Award flight · one-way
Kolkata → Shanghai priced from Kolkata, not redirected to Delhi: 21 ways to buy this seat with points. The cheapest verified business seat on the board is 40,000 via AAdvantage, and economy starts at 25,000. Air India flies CCU–DEL/BOM and Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines are nonstop (Star feed on the ground in Kolkata); Qatar Airways nonstop to Doha and Malaysia Airlines nonstop to Kuala Lumpur carry oneworld. Programs whose alliance does not touch Kolkata are omitted, not routed through a flight that does not exist.
The play · economy
Which card mints this?
+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →
One of your cards is in those 7 — see it in the funnel →
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage the play | Malaysia Airlines via KUL, oneworld — AAdvantage region award | 25,000 | — | ₹25,000 | the play |
| Air China PhoenixMiles | Star Alliance metal (TG partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India→North Asia — Air China PhoenixMiles | ~17,000 est. | — | ₹15,300 | 0.6× |
| Air India Maharaja Points | Air India via DEL (CCU–DEL–PVG) — Delhi–Shanghai suspended 1-Jun-2026, resumes September 2026, all-Air-India metal | ~30,000 est. | — | ₹24,000 | 1.0× |
| United MileagePlus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — United MileagePlus | ~25,000 est. | — | ₹25,000 | 1.0× |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — Avianca LifeMiles | ~27,000 est. | — | ₹27,000 | 1.1× |
| Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards | Malaysia Airlines via KUL (oneworld partner award), India→North Asia — Alaska Atmos | ~30,000 est. | — | ₹30,000 | 1.2× |
| Aegean Miles+Bonus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — Aegean Miles+Bonus | 30,000 | — | ₹30,000 | 1.2× |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) | 37,500 | — | ₹37,500 | 1.5× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Air India via DEL (CCU–DEL–PVG) — Delhi–Shanghai suspended 1-Jun-2026, resumes September 2026, Star Alliance partner award | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | 1.6× |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Star Alliance metal (TG — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→North Asia — EVA Infinity MileageLands | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | 1.6× |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — TAP Miles&Go | 50,000 | — | ₹40,000 | 1.6× |
The play · business
Which card mints this?
+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →
One of your cards is in those 7 — see it in the funnel →
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage the play | Malaysia Airlines via KUL, oneworld — AAdvantage region award | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | the play |
| Air China PhoenixMiles | Star Alliance metal (TG partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India→North Asia — Air China PhoenixMiles | ~30,000 est. | — | ₹27,000 | 0.7× |
| United MileagePlus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — United MileagePlus | ~45,000 est. | — | ₹45,000 | 1.1× |
| Aegean Miles+Bonus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — Aegean Miles+Bonus | 45,000 | — | ₹45,000 | 1.1× |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — Avianca LifeMiles | ~50,000 est. | — | ₹50,000 | 1.3× |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — TAP Miles&Go | 70,000 | — | ₹56,000 | 1.4× |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Star Alliance metal (TG — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→North Asia — EVA Infinity MileageLands | 60,000 | — | ₹60,000 | 1.5× |
| Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards | Malaysia Airlines via KUL (oneworld partner award), India→North Asia — Alaska Atmos | ~60,000 est. | — | ₹60,000 | 1.5× |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North Asia — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) | 60,000 | — | ₹60,000 | 1.5× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Air India via DEL (CCU–DEL–PVG) — Delhi–Shanghai suspended 1-Jun-2026, resumes September 2026, Star Alliance partner award | 75,000 | — | ₹75,000 | 1.9× |
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. That surcharge is the airline's own cash charge on an award — YQ, as the notes below call it — and it is not the fuel-surcharge waiver your credit card advertises: that one hands back a hundred rupees or two at a petrol pump, this one runs to tens of thousands and decides whether the award is worth taking at all. “Dynamic” and estimated (~… est.) rows never compete for the play — the crown is always a verified, bookable price. Feed-ins come from the same transfer data as the optimizer, multi-hop chains included.
Chart-priced, not live seats. These prices are read off each programme’s published award chart and valued at our own house ₹/point. 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.
The cash on top of the miles. American Airlines AAdvantage, Air India Maharaja Points, United MileagePlus and Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards make you liable for one if the operating airline levies it, without saying whether it does. Air Canada Aeroplan states it adds none on its own metal. Government taxes and airport charges are payable in every case. Almost no programme publishes the amount, so the desk carries each one’s policy in its own words — on its programme hub — rather than a number nobody published. 6 other programmes priced here publish nothing the desk could read.
Malaysia Airlines oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart, so the connection costs no extra miles. Qatar Airways's CCU–DOH nonstop is what makes Kolkata a oneworld city at all.
Feed it: 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 150,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 50,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Thai Airways Star Alliance
Air China PhoenixMiles prices its own metal (India→Beijing, resumed Apr-2026) plus Star partners. North Asia is its only genuine strength; elsewhere it is a weak Star pricer with heavy fuel surcharges (why the currency sits at ₹0.90). India-origin levels are not published, so all values are estimated off trans-Pacific anchors. One-way (current PhoenixMiles).
Estimate PhoenixMiles' official zone division could not be reconciled with this corridor — Air China publishes no India-origin level, and its published zone tables do not map cleanly onto these city pairs. This value is extrapolated from the nearest published anchors, not a verified chart price.
Feed it: 21,250 HSBC Reward Points (1.25:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 51,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 102,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air India Star Alliance
The April-2026 Maharaja Club chart is a FLAT DESTINATION-REGION tier, not distance — so Kolkata pays exactly what Delhi pays to Shanghai, provided both legs stay on Air India Group metal (CCU–DEL domestic, then DEL–PVG).
Estimate Air India publishes no award chart. Its own Points Calculator states that “Fares indicated above are dependent on the time of booking and seat availability”, and Maharaja Club prices every award either as a Value fare (the discounted rate for booking well in advance) or as a higher Prime fare closer to departure. This number is the Value-fare floor as sampled after the April-2026 repricing — not a published chart cell: Value space is not always available on a given flight, and the same seat prices higher once it is gone. Pricing model re-verified against Air India’s Maharaja Club T&C and Points Calculator on 2026-08-09.
Feed it: 30,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 15,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 30,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
Star Alliance
United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~25,000 is a typical Saver partner level to North Asia. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.
Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→North Asia on Star Alliance metal; United went fully dynamic in 2020, so this is a typical Saver that moves with availability and cabin scarcity.
Feed it: 12,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 62,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance
LifeMiles prices Star partner metal off an unpublished grid; India→Europe business ~63k is the headline sweet spot (beats Aeroplan). Business is the value cabin here; economy is mediocre. The chart is semi-fixed/unpublished, so some bands are estimates.
Estimate LifeMiles publishes no award chart — Avianca withdrew its public zone table in 2023 and prices Star partner awards off an unpublished internal grid. This level is extrapolated from that historical zone pricing plus dated community booking reports, not a verified chart price.
Feed it: 81,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 162,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 54,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)
Malaysia Airlines oneworld
No Atmos partner flies CCU-PVG nonstop, so the 2,129-mile great circle never reaches the chart. Alaska bands what you actually fly: Malaysia Airlines via KUL is ~3,997 flown miles — the Asia-Pacific chart's 3,001-5,000 mi band, 30,000 economy / 60,000 business one-way, plus the $20 partner booking fee per person each way (up from $12.50 on 1-Jul-2026). One-way.
Estimate Priced at the flown-routing distance, not the nonstop great circle: Malaysia Airlines via KUL = ~3,997 mi summed great-circle (1.88x the 2,129-mi nonstop), which reads the Atmos Asia-Pacific partner chart's 3,001-5,000 mi band (30,000 economy / 60,000 business one-way). Atmos prices partner awards on total distance flown; the exact routing Alaska sells on this pair is not calculator-verified (alaskaair.com blocks automated reads).
Feed it: 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.5:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 150,000 RBL Reward Points (5:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 50,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.67:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance
Aegean Miles+Bonus prices Star partner metal off one region chart published as ROUND TRIPS — its own rule is that a one-way costs exactly half, and the halved figure is what we show. India sits in the "Near East & Central Asia" zone: the Far East is a flat 30k/45k one-way (Tokyo costs the same as Bangkok), Europe 35k/55k, North America 50k/75k. No Indian card feeds it — Marriott Bonvoy 3:1 is the only road in, and awards only display once you hold the full balance.
Feed it: 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.5:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 150,000 RBL Reward Points (5:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 50,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.67:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance
Copa ConnectMiles prices Star partner metal off its FIXED region chart (India sits in Copa’s "Central Asia" zone). Standout value — India→Europe 45k business, India→Sub-Saharan Africa 17.5k economy on Ethiopian (Cairo is a dearer 20k Middle East cell) — but NO Indian card feeds ConnectMiles (buy-miles or a US co-brand only), so treat it as a reference benchmark, not a wallet-reachable route.
Feed it: 97,500 Amex Membership Rewards (2.6:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 195,000 RBL Reward Points (5.2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 65,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.73:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air India Star Alliance
Aeroplan charges TOTAL DISTANCE FLOWN, so this row is banded on the realistic CCU–DEL–PVG routing (5,605 km) rather than the 3,426 km great circle: the Star itinerary out of Kolkata connects at Delhi. A longer routing can bump the band up one step.
Feed it: 20,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 40,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 100,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Thai Airways Star Alliance
EVA Infinity MileageLands prices Star metal off its zone chart (India = "Central/South Asia" zone; one-way = half round-trip). EVA own metal via Taipei covers Japan/N-Asia/SE-Asia/US/Europe; Gulf/Africa/Oceania are partner-metal only. India→US business ~97.5k (possibly ~55-60k on a fully-EVA routing).
Feed it: 40,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 266,667 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 1,000,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)
Star Alliance
TAP's 4 May 2026 chart repriced India — which sits in its "Asia" origin zone — and intra-Asia went from 40k/60k to 50k/70k one-way, still flat regardless of distance (fine to Tokyo, poor to Colombo). The Gulf was carved out into a Middle East zone of its own at 60k/80k, so Bangkok now undercuts Dubai. Heavy fuel surcharges on Lufthansa-group and TAP metal; steer via Turkish, EgyptAir or Ethiopian to dodge the YQ.
Feed it: 120,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 240,000 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 80,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Malaysia Airlines oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart, so the connection costs no extra miles. Qatar Airways's CCU–DOH nonstop is what makes Kolkata a oneworld city at all.
Feed it: 120,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 240,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 80,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Thai Airways Star Alliance
Air China PhoenixMiles prices its own metal (India→Beijing, resumed Apr-2026) plus Star partners. North Asia is its only genuine strength; elsewhere it is a weak Star pricer with heavy fuel surcharges (why the currency sits at ₹0.90). India-origin levels are not published, so all values are estimated off trans-Pacific anchors. One-way (current PhoenixMiles).
Estimate PhoenixMiles' official zone division could not be reconciled with this corridor — Air China publishes no India-origin level, and its published zone tables do not map cleanly onto these city pairs. This value is extrapolated from the nearest published anchors, not a verified chart price.
Feed it: 37,500 HSBC Reward Points (1.25:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.5:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 150,000 RBL Reward Points (5:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance
United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~45,000 is a typical Saver partner level to North Asia. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.
Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→North Asia on Star Alliance metal; United went fully dynamic in 2020, so this is a typical Saver that moves with availability and cabin scarcity.
Feed it: 22,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 112,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 105,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.33:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance
Aegean Miles+Bonus prices Star partner metal off one region chart published as ROUND TRIPS — its own rule is that a one-way costs exactly half, and the halved figure is what we show. India sits in the "Near East & Central Asia" zone: the Far East is a flat 30k/45k one-way (Tokyo costs the same as Bangkok), Europe 35k/55k, North America 50k/75k. No Indian card feeds it — Marriott Bonvoy 3:1 is the only road in, and awards only display once you hold the full balance.
Feed it: 120,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.67:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 240,000 RBL Reward Points (5.33:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 80,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.78:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance
LifeMiles prices Star partner metal off an unpublished grid; India→Europe business ~63k is the headline sweet spot (beats Aeroplan). Business is the value cabin here; economy is mediocre. The chart is semi-fixed/unpublished, so some bands are estimates.
Estimate LifeMiles publishes no award chart — Avianca withdrew its public zone table in 2023 and prices Star partner awards off an unpublished internal grid. This level is extrapolated from that historical zone pricing plus dated community booking reports, not a verified chart price.
Feed it: 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 300,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 100,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)
Star Alliance
TAP's 4 May 2026 chart repriced India — which sits in its "Asia" origin zone — and intra-Asia went from 40k/60k to 50k/70k one-way, still flat regardless of distance (fine to Tokyo, poor to Colombo). The Gulf was carved out into a Middle East zone of its own at 60k/80k, so Bangkok now undercuts Dubai. Heavy fuel surcharges on Lufthansa-group and TAP metal; steer via Turkish, EgyptAir or Ethiopian to dodge the YQ.
Feed it: 180,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.57:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 360,000 RBL Reward Points (5.14:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.71:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Thai Airways Star Alliance
EVA Infinity MileageLands prices Star metal off its zone chart (India = "Central/South Asia" zone; one-way = half round-trip). EVA own metal via Taipei covers Japan/N-Asia/SE-Asia/US/Europe; Gulf/Africa/Oceania are partner-metal only. India→US business ~97.5k (possibly ~55-60k on a fully-EVA routing).
Feed it: 60,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 400,000 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 1,500,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)
Malaysia Airlines oneworld
No Atmos partner flies CCU-PVG nonstop, so the 2,129-mile great circle never reaches the chart. Alaska bands what you actually fly: Malaysia Airlines via KUL is ~3,997 flown miles — the Asia-Pacific chart's 3,001-5,000 mi band, 30,000 economy / 60,000 business one-way, plus the $20 partner booking fee per person each way (up from $12.50 on 1-Jul-2026). One-way.
Estimate Priced at the flown-routing distance, not the nonstop great circle: Malaysia Airlines via KUL = ~3,997 mi summed great-circle (1.88x the 2,129-mi nonstop), which reads the Atmos Asia-Pacific partner chart's 3,001-5,000 mi band (30,000 economy / 60,000 business one-way). Atmos prices partner awards on total distance flown; the exact routing Alaska sells on this pair is not calculator-verified (alaskaair.com blocks automated reads).
Feed it: 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.5:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 300,000 RBL Reward Points (5:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 100,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.67:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance
Copa ConnectMiles prices Star partner metal off its FIXED region chart (India sits in Copa’s "Central Asia" zone). Standout value — India→Europe 45k business, India→Sub-Saharan Africa 17.5k economy on Ethiopian (Cairo is a dearer 20k Middle East cell) — but NO Indian card feeds ConnectMiles (buy-miles or a US co-brand only), so treat it as a reference benchmark, not a wallet-reachable route.
Feed it: 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.5:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 300,000 RBL Reward Points (5:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 100,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.67:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air India Star Alliance
Aeroplan charges TOTAL DISTANCE FLOWN, so this row is banded on the realistic CCU–DEL–PVG routing (5,605 km) rather than the 3,426 km great circle: the Star itinerary out of Kolkata connects at Delhi. A longer routing can bump the band up one step.
Feed it: 37,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 75,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 187,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into East Asia — 273 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.