Business the play 47,000 pts ANA via Tokyo (Star Alliance) — ROUND-TRIP only
The famous value: 94,000 round-trip regular season (84,000 low) on ANA metal via Tokyo — 47,000 each way for a product that embarrasses most of Star Alliance. Round-trip-only, YQ applies, space is a knife-fight, and funding means Bonvoy 3:1. The partner chart books the Air India nonstop instead at 136,000 round-trip.
Feed it: 1,12,801 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 2,25,601 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 37,600 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1.25 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Qatar Airways Qsuite via Doha (oneworld)
The cheapest fixed business price on the corridor: 70,000 on the published partner chart, Qsuite via Doha. Two catches — Qatar releases partner saver J stingily, and no Indian card feeds AAdvantage directly (Bonvoy 3:1 is the road — see /transfers/to/american-aadvantage). When it hits, nothing else comes close.
Feed it: 2,10,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 4,20,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 70,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance partner award (Air India nonstop bookable)
90,000 fixed, surcharge-free, unchanged in June 2026 — the workhorse. Nonstop only: via-Europe routings cross 8,000 flown miles and reprice to 110,000. SBI 1:1 and Axis 1:2 feed it directly.
Feed it: 45,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 90,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 2,25,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Air India nonstop (Star Alliance), Value tier
San Francisco business isn't separately published; the April-2026 chart prices every documented India–North America business route — Delhi–JFK, Delhi–Toronto — at a 130,000 floor. Aeroplan does the same seat for 90,000; AAdvantage via Doha for 70,000.
Feed it: 1,30,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 65,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 1,30,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
Emirates via Dubai — Classic Rewards, calculator-priced
Skywards prices Delhi–Dubai–San Francisco off a calculator, not a chart, and the May-2026 devaluation lifted premium cabins ~15%. No published number to print — price it, then compare against the 70k/90k fixed anchors above before burning.
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
Economy the play 40,000 pts Air India nonstop (Star Alliance), Value tier
77,000 → 40,000 in the April-2026 overhaul — a 48% cut, explicitly published. ₹32,000 at house value for 15.5 nonstop hours is the best economy buy on the India–US map. Value-tier space, not every flight.
Feed it: 40,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 20,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 40,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
ANA via Tokyo (Star Alliance) — ROUND-TRIP only
Zone 4 ⇄ Zone 6 on ANA metal via Tokyo: 65,000 round-trip regular season (55,000 low), halved here — ANA sells no one-ways. Cheaper per direction than even Air India's 40,000, but it's a two-stop routing, fuel surcharges apply, and Marriott Bonvoy 3:1 is the only Indian road in.
Feed it: 78,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 1,56,000 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 26,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1.25 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Qatar Airways via Doha (oneworld)
AA's published partner chart: Contiguous 48 ⇄ Indian Subcontinent, 40,000 one-way on Qatar metal. Matches Air India's price with a Doha stop — only worth it when Value space is gone. No Indian card transfers to AAdvantage; reachable via Bonvoy 3:1 — see /transfers/to/american-aadvantage.
Feed it: 1,20,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 2,40,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance partner award (Air India nonstop bookable)
6,001–8,000-mile band (7,694 mi — inside by 306 miles), 60,000 after June 2026. Loses to Air India's 40,000 on the same plane — in economy, Maharaja is the buy and Aeroplan is the backup when Value space is gone.
Feed it: 30,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 60,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 1,50,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)