Award flight · one-way
Johannesburg → San Francisco on points: 8 options across the alliance backbones our cards can reach. Aeroplan books Star partner metal at a fixed 16,978 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 · 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 LHR, or Qatar via DOH, or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Qantas via SYD, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | the play |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Air France / KLM / SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — via ATL, or Virgin Atlantic via LHR | ~55,000 est. | — | ₹55,000 | 1.4× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (16,978 km) — via EWR, or SWISS via ZRH, or Singapore Airlines via SIN, or Turkish Airlines via IST, or Air China via PEK | 75,000 | — | ₹75,000 | 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 LHR, or Qatar via DOH, or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Qantas via SYD, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR | 75,000 | — | ₹75,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (16,978 km) — via EWR, or SWISS via ZRH, or Singapore Airlines via SIN, or Turkish Airlines via IST, or Air China via PEK | 110,000 | — | ₹1,10,000 | 1.5× |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Air France / KLM / SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — via ATL, or Virgin Atlantic via LHR | ~145,000 est. | — | ₹1,45,000 | 1.9× |
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 LHR, or Qatar via DOH, or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Qantas via SYD, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR | 120,000 | — | ₹1,20,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (16,978 km) — via EWR, or SWISS via ZRH, or Singapore Airlines via SIN, or Turkish Airlines via IST, or Air China via PEK | 165,000 | — | ₹1,65,000 | 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. 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 AirwaysBritish AirwaysCathay PacificQantas oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 120,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 240,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 80,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air FranceKLMDelta Air LinesVirgin Atlantic 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 45k–75k; award space and travel date drive the real number.
Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is a distance-band estimate (this region-pair is not separately anchored) (range 45k–75k); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Feed it: 55,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 27,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 55,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
United AirlinesSWISSSingapore AirlinesTurkish AirlinesAir China Star Alliance
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. A valid Star routing (nonstop or via a Star hub within the maximum permitted mileage) is assumed.
Feed it: 37,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 75,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 187,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Qatar AirwaysBritish AirwaysCathay PacificQantas oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 225,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 450,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 150,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
United AirlinesSWISSSingapore AirlinesTurkish AirlinesAir China Star Alliance
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. A valid Star routing (nonstop or via a Star hub within the maximum permitted mileage) is assumed.
Feed it: 55,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 110,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 275,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Air FranceKLMDelta Air LinesVirgin Atlantic 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 120k–175k; award space and travel date drive the real number.
Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is a distance-band estimate (this region-pair is not separately anchored) (range 120k–175k); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Feed it: 145,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 72,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 145,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
Qatar AirwaysBritish AirwaysCathay PacificQantas oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 360,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 720,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 240,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
United AirlinesSWISSSingapore AirlinesTurkish AirlinesAir China Star Alliance
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. A valid Star routing (nonstop or via a Star hub within the maximum permitted mileage) is assumed.
Feed it: 82,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 165,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 412,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Flying back? San Francisco to Johannesburg on points (SFO–JNB). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into North America — 510 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.