Award route card · one-way
No airline flies Bengaluru–New York nonstop — Air India's only BLR long-haul to America (San Francisco) is gone — so this corridor is a pure hub auction, and the zone charts win it. AAdvantage's 70,000 Qsuite via Doha is the cheapest fixed flat bed; ANA's partner chart books Air India via Delhi at 68,000 one-way since June 2025; Aeroplan prices the same routing at 110,000 because 8,366 flown miles trip its 8,000-mile band — the Delhi reader pays 90,000, the Bengaluru reader pays the cliff. KrisFlyer will sell you SQ metal the whole way for 147,500 — the corridor's most expensive fixed number, for its best hard product. Fly the zone chart, not the tape measure.
The play · business
Feed it: 1,63,200 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 3,26,400 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 54,400 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1.25 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANA Mileage Club | Star-partner award on Air India via Delhi — one-way bookable since 24-Jun-2025 | 68,000 | — | ₹68,000 | the play |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | Qatar Airways Qsuite via Doha (oneworld partner award) | 70,000 | — | ₹70,000 | 1.0× |
| Air India Maharaja Points | Air India via Delhi (Star Alliance), Value tier | 1,30,000 | — | ₹1,04,000 | 1.5× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Air India via Delhi (Star Alliance partner award) | 1,10,000 | — | ₹1,10,000 | 1.6× |
| Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | Japan Airlines via Tokyo (oneworld) — JMB partner distance chart; Narita arrival, New York leg from Haneda | 1,00,000 | — | ₹1,10,000 | 1.6× |
| Cathay Asia Miles | Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong (oneworld), Standard award | 1,19,000 | — | ₹1,19,000 | 1.8× |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Singapore Airlines via SIN (Saver) — incl. the SIN–JFK ultra-long-haul nonstop | 1,47,500 | — | ₹1,62,250 | 2.4× |
| Emirates Skywards | Emirates via Dubai — Classic Rewards, calculator-priced | dynamic | — | — | — |
| Etihad Guest | Etihad via Abu Dhabi (one stop) — dynamic pricing | dynamic | — | — | — |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Air France via CDG / KLM via AMS (one stop) — dynamic pricing | dynamic | — | — | — |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Virgin Atlantic via LHR (both legs VS metal) — dynamic since Oct 2024 | dynamic | — | — | — |
The play · economy
Feed it: 40,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 20,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 40,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air India Maharaja Points | Air India via Delhi (Star Alliance), Value tier | 40,000 | — | ₹32,000 | the play |
| Cathay Asia Miles | Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong (oneworld), Standard award | 38,000 | — | ₹38,000 | 1.2× |
| ANA Mileage Club | Star-partner award on Air India via Delhi — one-way bookable since 24-Jun-2025 | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | 1.3× |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | Qatar Airways via Doha (oneworld partner award) | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | 1.3× |
| Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | Japan Airlines via Tokyo (oneworld) — JMB partner distance chart; Narita arrival, New York leg from Haneda | 50,000 | — | ₹55,000 | 1.7× |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Singapore Airlines via SIN (Saver) — incl. the SIN–JFK ultra-long-haul nonstop | 65,500 | — | ₹72,050 | 2.3× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Air India via Delhi (Star Alliance partner award) | 75,000 | — | ₹75,000 | 2.3× |
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.
The corridor's cheapest Star business seat: 136,000 round-trip on the partner chart, one-way legal at 68,000 since June 2025 — 42,000 under Aeroplan's band price for the same Air India metal. The catches: Air India Value space on both legs, and Bonvoy 3:1 as the only funding route.
Feed it: 1,63,200 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 3,26,400 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 54,400 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1.25 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
The cheapest fixed flat bed from Bengaluru to New York: 70,000 AA miles for Qsuite via Doha. Qatar releases partner saver J stingily, and funding means 210,000 Bonvoy at 3:1 — but nothing else on this board comes close. ANA's 68,000 rides Air India; this rides Qsuite.
Feed it: 2,10,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 4,20,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 70,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
The documented North America business tier (Delhi–JFK and Delhi–Toronto both print 130,000) applied to the via-Delhi routing. ANA books the same Air India seats for 68,000 one-way; Maharaja's own price is the one to avoid on Maharaja's own plane.
Feed it: 1,30,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 65,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 1,30,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
The band cliff, priced: 110,000 for the 8,001+-mile band, versus 90,000 had you started in Delhi. Fixed, surcharge-free, SBI 1:1 / Axis 1:2 fed — but ANA's partner chart books the identical Air India seats for 68,000. From Bengaluru, Aeroplan is the backup, not the play.
Feed it: 55,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 1,10,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 2,75,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
100,000 one-way in the 10,001–12,000-mile band — and JAL's own sector math (40,000 + 55,000) lands at 95,000, so six figures either way. The draw is the direct HSBC/Axis/SBI feed and JAL's product; the math still loses to AA's 70,000 Qsuite and ANA's 68,000 if you can work Bonvoy.
Feed it: 50,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 1,00,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 2,50,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
119,000 Standard in the 7,501+ band for CX business both legs — under KrisFlyer's 147,500, well over AA's 70,000 on the same alliance. Post-May-2026 reconstructed pricing, Standard space capped per flight, dynamic "Choice" takes over when it's gone. SBI feeds it 1:1; HDFC and Amex haircut to 2:1.
Feed it: 2,38,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 1,19,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 5,71,200 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
147,500 Saver — the most expensive fixed number on the board, Zone 6 ⇄ USA East Coast on the official 1-Nov-2025 chart, riding SQ J the whole way including the world's longest flight. More than double AA's Qsuite price. You'd book it for the product; the desk wouldn't.
Feed it: 1,47,500 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 73,750 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 2,95,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1)
Bengaluru–Dubai–JFK prices off the Skywards calculator, +15% on premium cabins since the May-2026 devaluation, plus Emirates' heavy carrier charges. Against a 68,000 ANA and a 70,000 Qsuite, the quote has to be extraordinary. It won't be.
Ways in: Amex Membership Rewards 2:1 · RBL Reward Points 4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy · Axis EDGE Miles 1:1.25 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy
Etihad flies BLR–AUH and on to JFK, priced dynamically: the documented India–AUH–JFK datapoint shows a 110,000-mile base that never surfaces — real availability "never below 140,000" plus ₹70,000+ in carrier charges. Printed so nobody discovers this with their own miles.
Ways in: Axis EDGE Miles 1:2 · HSBC Reward Points 1:1 · SBI Travel Credits 1:1
Both AF and KLM serve Bengaluru, but Flying Blue publishes no India–US price: the recurring India Promo Rewards discount only the India–Europe leg (business 63,750 one-way at 25% off) and the transatlantic continuation prices dynamically on top, with heavy carrier charges. Five Indian issuers feed it — price it, then compare against the 68–70k fixed anchors.
Ways in: HDFC Reward Points 1:1 · Axis EDGE Miles 1:2 · HSBC Reward Points 1:1
Virgin flies BLR–LHR and LHR–JFK, but Flying Club scrapped its chart in October 2024 — each leg tracks the cash fare (India–LHR Upper starts around 75,000 points on quiet dates, the Atlantic leg prices separately on top), plus UK APD and hefty carrier charges twice. Amex MR 2:1 is the only Indian feed. A curiosity, not a plan.
Ways in: Amex Membership Rewards 2:1 · RBL Reward Points 4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy · Axis EDGE Miles 1:1.25 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy
Bengaluru–New York isn't separately published; the April-2026 chart's North America economy tier floors at 40,000 (Delhi–Newark is the documented datapoint) and Air India's only routing is BLR–DEL–JFK on its own metal. Value space on two legs is the catch; ₹32,000 at house value if you find it.
Feed it: 40,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 20,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 40,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
The corridor's cheapest published economy: BLR–HKG–JFK's 10,517 miles land in the 7,501+ band — 38,000 Standard one-way, layovers included in the distance math. Cathay stopped publishing charts in May 2026 (this is the reconstructed table), Standard space is capped, and SBI 1:1 is the clean feed.
Feed it: 76,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 38,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 1,82,401 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Zone 4 ⇄ Zone 6 partner chart: 80,000 round-trip, and since 24-Jun-2025 ANA sells one-ways at half — 40,000 for the Air India routing, distance-blind. Matches Maharaja's own floor with none of its tier roulette. Marriott Bonvoy 3:1 is the only Indian road in; miles expire in 36 months.
Feed it: 96,001 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 1,92,001 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 32,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1.25 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
40,000 on AA's published Contiguous-48 ⇄ Indian Subcontinent partner chart, BLR–DOH–JFK on Qatar metal. Same price as Maharaja's floor with better availability discipline. No Indian card feeds AAdvantage — Bonvoy 3:1 is the road (120,000 points; see /transfers/to/american-aadvantage).
Feed it: 1,20,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 2,40,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
BLR–Tokyo–JFK flies ~10,900 miles — the JMB partner chart's 10,001–12,000 band, 50,000 one-way. JAL's own sector charts sum to 44,500 (17,500 + 27,000), so the real quote lands in that range. Two flags: JL lands from India at Narita but leaves for New York from Haneda, and JMB is direct-fed (HSBC 1:1, Axis 1:2, SBI 2:1).
Feed it: 25,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 50,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 1,25,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Official Zone 6 ⇄ Zone 13 (USA East Coast) Saver on the 1-Nov-2025 chart. 65,500 in economy is a hard pass against Maharaja's 40,000 and AA's 40,000 — the four-issuer KrisFlyer feed doesn't rescue a 63% premium. Note: the community chart pages print 46,000 for this pair — that's the ex-Singapore table, not India's.
Feed it: 65,500 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 32,750 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 1,31,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1)
BLR–DEL–JFK flies 8,366 miles — 366 over Aeroplan's 8,000-mile Atlantic line, so Bengaluru pays the 75,000 band while Delhi pays 60,000 for most of the same trip. ₹75,000 of points for economy loses to cash fares; from BLR, Aeroplan is a business instrument only — and a dear one.
Feed it: 37,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 75,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 1,87,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)