Award route card · one-way
The cheapest business-class corridor in this set. Thai's zone chart still sells Royal Silk to its own hub for 27,500 miles one-way — less than some programs want for economy — while Air India's 12,000-point economy tier undercuts everyone on the cheap end. Aeroplan hiked the route 19% in June 2026 and still can't compete. Two honest plays, one corridor.
The play · business
Feed it: 13,750 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 27,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 27,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thai Royal Orchid Plus | Thai Airways nonstop (Star Alliance), Royal Silk | 27,500 | — | ₹27,500 | the play |
| Air India Maharaja Points | Air India nonstop (Star Alliance), Value tier | 50,000 | — | ₹40,000 | 1.5× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Thai Airways or Air India metal (Star Alliance partner award) | 47,500 | — | ₹47,500 | 1.7× |
The play · economy
Feed it: 12,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 6,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 12,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air India Maharaja Points | Air India nonstop (Star Alliance), Value tier | 12,000 | — | ₹9,600 | the play |
| Thai Royal Orchid Plus | Thai Airways nonstop (Star Alliance), zone chart | 17,500 | — | ₹17,500 | 1.8× |
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, 2-hop chains included.
27,500 miles one-way in Royal Silk to TG's own hub — the standout published business rate on any India corridor. HDFC (2:1), Axis (1:2), HSBC (1:1) and SBI (1:1) all feed ROP; mind the hard 3-year mile expiry and book TG-operated flights only.
Feed it: 13,750 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 27,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 27,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1)
The 50,000-point SE Asia business tier looks steep against Thai's 27,500 — even Maharaja's cheaper ₹/point can't close a 1.8× points gap. Fly TG up front on this one.
Feed it: 50,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 25,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 50,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
CardExpert prices Delhi–Bangkok explicitly: the 0–2,500-mile Atlantic–Pacific band rose 19% to 47,500 in June 2026. No fuel surcharges, but 1.7× Thai's own chart for the same cabin — only for points already stranded in Aeroplan.
Feed it: 23,750 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 47,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 1,18,750 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Same flat 12,000-point SE Asia tier as Singapore — down from 16,000 before April 2026. The cheapest way to Bangkok on points, full stop.
Feed it: 12,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 6,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 12,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
Zone 3 (India) → Bangkok on the direct-flight chart. At ₹8–14k cash fares this rarely clears ₹0.7/mile — Royal Silk two rows down is where the same chart gets interesting.
Feed it: 8,750 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 17,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 17,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1)