Award flight · one-way
The shortest international on the board, priced like it isn't: 10,000 Maharaja points for 816 km when Delhi–Mumbai, 40% farther, costs 5,000. The award works because DEL–KTM cash runs inflated at ₹8–14k. But Maharaja's no longer the only game: Aeroplan undercuts it on points — 7,500 economy on the same Air India nonstop, plus a 12,500 J row Maharaja never printed. Aeroplan's chain-funded (HDFC 2:1 / Bonvoy 3:1) against six issuers into Maharaja 1:1, so pick your plumbing.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan the play | Air India nonstop (Star Alliance partner award) | 7,500 | — | ₹7,500 | the play |
| IndiGo BluChip | IndiGo nonstop — BluChip, dynamic (revenue-priced) | ~8,400 est. | — | ₹4,200 | 0.6× |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Avianca LifeMiles | ~7,500 est. | — | ₹7,500 | 1.0× |
| Air India Maharaja Points | Air India nonstop (Star Alliance), Value tier | ~10,000 est. | — | ₹8,000 | 1.1× |
| United MileagePlus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — United MileagePlus | ~10,000 est. | — | ₹10,000 | 1.3× |
| Aegean Miles+Bonus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Aegean Miles+Bonus | 12,500 | — | ₹12,500 | 1.7× |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Star Alliance metal (Air India — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→a South-Asia neighbour — EVA Infinity MileageLands | 15,000 | — | ₹15,000 | 2.0× |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) | 20,000 | — | ₹20,000 | 2.7× |
| Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards | SriLankan Airlines via CMB (oneworld partner award), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Alaska Atmos | ~25,000 est. | — | ₹25,000 | 3.3× |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — TAP Miles&Go | 50,000 | — | ₹40,000 | 5.3× |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan the play | Air India nonstop (Star Alliance partner award) | 12,500 | — | ₹12,500 | the play |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Avianca LifeMiles | ~15,000 est. | — | ₹15,000 | 1.2× |
| United MileagePlus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — United MileagePlus | ~20,000 est. | — | ₹20,000 | 1.6× |
| Aegean Miles+Bonus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Aegean Miles+Bonus | 21,000 | — | ₹21,000 | 1.7× |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Star Alliance metal (Air India — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→a South-Asia neighbour — EVA Infinity MileageLands | 22,500 | — | ₹22,500 | 1.8× |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) | 35,000 | — | ₹35,000 | 2.8× |
| Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards | SriLankan Airlines via CMB (oneworld partner award), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Alaska Atmos | ~50,000 est. | — | ₹50,000 | 4.0× |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — TAP Miles&Go | 70,000 | — | ₹56,000 | 4.5× |
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. 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.
Air India Star Alliance
507 miles falls in the 0–1,000-mile Within-Atlantic band — 7,500 points to Kathmandu. Cheapest published Aeroplan number on the site, but still more than the cash fare on this short international hop.
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
IndiGo flies Delhi–Kathmandu nonstop, but BluChip prices every seat off the live fare — dynamic ₹0.40–0.60 per BluChip, no chart, minimum 500, taxes cash-only. On a corridor where cash fares run rich year-round, that just means an expensive award; the fixed Maharaja row is the plan.
Estimate IndiGo BluChip is revenue-linked ~Rs0.50/pt; ~= typical one-way IndiGo economy fare / Rs0.50 for ~507 mi - a rupee offset that moves 1:1 with the live fare. Own-metal only, no partners.
Feed it: 12,600 HSBC Reward Points (1.5:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 42,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:1) · 25,200 HDFC Reward Points (3:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))
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: 22,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 45,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 15,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)
Air India Star Alliance
The April-2026 tier table prices Delhi–Kathmandu in the 10,000 South Asia band with Colombo and Malé; the oft-quoted "stays at 9,000" line is the Kolkata–Kathmandu route, not Delhi. ₹8,000 of points against ₹8–14k cash one-ways still clears by short-haul standards. Taxes unpublished; Nepal's airport charges land on top.
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: 10,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 5,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 10,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
Star Alliance
United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~10,000 is a typical Saver partner level to a South-Asia neighbour. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.
Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→a South-Asia neighbour 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: 5,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 25,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 30,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 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: 37,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 75,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 25,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air India 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: 15,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 100,000 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 375,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)
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: 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
SriLankan Airlines oneworld
No Atmos partner flies DEL-KTM nonstop, so the 507-mile great circle never reaches the chart. Alaska bands what you actually fly: SriLankan Airlines via CMB is ~2,950 flown miles — the Asia-Pacific chart's 1,501-3,000 mi band, 25,000 economy / 50,000 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: SriLankan Airlines via CMB = ~2,950 mi summed great-circle (5.82x the 507-mi nonstop), which reads the Atmos Asia-Pacific partner chart's 1,501-3,000 mi band (25,000 economy / 50,000 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: 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
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)
Air India Star Alliance
12,500 in the 0–1,000-mile band for Air India business Delhi–Kathmandu — fixed. A 90-minute mountain hop, so the front cabin is a formality; chain-funded HDFC 2:1 / Bonvoy 3:1 if you must, but cash is the honest answer.
Feed it: 6,250 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 12,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 31,250 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
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: 45,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 90,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 30,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)
Star Alliance
United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~20,000 is a typical Saver partner level to a South-Asia neighbour. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.
Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→a South-Asia neighbour 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: 10,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 50,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 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: 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.86:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (5.71:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.9:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air India 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: 22,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 562,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)
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: 90,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.57:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 180,000 RBL Reward Points (5.14:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 60,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.71:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
SriLankan Airlines oneworld
No Atmos partner flies DEL-KTM nonstop, so the 507-mile great circle never reaches the chart. Alaska bands what you actually fly: SriLankan Airlines via CMB is ~2,950 flown miles — the Asia-Pacific chart's 1,501-3,000 mi band, 25,000 economy / 50,000 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: SriLankan Airlines via CMB = ~2,950 mi summed great-circle (5.82x the 507-mi nonstop), which reads the Atmos Asia-Pacific partner chart's 1,501-3,000 mi band (25,000 economy / 50,000 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: 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)
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)
Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into South Asia — 380 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.