Award route card · one-way
Frankfurt → Johannesburg on points: 8 options across the alliance backbones our cards can reach. Aeroplan books Star partner metal at a fixed 8,690 km distance band, AAdvantage prices the oneworld routing off its region chart, and Flying Blue covers SkyTeam dynamically. The verified charts crown THE PLAY; the dynamic row is shown as an honest estimate.
The play · first
Feed it: 2,40,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 4,80,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 80,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award | 80,000 | — | ₹80,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (8,690 km) | 1,00,000 | — | ₹1,00,000 | 1.3× |
The play · business
Feed it: 1,65,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 3,30,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 55,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award | 55,000 | — | ₹55,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (8,690 km) | 70,000 | — | ₹70,000 | 1.3× |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Air France / KLM / SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) | ~90,000 | — | ₹90,000 | 1.6× |
The play · economy
Feed it: 90,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 1,80,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 30,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Air France / KLM / SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) | ~30,000 | — | ₹30,000 | 1.0× |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award | 30,000 | — | ₹30,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (8,690 km) | 42,500 | — | ₹42,500 | 1.4× |
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” 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.
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. AAdvantage passes NO fuel surcharge on partner awards except British Airways / Iberia metal (heavy YQ) — you pay only government taxes. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 2,40,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 4,80,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 80,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN. This row is the direct great-circle band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. Aeroplan charges NO fuel/carrier surcharge on any Star partner award — only a CA$39 partner booking fee plus taxes. A valid Star routing (nonstop or via a Star hub within the maximum permitted mileage) is assumed.
Feed it: 50,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 1,00,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 2,50,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. AAdvantage passes NO fuel surcharge on partner awards except British Airways / Iberia metal (heavy YQ) — you pay only government taxes. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 1,65,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 3,30,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 55,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN. This row is the direct great-circle band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. Aeroplan charges NO fuel/carrier surcharge on any Star partner award — only a CA$39 partner booking fee plus taxes. A valid Star routing (nonstop or via a Star hub within the maximum permitted mileage) is assumed.
Feed it: 35,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 70,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 1,75,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Flying Blue prices dynamically — no fixed chart. Air France/KLM pass carrier (YQ) surcharges on own metal — typically €90–110 economy / €200–300 business one-way long-haul; intra-region SkyTeam ~€15–40. Typical one-way business runs 60k–115k; award space and travel date drive the real number.
Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is the typical one-way level for this region-pair (range 60k–115k); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Feed it: 90,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 45,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 90,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
Flying Blue prices dynamically — no fixed chart. Air France/KLM pass carrier (YQ) surcharges on own metal — typically €90–110 economy / €200–300 business one-way long-haul; intra-region SkyTeam ~€15–40. Typical one-way economy runs 20k–40k; award space and travel date drive the real number.
Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is the typical one-way level for this region-pair (range 20k–40k); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Feed it: 30,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 15,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 30,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. AAdvantage passes NO fuel surcharge on partner awards except British Airways / Iberia metal (heavy YQ) — you pay only government taxes. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 90,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 1,80,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 30,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN. This row is the direct great-circle band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. Aeroplan charges NO fuel/carrier surcharge on any Star partner award — only a CA$39 partner booking fee plus taxes. A valid Star routing (nonstop or via a Star hub within the maximum permitted mileage) is assumed.
Feed it: 21,250 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 42,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 1,06,250 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Or pick any two hubs — 1,706 corridors priced.