same feeds — but at 2:1 (HDFC/Amex/Kotak) economy to HKG rarely beats cash
Live ratios from our transfer data — our points : partner points, exactly as tracked in data/transfer-partners.yaml.