Award route card · one-way
Route-priced, not distance-priced — exhibit A. Delhi–Kolkata costs 5,000 Maharaja points in economy, the same as Delhi–Mumbai despite being 175 km longer, and its business seat costs 28,000 where the much longer Delhi–Bengaluru run costs 25,000. The April-2026 overhaul held economy flat and cut business 15%, and at ₹0.80 a point the 5,000-point seat is ₹4,000 against ₹5–8k cash fares — a real award when Value space shows. IndiGo owns the frequency, chart-less as ever. Fly economy on points; the 28,000-point recliner is the chart's quiet overcharge.
The play · business
Feed it: 6,250 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 12,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 31,250 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Air India nonstop (Star Alliance partner award) | 12,500 | — | ₹12,500 | the play |
| Air India Maharaja Points | Air India nonstop (Star Alliance), Value tier | 28,000 | — | ₹22,400 | 1.8× |
The play · economy
Feed it: 5,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 2,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 5,000 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 | 5,000 | — | ₹4,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Air India nonstop (Star Alliance partner award) | 7,500 | — | ₹7,500 | 1.9× |
| IndiGo BluChip | IndiGo nonstop — BluChip, dynamic (revenue-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.
Here the partner chart embarrasses the house one: 12,500 Aeroplan in the 0–1,000-mile band against Maharaja's own 28,000 for the identical seat — a 55% discount via Toronto. Chain-funded HDFC 2:1 / Bonvoy 3:1; the cheapest published way to the front of a Delhi–Kolkata narrowbody.
Feed it: 6,250 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 12,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 31,250 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Cut 15% in April 2026 (33,000 → 28,000) — yet still 3,000 MORE than the longer Delhi–Bengaluru trunk's 25,000. The chart quirk runs both ways. ₹22,400 of points for a 2¼-hour narrowbody recliner; burn economy, save the balance for the A350.
Feed it: 28,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 14,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 28,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
Held at 5,000 through the April-2026 overhaul — the same price as Delhi–Mumbai, because Air India prices routes, not distance. ₹4,000 at house value against ₹5–8k cash; taxes unpublished, budget a few thousand rupees. Six issuers feed Maharaja at 1:1 or better.
Feed it: 5,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 2,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 5,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
816 great-circle miles squeaks under the 0–1,000-mile Within-Atlantic band's ceiling — 7,500 points, surcharge-free. Maharaja does it for 5,000; this row exists for chart completeness, not for a serious burn.
Feed it: 3,750 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 7,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 18,750 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
IndiGo runs the highest frequency Delhi–Kolkata, but BluChip has no award chart — redemptions track the live fare at a dynamic ₹0.40–0.60 per BluChip, minimum 500, taxes cash-only. The "award" is the cash ticket in points clothing.
Ways in: HSBC Reward Points 1.5:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL) · Axis EDGE Reward Points 5:1 · HDFC Reward Points 3:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)