Award sweet spots · from India
Amex closed its Etihad transfer route (30 Jun 2026) — so this currency now arrives via HSBC, SBI or Axis only. The short-haul story is genuinely good: Delhi/Mumbai to Abu Dhabi in business from ~30,000 miles clears ₹2/mile against 2026 cash fares. The long-haul story is a trap dressed as a chart: "from 75,000 miles" to Europe that reality prices at 100,000+ with ₹44,000 of surcharges. Judge every row against the ₹1/mile community standard.
| Redemption | Points | Surcharge | Typical cash | ₹ / pt | vs index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEL/BOM → AUH, business Saver (one-way) | 30,000 | ₹17,000 | ₹85,000 | ₹2.27 | 2.3× |
| BOM → LHR via AUH, business (one-way) — the trap | 100,005 | ₹44,000 | — | — | — |
| DEL/BOM → AUH, economy Saver (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.
Chart-priced, not live seats. Every corridor behind this page is priced off published award charts — 39,855 options across 2,450 corridors. 37% of the 39,855 priced options on the board are stated estimates for programmes that publish no chart; they are marked ~ est. and never crowned the play. Nobody here can see whether a seat exists on your date — confirm the space with the programme before you transfer. Points that leave your issuer do not come back.
Chart band (1,001–1,500 mi) prices business at 30,000 miles; a Live From A Lounge booking cleared at 28,000 + ₹17,000 in taxes. 2026 cash J fares on Delhi run $1,000–2,000 one-way — ₹/pt computed at the $1,000 end. A350 Business with a door, 3.5 hours, ₹2.3/mile. Saver space is the catch.
Feed it: HSBC TravelOne 1:1 · SBI MILES ELITE 1:1 · Axis Atlas 1:2 · HDFC 2:1 (Amex route closed 30 Jun 2026)
The chart says 75,000 miles; PointsDojo found nothing below 100,005 in six months of searching, plus ₹44,000+ in surcharges to London (₹72,000+ to New York). Dynamic pricing with a brochure chart on top. We publish it so the "from 75k" marketing doesn't get your points.
Feed it: Don't route long-haul through Etihad Guest; use KrisFlyer or Maharaja instead
13,000 miles by the band, but taxes and surcharges on India–Gulf awards run to a five-figure rupee number that cash economy fares barely exceed. No ₹/pt claimed because no honest anchor survives contact with it. Burn miles on the front of the plane or not at all.
Feed it: Same corridors — but taxes on Gulf awards gut economy value
Live ratios from our transfer data — our points : partner points, exactly as tracked in data/transfer-partners.yaml. Every card sits beside the ratio it gets: the headline rate first, then the cards that move at something else.