Award route card · one-way
The band-edge bargain of the Hong Kong trio. At 2,458 great-circle miles, Bengaluru squeaks under the 2,750-mile line on Cathay's reconstructed chart — so the longest of the three India–HKG nonstops pays exactly what Delhi pays: 13,000 Asia Miles in economy, 33,000 in business Standard, India's type-2 surcharge included. More flight per point than DEL or BOM. With Air India's Hong Kong service suspended, it's Cathay's chart or JAL's partner table — and Asia Miles wins both cabins by a street.
The play · business
Feed it: 66,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 33,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 1,58,400 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay Asia Miles | Cathay Pacific nonstop (oneworld), Standard award | 33,000 | — | ₹33,000 | the play |
| Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | Cathay Pacific nonstop (oneworld) via JAL partner chart | 42,000 | — | ₹46,200 | 1.4× |
The play · economy
Feed it: 26,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 13,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 62,401 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay Asia Miles | Cathay Pacific nonstop (oneworld), Standard award | 13,000 | — | ₹13,000 | the play |
All-in ₹ = points × the program's house value (valuation index) + the sourced one-way surcharge; a dash means the carrier doesn't publish it and the ranking counts it ₹0 — the row's note carries the caveat. “Dynamic” rows never compete for the play. Feed-ins come from the same transfer data as the optimizer, multi-hop chains included.
33,000 Standard one-way — the best ₹-per-mile flat bed of the three India–HKG corridors, because the band edge holds at 2,750 miles. SBI feeds Asia Miles 1:1 (₹33,000-equivalent); HDFC and Amex haircut to 2:1. Book the moment Standard space opens.
Feed it: 66,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 33,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 1,58,400 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Same Cathay seat, JAL's ledger: the JMB partner chart's 2,001–4,000-mile band prices it at 42,000 one-way (23,000 in economy) — 9,000 over Asia Miles. Worth knowing because JMB is direct-fed (HSBC 1:1, Axis EDGE 1:2, SBI 2:1) and one-way partner awards are allowed. A real alternative when your balance already lives in JMB; never mint into it for this.
Feed it: 21,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 42,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 1,05,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
2,458 miles keeps BLR inside the 751–2,750 "type 2" band — the surcharge tier Cathay applies to any route touching India (type 1 pays 9,000) — so Bengaluru pays Delhi's 13,000 for a longer flight. Charts unpublished since May 2026; Standard space is capped, dynamic "Choice" pricing takes over when it's gone.
Feed it: 26,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 13,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 62,401 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)