Award route card · one-way
Emirates' home corridor, priced by a calculator we can't quote and devalued 15% up front in May 2026. The only published number belongs to SriLankan via Avios — and geography is unkind: 2,043 miles is 43 miles over the Avios band boundary, so business jumps to 43,000 where Singapore and Bangkok cost 24,500. With ex-CMB cash fares on this run regularly cheap, economy on points is for stranded balances only. Air India publishes no Colombo-origin chart; omitted.
The play · business
Feed it: 43,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 86,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 43,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair) | SriLankan nonstop (oneworld), partner distance band | 43,000 | — | ₹43,000 | the play |
| Emirates Skywards | Emirates nonstop — Classic Rewards, calculator-priced | dynamic | — | — | — |
The play · economy
Feed it: 14,500 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 29,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 14,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair) | SriLankan nonstop (oneworld), partner distance band | 14,500 | — | ₹14,500 | the play |
| Emirates Skywards | Emirates nonstop — Classic Rewards, calculator-priced | dynamic | — | — | — |
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.
43,000 Avios — the price of crossing the 2,000-mile line by 43 miles (the band below charges 24,500). Post-Dec-2025 value, up from 38,750. Still the only published business price ex-CMB to Dubai; whether it beats a cash fare is a per-date question.
Feed it: 43,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 86,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 43,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
Calculator-only pricing, and the 20-May-2026 devaluation lifted premium Classic Rewards ~15% network-wide. One-way business Savers now book at 50% of the return rate — the one mercy. Verify the per-date price before moving Amex MR or SBI points.
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
The 2,001–3,000-mile band: 14,500 Avios one-way post-Dec-2025 (was 13,000). A fine price for a 4½-hour flight — but weigh it against the corridor's chronically cheap cash fares before transferring.
Feed it: 14,500 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 29,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 14,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
No chart — the Miles Calculator prices CMB–DXB per date, and economy Savers came through the May-2026 devaluation unchanged. Ex-CMB carrier charges are lighter than ex-Europe but unpublished. Check the calculator against a cash fare that's often too cheap to beat.
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