Award flight · one-way
Seoul → Chicago on points: 11 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 EVA Air via TPE, or Lufthansa via FRA, banded on the 8,353 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 SEA, or Alaska Airlines via SEA, or Finnair via HEL, or Cathay Pacific via HKG | 35,000 | — | ₹35,000 | the play |
| Korean Air SKYPASS | Korean Air own metal from ICN, region award — nonstop | 35,000 | — | ₹35,000 | 1.0× |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Air France / KLM / SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — nonstop — or Aeroméxico via MEX, or Delta Air Lines via SEA | ~40,000 est. | — | ₹40,000 | 1.1× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | EVA Air via TPE, or Lufthansa via FRA — the fixed "All other partners" Aeroplan cell, 8,353 mi flown, or Air Canada via YYZ | 65,000 | — | ₹65,000 | 1.9× |
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 SEA, or Alaska Airlines via SEA, or Finnair via HEL, or Cathay Pacific via HKG | 60,000 | — | ₹60,000 | the play |
| Korean Air SKYPASS | Korean Air own metal from ICN, region award — nonstop | 62,500 | — | ₹62,500 | 1.0× |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Air France / KLM / SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — nonstop — or Aeroméxico via MEX, or Delta Air Lines via SEA | ~95,000 est. | — | ₹95,000 | 1.6× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | EVA Air via TPE, or Lufthansa via FRA — the fixed "All other partners" Aeroplan cell, 8,353 mi flown, or Air Canada via YYZ | 102,500 | — | ₹1,02,500 | 1.7× |
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 SEA, or Alaska Airlines via SEA, or Finnair via HEL, or Cathay Pacific via HKG | 80,000 | — | ₹80,000 | the play |
| Korean Air SKYPASS | Korean Air own metal from ICN, region award — nonstop | 80,000 | — | ₹80,000 | 1.0× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | EVA Air via TPE, or Lufthansa via FRA — the fixed "All other partners" Aeroplan cell, 8,353 mi flown, or Air Canada via YYZ | 140,000 | — | ₹1,40,000 | 1.8× |
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. 1 other programme priced here publishes nothing the desk could read.
Alaska AirlinesFinnairCathay Pacific oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 105,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 210,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 70,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Korean Air SkyTeam
Korean Air own-metal Seoul→Chicago. Korean passes low-to-moderate carrier surcharges on its own-metal awards — noticeably milder than Turkish or British Airways, but not zero: expect a modest YQ plus government taxes, heaviest on long-haul and on Japan/Europe departures. A valid Korean Air routing is assumed.
Feed it: 70,000 HSBC Reward Points (2:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 140,000 HDFC Reward Points (4:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 350,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (10:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))
Air FranceKLMAeroméxicoDelta 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)
EVA AirLufthansaAir 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". No fixed-price Star partner flies Seoul–Chicago nonstop — Asiana works O'Hare as cargo only, and Air Canada/United are dynamic. The shortest all-fixed-partner itinerary is EVA Air via Taipei at 8,353 miles, which clears the 7,500-mile line; Lufthansa via Frankfurt flies 9,640 miles and reads the same band, so the band is robust to the routing choice. Priced on the 7,501–11,000-mile North America–Pacific band at the flown distance this routing actually covers, 8,353 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)
Alaska AirlinesFinnairCathay Pacific oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 180,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 360,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Korean Air SkyTeam
Korean Air own-metal Seoul→Chicago. Korean passes low-to-moderate carrier surcharges on its own-metal awards — noticeably milder than Turkish or British Airways, but not zero: expect a modest YQ plus government taxes, heaviest on long-haul and on Japan/Europe departures. A valid Korean Air routing is assumed.
Feed it: 125,000 HSBC Reward Points (2:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 250,000 HDFC Reward Points (4:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 625,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (10:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))
Air FranceKLMAeroméxicoDelta 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)
EVA AirLufthansaAir 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". No fixed-price Star partner flies Seoul–Chicago nonstop — Asiana works O'Hare as cargo only, and Air Canada/United are dynamic. The shortest all-fixed-partner itinerary is EVA Air via Taipei at 8,353 miles, which clears the 7,500-mile line; Lufthansa via Frankfurt flies 9,640 miles and reads the same band, so the band is robust to the routing choice. Priced on the 7,501–11,000-mile North America–Pacific band at the flown distance this routing actually covers, 8,353 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)
Alaska AirlinesFinnairCathay Pacific oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 240,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 480,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 160,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Korean Air SkyTeam
Korean Air own-metal Seoul→Chicago. Korean passes low-to-moderate carrier surcharges on its own-metal awards — noticeably milder than Turkish or British Airways, but not zero: expect a modest YQ plus government taxes, heaviest on long-haul and on Japan/Europe departures. A valid Korean Air routing is assumed.
Feed it: 160,000 HSBC Reward Points (2:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 320,000 HDFC Reward Points (4:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 800,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (10:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))
EVA AirLufthansaAir 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". No fixed-price Star partner flies Seoul–Chicago nonstop — Asiana works O'Hare as cargo only, and Air Canada/United are dynamic. The shortest all-fixed-partner itinerary is EVA Air via Taipei at 8,353 miles, which clears the 7,500-mile line; Lufthansa via Frankfurt flies 9,640 miles and reads the same band, so the band is robust to the routing choice. Priced on the 7,501–11,000-mile North America–Pacific band at the flown distance this routing actually covers, 8,353 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. EVA files no First at all; Lufthansa's Frankfurt–Chicago 747-8 does, which is the only way this First cell buys a real seat.
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? Chicago to Seoul on points (ORD–ICN). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into North America — 510 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.