Air India halves mile validity — 36 months

Air India Flying Returns has switched to fare-class earning, with miles earned ranging from 10% to 200% depending on the fare class. Miles are now valid for 36 months instead of 3 calendar years. The changes were rolled out on December 1, 2015. Reinstating expired miles now costs ₹0.6 per mile, up from ₹0.1, and buying miles outright costs ₹1.25 each, a 25% increase. The changes also introduced a rolling 36-month expiry rule, replacing the old calendar-year rule. This means that miles earned will expire 36 months from the date they were earned, rather than at the end of a calendar year. Our take: with the devaluation of the Air India Flying Returns program, cardholders who earn miles through partners like the HDFC Bank SBI Card MILES ELITE should consider alternative redemption options, such as transferring miles to other programs like Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer or Avios, to maximize the value of their miles.