Award flight · one-way
Washington → Shanghai on points: 8 options across the alliance backbones our cards can reach. Aeroplan's fixed band only applies to partners outside its dynamic Select column, so the Aeroplan row here is Air China via PEK, banded on the 7,588 miles that routing actually flies, 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 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage the play | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — via DFW, or Qatar via DOH, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR | 37,500 | — | ₹37,500 | the play |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Air France / KLM / SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — via DTW, or Korean Air via ICN, or Delta Air Lines via SEA | ~40,000 est. | — | ₹40,000 | 1.1× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Air China via PEK — the fixed "All other partners" Aeroplan cell, 7,588 mi flown, or Air Canada via YYZ | 65,000 | — | ₹65,000 | 1.7× |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage the play | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — via DFW, or Qatar via DOH, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR | 70,000 | — | ₹70,000 | the play |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Air France / KLM / SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — via DTW, or Korean Air via ICN, or Delta Air Lines via SEA | ~95,000 est. | — | ₹95,000 | 1.4× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Air China via PEK — the fixed "All other partners" Aeroplan cell, 7,588 mi flown, or Air Canada via YYZ | 102,500 | — | ₹1,02,500 | 1.5× |
The play · first
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage the play | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — via DFW, or Qatar via DOH, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR | 110,000 | — | ₹1,10,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Air China via PEK — the fixed "All other partners" Aeroplan cell, 7,588 mi flown, or Air Canada via YYZ | 140,000 | — | ₹1,40,000 | 1.3× |
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 France-KLM Flying Blue states that a carrier-imposed surcharge is charged on an award. American Airlines AAdvantage makes 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.
Qatar AirwaysAmerican AirlinesBritish Airways oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 112,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 225,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 75,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air FranceKLMKorean AirDelta Air Lines SkyTeam
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 32k–55k; award space and travel date drive the real number.
Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is the typical one-way level for this region-pair (range 32k–55k); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Feed it: 40,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 20,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 40,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
Air ChinaAir Canada Star Alliance
Re-metalled 2026-08-01. The old row named Air Canada while asserting a fixed chart cell, and Air Canada sits in the DYNAMIC column, so that cell never applied to its metal. Aeroplan's chart prints two rows per band: a dynamic "Starting at" floor for "Air Canada and/or Select Partners" (United Airlines, Emirates, Flydubai, Etihad Airways, Canadian North, Calm Air, Bearskin and PAL), and one fixed number for "All other partners". The 7,438-mile direct line squeaked inside the 5,001–7,500-mile band, but no fixed-price Star partner flies Shanghai–Washington nonstop. Air China's own Shanghai–Beijing–Washington itinerary flies 7,588 miles — 88 past the line — and that is the cheapest all-fixed-partner routing on the pair. Priced on the 7,501–11,000-mile North America–Pacific band at the flown distance this routing actually covers, 7,588 mi. That is a band move and we are saying so plainly: economy 50,000 to 65,000, business 85,000 to 102,500, First 120,000 to 140,000. The Air Canada option the old row leaned on is still bookable, but it prices off the dynamic column's "Starting at" floor for the 5,001–7,500-mile band (45,000 economy / 85,000 business / 110,000 First) — a floor that climbs with demand, never a number we can promise.
Feed it: 32,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 65,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 162,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Qatar AirwaysAmerican AirlinesBritish Airways oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 210,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 420,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 140,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air FranceKLMKorean AirDelta Air Lines SkyTeam
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 80k–140k; award space and travel date drive the real number.
Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is the typical one-way level for this region-pair (range 80k–140k); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Feed it: 95,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 47,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 95,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
Air ChinaAir Canada Star Alliance
Re-metalled 2026-08-01. The old row named Air Canada while asserting a fixed chart cell, and Air Canada sits in the DYNAMIC column, so that cell never applied to its metal. Aeroplan's chart prints two rows per band: a dynamic "Starting at" floor for "Air Canada and/or Select Partners" (United Airlines, Emirates, Flydubai, Etihad Airways, Canadian North, Calm Air, Bearskin and PAL), and one fixed number for "All other partners". The 7,438-mile direct line squeaked inside the 5,001–7,500-mile band, but no fixed-price Star partner flies Shanghai–Washington nonstop. Air China's own Shanghai–Beijing–Washington itinerary flies 7,588 miles — 88 past the line — and that is the cheapest all-fixed-partner routing on the pair. Priced on the 7,501–11,000-mile North America–Pacific band at the flown distance this routing actually covers, 7,588 mi. That is a band move and we are saying so plainly: economy 50,000 to 65,000, business 85,000 to 102,500, First 120,000 to 140,000. The Air Canada option the old row leaned on is still bookable, but it prices off the dynamic column's "Starting at" floor for the 5,001–7,500-mile band (45,000 economy / 85,000 business / 110,000 First) — a floor that climbs with demand, never a number we can promise.
Feed it: 51,250 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 102,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 256,250 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Qatar AirwaysAmerican AirlinesBritish Airways oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 330,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 660,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 220,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air ChinaAir Canada Star Alliance
Re-metalled 2026-08-01. The old row named Air Canada while asserting a fixed chart cell, and Air Canada sits in the DYNAMIC column, so that cell never applied to its metal. Aeroplan's chart prints two rows per band: a dynamic "Starting at" floor for "Air Canada and/or Select Partners" (United Airlines, Emirates, Flydubai, Etihad Airways, Canadian North, Calm Air, Bearskin and PAL), and one fixed number for "All other partners". The 7,438-mile direct line squeaked inside the 5,001–7,500-mile band, but no fixed-price Star partner flies Shanghai–Washington nonstop. Air China's own Shanghai–Beijing–Washington itinerary flies 7,588 miles — 88 past the line — and that is the cheapest all-fixed-partner routing on the pair. Priced on the 7,501–11,000-mile North America–Pacific band at the flown distance this routing actually covers, 7,588 mi. That is a band move and we are saying so plainly: economy 50,000 to 65,000, business 85,000 to 102,500, First 120,000 to 140,000. The Air Canada option the old row leaned on is still bookable, but it prices off the dynamic column's "Starting at" floor for the 5,001–7,500-mile band (45,000 economy / 85,000 business / 110,000 First) — a floor that climbs with demand, never a number we can promise. Air China files First on the 777-300ER Beijing–Washington leg; the Shanghai–Beijing feeder is business at best, so expect a mixed-cabin ticket.
Feed it: 70,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 140,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 350,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Flying back? Shanghai to Washington on points (PVG–IAD). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into East Asia — 273 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.