travelwith.cc

Award flight · one-way

Chennai to Paris on points

20,000 pts cheapest economy · American Airlines AAdvantage MAA → CDG great-circle 8,021 km · 4,984 mi — long-haul, ~10½ hours 14 programs priced as of

Air France skips Chennai, so Paris is a one-stop story. The cheapest verified business seat on the board is 42,500 via AAdvantage, and economy starts at 20,000 — Qatar's Qsuite via Doha, since Avios prices that routing only through the disputed Z5 band (see its ~est.). Air India via Delhi carries the fixed Maharaja Europe tier (35,000/100,000), but Aeroplan books the same metal for 70,000. Emirates via Dubai is calculator-only. Board note: the remaining gaps against cdg-maa are now filled by mirroring that direction's chart cells back — same cell, opposite direction — so those rows print as estimates and never wear the crown.

read the full take fold the take back up

Economy

The play · economy

American Airlines AAdvantage

Qatar Airways via DOH (oneworld partner award), or British Airways via LHR, or SriLankan Airlines via CMB, or Oman Air via MCT

20,000 pts
surcharge not published
₹20,000 all-in at house ₹

Which card mints this?

+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →

Program Metal / routing Points Surcharge All-in ₹ vs play
American Airlines AAdvantage the play Qatar Airways via DOH (oneworld partner award), or British Airways via LHR, or SriLankan Airlines via CMB, or Oman Air via MCT 20,000 — ₹20,000 the play
Lufthansa Miles & More Air India via DEL (MAA–DEL–CDG) — Star Alliance partner award, fixed Miles & More chart ~25,000 est. — ₹25,000 1.3×
Air China PhoenixMiles Star Alliance metal (LH/TG partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India→Europe — Air China PhoenixMiles ~30,000 est. — ₹27,000 1.4×
Air India Maharaja Points Air India mainline via DEL (Star Alliance), Value tier — MAA-DEL-CDG ~35,000 est. — ₹28,000 1.4×
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) 30,000 — ₹30,000 1.5×
Aegean Miles+Bonus Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — Aegean Miles+Bonus 35,000 — ₹35,000 1.8×
Air France-KLM Flying Blue Etihad via AUH (MAA–AUH–CDG), or Oman Air via MCT — Flying Blue partner award (dynamic) ~37,500 est. — ₹37,500 1.9×
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Oman Air via MCT (oneworld partner award), India→Europe — Alaska Atmos ~37,500 est. — ₹37,500 1.9×
United MileagePlus Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — United MileagePlus ~40,000 est. — ₹40,000 2.0×
Avianca LifeMiles Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — Avianca LifeMiles ~40,000 est. — ₹40,000 2.0×
Air Canada Aeroplan Air India mainline via DEL (Star Alliance partner award) 42,500 — ₹42,500 2.1×
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Star Alliance metal (Air India/LH/TG — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→Europe — EVA Infinity MileageLands 44,500 — ₹44,500 2.2×
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — TAP Miles&Go 80,000 — ₹64,000 3.2×

Business

The play · business

American Airlines AAdvantage

Qatar Airways Qsuite via DOH (oneworld partner award), or British Airways via LHR, or SriLankan Airlines via CMB, or Oman Air via MCT

42,500 pts
surcharge not published
₹42,500 all-in at house ₹

Which card mints this?

+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →

Program Metal / routing Points Surcharge All-in ₹ vs play
American Airlines AAdvantage the play Qatar Airways Qsuite via DOH (oneworld partner award), or British Airways via LHR, or SriLankan Airlines via CMB, or Oman Air via MCT 42,500 — ₹42,500 the play
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) 45,000 — ₹45,000 1.1×
Air China PhoenixMiles Star Alliance metal (LH/TG partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India→Europe — Air China PhoenixMiles ~55,000 est. — ₹49,500 1.2×
Aegean Miles+Bonus Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — Aegean Miles+Bonus 55,000 — ₹55,000 1.3×
Lufthansa Miles & More Air India via DEL (MAA–DEL–CDG) — Star Alliance partner award, fixed Miles & More chart ~62,500 est. — ₹62,500 1.5×
Avianca LifeMiles Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — Avianca LifeMiles ~63,000 est. — ₹63,000 1.5×
Air Canada Aeroplan Air India mainline via DEL (Star Alliance partner award) 70,000 — ₹70,000 1.6×
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Star Alliance metal (Air India/LH/TG — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→Europe — EVA Infinity MileageLands 71,000 — ₹71,000 1.7×
Air France-KLM Flying Blue Etihad via AUH (MAA–AUH–CDG), or Oman Air via MCT — Flying Blue partner award (dynamic) ~75,000 est. — ₹75,000 1.8×
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Oman Air via MCT (oneworld partner award), India→Europe — Alaska Atmos ~75,000 est. — ₹75,000 1.8×
United MileagePlus Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — United MileagePlus ~80,000 est. — ₹80,000 1.9×
Air India Maharaja Points Air India mainline via DEL (Star Alliance), Value tier — MAA-DEL-CDG ~100,000 est. — ₹80,000 1.9×
Emirates Skywards Emirates via DXB (one stop) — Classic Rewards, calculator-priced ~109,000 est. — ₹98,100 2.3×
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — TAP Miles&Go 125,000 — ₹1,00,000 2.4×

First

The play · first

American Airlines AAdvantage

Qatar Airways via DOH (oneworld partner award), or British Airways via LHR, or SriLankan Airlines via CMB, or Oman Air via MCT

62,500 pts
surcharge not published
₹62,500 all-in at house ₹

Which card mints this?

+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →

Program Metal / routing Points Surcharge All-in ₹ vs play
American Airlines AAdvantage the play Qatar Airways via DOH (oneworld partner award), or British Airways via LHR, or SriLankan Airlines via CMB, or Oman Air via MCT 62,500 — ₹62,500 the play
Air Canada Aeroplan Air India mainline via DEL (Star Alliance partner award) ~100,000 est. — ₹1,00,000 1.6×

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. Lufthansa Miles & More, Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Emirates Skywards state that a carrier-imposed surcharge is charged on an award. American Airlines AAdvantage, Air India Maharaja Points, Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards and United MileagePlus make 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. 6 other programmes priced here publish nothing the desk could read.

Row by row

29 options · 17 sourced charts
Economy

American Airlines AAdvantage

the play 20,000 pts

Qatar Airways via DOH (oneworld partner award), or British Airways via LHR, or SriLankan Airlines via CMB, or Oman Air via MCT

Qatar AirwaysBritish AirwaysSriLankan AirlinesOman Air oneworld

Indian Subcontinent → Europe, 20,000 AA miles MAA-DOH-CDG on Qatar — 60,000 Bonvoy at 3:1 (see /transfers/to/american-aadvantage). Avios prices this routing only through the disputed Z5 band (see its ~est.), so AA is the cheaper oneworld number to Paris.

Feed it: 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of 10xtravel.com
Economy

Lufthansa Miles & More

~25,000 pts est.

Air India via DEL (MAA–DEL–CDG) — Star Alliance partner award, fixed Miles & More chart

Air India Star Alliance

Miles & More went dynamic on Lufthansa-group metal in June 2025 but left its FIXED Star partner chart in place — published as round trips, halved by the programme’s own one-way rule. Lufthansa-group metal carries the heaviest fuel surcharges on Star. Mirrored from cdg-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 25,000 is the cdg-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of cdg-maa — Lufthansa Miles & More prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the cdg-maa economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

Feed it: 62,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 25,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1) · 125,000 HDFC Reward Points (5:1 via Wyndham Rewards)

as of miles-and-more.com
Economy

Air China PhoenixMiles

~30,000 pts est.

Star Alliance metal (LH/TG partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India→Europe — Air China PhoenixMiles

LufthansaThai Airways Star Alliance

Air China PhoenixMiles prices its own metal (India→Beijing, resumed Apr-2026) plus Star partners. North Asia is its only genuine strength; elsewhere it is a weak Star pricer with heavy fuel surcharges (why the currency sits at ₹0.90). India-origin levels are not published, so all values are estimated off trans-Pacific anchors. One-way (current PhoenixMiles).

Estimate PhoenixMiles' official zone division could not be reconciled with this corridor — Air China publishes no India-origin level, and its published zone tables do not map cleanly onto these city pairs. This value is extrapolated from the nearest published anchors, not a verified chart price.

Feed it: 37,500 HSBC Reward Points (1.25:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.5:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 150,000 RBL Reward Points (5:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of ffp.airchina.com.cn
Economy

Air India Maharaja Points

~35,000 pts est.

Air India mainline via DEL (Star Alliance), Value tier — MAA-DEL-CDG

Air India Star Alliance

No Air France at Chennai, so the fixed way to Paris is Air India mainline via Delhi at the flat 35,000-point Europe economy tier (MAA-DEL-CDG, a 4% detour). ₹28,000 at house value — cheaper to mint than Aeroplan's economy.

Estimate Air India publishes no award chart. Its own Points Calculator states that “Fares indicated above are dependent on the time of booking and seat availability”, and Maharaja Club prices every award either as a Value fare (the discounted rate for booking well in advance) or as a higher Prime fare closer to departure. This number is the Value-fare floor as sampled after the April-2026 repricing — not a published chart cell: Value space is not always available on a given flight, and the same seat prices higher once it is gone. Pricing model re-verified against Air India’s Maharaja Club T&C and Points Calculator on 2026-08-09.

Feed it: 35,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 17,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 35,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)

as of magnify.club
Economy

Copa Airlines ConnectMiles

30,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart)

Star Alliance

Copa ConnectMiles prices Star partner metal off its FIXED region chart (India sits in Copa’s "Central Asia" zone). Standout value — India→Europe 45k business, India→Sub-Saharan Africa 17.5k economy on Ethiopian (Cairo is a dearer 20k Middle East cell) — but NO Indian card feeds ConnectMiles (buy-miles or a US co-brand only), so treat it as a reference benchmark, not a wallet-reachable route.

Feed it: 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.5:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 150,000 RBL Reward Points (5:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 50,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.67:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of copaair.com
Economy

Aegean Miles+Bonus

35,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — Aegean Miles+Bonus

Star Alliance

Aegean Miles+Bonus prices Star partner metal off one region chart published as ROUND TRIPS — its own rule is that a one-way costs exactly half, and the halved figure is what we show. India sits in the "Near East & Central Asia" zone: the Far East is a flat 30k/45k one-way (Tokyo costs the same as Bangkok), Europe 35k/55k, North America 50k/75k. No Indian card feeds it — Marriott Bonvoy 3:1 is the only road in, and awards only display once you hold the full balance.

Feed it: 90,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.57:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 180,000 RBL Reward Points (5.14:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 60,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.71:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Economy

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

~37,500 pts est.

Etihad via AUH (MAA–AUH–CDG), or Oman Air via MCT — Flying Blue partner award (dynamic)

Etihad AirwaysOman Air

Flying Blue prices dynamically — no fixed chart — and bills partner awards PER SEGMENT, so a connection is a sum. Air France/KLM pass carrier (YQ) surcharges on own metal, and only economy and business are bookable on partners. Mirrored from cdg-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 37,500 is the cdg-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of cdg-maa — Air France-KLM Flying Blue prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the cdg-maa economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. Flying Blue is dynamic and prices partner awards PER SEGMENT (One Mile at a Time, 6-Jun-2024: "you're paying the per segment pricing anyway"). No SkyTeam carrier serves Chennai at all, so this row rides Etihad — a Flying Blue redemption partner since 27-Nov-2023 — via AUH: 2,966 km + 5,252 km banded to 15,000 + 22,500 = 37,500 economy. Bands anchored on published Flying Blue partner datapoints (business one-way: Muscat–Dubai 6,100, Abu Dhabi–Kuwait 9,500, Muscat–Bangkok 42,900, Abu Dhabi–Bangkok 45,000, Muscat–Munich 45,800, Abu Dhabi–Johannesburg 48,000, Abu Dhabi–Washington 87,000); economy is half of business, the one published economy anchor. Dates and demand move the real number.

Feed it: 37,500 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 18,750 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 37,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)

as of awardwallet.com
Economy

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards

~37,500 pts est.

Oman Air via MCT (oneworld partner award), India→Europe — Alaska Atmos

Oman AirQatar AirwaysBritish AirwaysSriLankan Airlines oneworld

Alaska Atmos bands the TOTAL DISTANCE FLOWN, not the nonstop great circle: the cheapest Atmos routing is Oman Air via MCT, ~5,075 flown miles against a 4,984-mile nonstop, which reads the Asia-Pacific chart's 5,001-7,000 mi band — 37,500 economy / 75,000 business one-way, plus the $20 partner booking fee per person each way (up from $12.50 on 1-Jul-2026). One-way. Treat it as a band-boundary call: ~5,075 miles sits within 1.5% of the 5,000-mile line, so the adjacent band is possible.

Estimate Band-boundary row: Oman Air via MCT = ~5,075 mi summed great-circle, which reads the Atmos Asia-Pacific partner chart's 5,001-7,000 mi band (37,500 economy / 75,000 business one-way). KNIFE-EDGE: the routing measures ~5,075 mi, just over the 5,000-mile band boundary, and our great-circle geometry is city-level - the fare engine's own mileage could land the itinerary in the neighbouring band. Not calculator-verified (alaskaair.com blocks automated reads).

Feed it: 97,500 Amex Membership Rewards (2.6:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 195,000 RBL Reward Points (5.2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 65,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.73:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Economy

United MileagePlus

~40,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — United MileagePlus

Star Alliance

United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~40,000 is a typical Saver partner level to Europe. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.

Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→Europe on Star Alliance metal; United went fully dynamic in 2020, so this is a typical Saver that moves with availability and cabin scarcity.

Feed it: 20,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 100,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 90,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.25:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)

as of awardwallet.com
Economy

Avianca LifeMiles

~40,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — Avianca LifeMiles

Star Alliance

LifeMiles prices Star partner metal off an unpublished grid; India→Europe business ~63k is the headline sweet spot (beats Aeroplan). Business is the value cabin here; economy is mediocre. The chart is semi-fixed/unpublished, so some bands are estimates.

Estimate LifeMiles publishes no award chart — Avianca withdrew its public zone table in 2023 and prices Star partner awards off an unpublished internal grid. This level is extrapolated from that historical zone pricing plus dated community booking reports, not a verified chart price.

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 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)

as of awardtravelfinder.com
Economy

Air Canada Aeroplan

42,500 pts

Air India mainline via DEL (Star Alliance partner award)

Air India Star Alliance

MAA-DEL-CDG on Air India mainline is ~5,174 flown miles — the 4,001-6,000-mile within-Atlantic band, 42,500 economy. The business row below is the reason to hold Aeroplan here.

Feed it: 21,250 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 42,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 106,250 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

as of cardexpert.in
Economy

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands

44,500 pts

Star Alliance metal (Air India/LH/TG — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→Europe — EVA Infinity MileageLands

Air IndiaLufthansaThai Airways Star Alliance

EVA Infinity MileageLands prices Star metal off its zone chart (India = "Central/South Asia" zone; one-way = half round-trip). EVA own metal via Taipei covers Japan/N-Asia/SE-Asia/US/Europe; Gulf/Africa/Oceania are partner-metal only. India→US business ~97.5k (possibly ~55-60k on a fully-EVA routing).

Feed it: 44,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 296,667 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 1,112,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)

as of 10xtravel.com
Economy

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go

80,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — TAP Miles&Go

Star Alliance

TAP's 4 May 2026 devaluation lifted India→Europe (its "Europe and North Africa" zone) from 70k/115k to 80k/125k one-way. TAP's own metal and the Lufthansa group carry the heaviest fuel surcharges of any Star program into Europe; Turkish, EgyptAir and Ethiopian routings dodge most of the YQ. Keep the itinerary inside two TAP zones — anything touching a third is billed segment by segment and summed.

Feed it: 195,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.44:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 390,000 RBL Reward Points (4.88:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 130,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.63:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of publish-p133109-e1368204.adobeaemcloud.com
Business

American Airlines AAdvantage

the play 42,500 pts

Qatar Airways Qsuite via DOH (oneworld partner award), or British Airways via LHR, or SriLankan Airlines via CMB, or Oman Air via MCT

Qatar AirwaysBritish AirwaysSriLankan AirlinesOman Air oneworld

42,500 AA miles for Qatar's Qsuite via Doha to Paris — the cheapest business chart on the corridor, if you can feed AAdvantage from Bonvoy 3:1 (127,500 points; see /transfers/to/american-aadvantage).

Feed it: 127,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 255,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 85,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of 10xtravel.com
Business

Copa Airlines ConnectMiles

45,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart)

Star Alliance

Copa ConnectMiles prices Star partner metal off its FIXED region chart (India sits in Copa’s "Central Asia" zone). Standout value — India→Europe 45k business, India→Sub-Saharan Africa 17.5k economy on Ethiopian (Cairo is a dearer 20k Middle East cell) — but NO Indian card feeds ConnectMiles (buy-miles or a US co-brand only), so treat it as a reference benchmark, not a wallet-reachable route.

Feed it: 120,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.67:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 240,000 RBL Reward Points (5.33:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 80,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.78:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of copaair.com
Business

Air China PhoenixMiles

~55,000 pts est.

Star Alliance metal (LH/TG partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India→Europe — Air China PhoenixMiles

LufthansaThai Airways Star Alliance

Air China PhoenixMiles prices its own metal (India→Beijing, resumed Apr-2026) plus Star partners. North Asia is its only genuine strength; elsewhere it is a weak Star pricer with heavy fuel surcharges (why the currency sits at ₹0.90). India-origin levels are not published, so all values are estimated off trans-Pacific anchors. One-way (current PhoenixMiles).

Estimate PhoenixMiles' official zone division could not be reconciled with this corridor — Air China publishes no India-origin level, and its published zone tables do not map cleanly onto these city pairs. This value is extrapolated from the nearest published anchors, not a verified chart price.

Feed it: 135,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.45:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 270,000 RBL Reward Points (4.91:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 68,750 HSBC Reward Points (1.25:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))

as of ffp.airchina.com.cn
Business

Aegean Miles+Bonus

55,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — Aegean Miles+Bonus

Star Alliance

Aegean Miles+Bonus prices Star partner metal off one region chart published as ROUND TRIPS — its own rule is that a one-way costs exactly half, and the halved figure is what we show. India sits in the "Near East & Central Asia" zone: the Far East is a flat 30k/45k one-way (Tokyo costs the same as Bangkok), Europe 35k/55k, North America 50k/75k. No Indian card feeds it — Marriott Bonvoy 3:1 is the only road in, and awards only display once you hold the full balance.

Feed it: 135,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.45:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 270,000 RBL Reward Points (4.91:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 90,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.64:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Business

Lufthansa Miles & More

~62,500 pts est.

Air India via DEL (MAA–DEL–CDG) — Star Alliance partner award, fixed Miles & More chart

Air India Star Alliance

Miles & More went dynamic on Lufthansa-group metal in June 2025 but left its FIXED Star partner chart in place — published as round trips, halved by the programme’s own one-way rule. Lufthansa-group metal carries the heaviest fuel surcharges on Star. Mirrored from cdg-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 62,500 is the cdg-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of cdg-maa — Lufthansa Miles & More prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the cdg-maa business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

Feed it: 156,250 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 62,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1) · 312,500 HDFC Reward Points (5:1 via Wyndham Rewards)

as of miles-and-more.com
Business

Avianca LifeMiles

~63,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — Avianca LifeMiles

Star Alliance

LifeMiles prices Star partner metal off an unpublished grid; India→Europe business ~63k is the headline sweet spot (beats Aeroplan). Business is the value cabin here; economy is mediocre. The chart is semi-fixed/unpublished, so some bands are estimates.

Estimate LifeMiles publishes no award chart — Avianca withdrew its public zone table in 2023 and prices Star partner awards off an unpublished internal grid. This level is extrapolated from that historical zone pricing plus dated community booking reports, not a verified chart price.

Feed it: 189,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 378,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 126,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)

as of awardtravelfinder.com
Business

Air Canada Aeroplan

70,000 pts

Air India mainline via DEL (Star Alliance partner award)

Air India Star Alliance

70,000 in the 4,001-6,000-mile band, booking Air India's Delhi-Paris nonstop after a Chennai feeder. Half Maharaja's points for the identical seat; SBI feeds Aeroplan 1:1.

Feed it: 35,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 70,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 175,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

as of cardexpert.in
Business

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands

71,000 pts

Star Alliance metal (Air India/LH/TG — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→Europe — EVA Infinity MileageLands

Air IndiaLufthansaThai Airways Star Alliance

EVA Infinity MileageLands prices Star metal off its zone chart (India = "Central/South Asia" zone; one-way = half round-trip). EVA own metal via Taipei covers Japan/N-Asia/SE-Asia/US/Europe; Gulf/Africa/Oceania are partner-metal only. India→US business ~97.5k (possibly ~55-60k on a fully-EVA routing).

Feed it: 71,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 473,334 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 1,775,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)

as of 10xtravel.com
Business

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

~75,000 pts est.

Etihad via AUH (MAA–AUH–CDG), or Oman Air via MCT — Flying Blue partner award (dynamic)

Etihad AirwaysOman Air

Flying Blue prices dynamically — no fixed chart — and bills partner awards PER SEGMENT, so a connection is a sum. Air France/KLM pass carrier (YQ) surcharges on own metal, and only economy and business are bookable on partners. Mirrored from cdg-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 75,000 is the cdg-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of cdg-maa — Air France-KLM Flying Blue prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the cdg-maa business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. Flying Blue is dynamic and prices partner awards PER SEGMENT (One Mile at a Time, 6-Jun-2024: "you're paying the per segment pricing anyway"). No SkyTeam carrier serves Chennai at all, so this row rides Etihad — a Flying Blue redemption partner since 27-Nov-2023 — via AUH: 2,966 km + 5,252 km banded to 30,000 + 45,000 = 75,000 business. Bands anchored on published Flying Blue partner datapoints (business one-way: Muscat–Dubai 6,100, Abu Dhabi–Kuwait 9,500, Muscat–Bangkok 42,900, Abu Dhabi–Bangkok 45,000, Muscat–Munich 45,800, Abu Dhabi–Johannesburg 48,000, Abu Dhabi–Washington 87,000); economy is half of business, the one published economy anchor. Dates and demand move the real number.

Feed it: 75,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 37,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 75,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)

as of awardwallet.com
Business

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards

~75,000 pts est.

Oman Air via MCT (oneworld partner award), India→Europe — Alaska Atmos

Oman AirQatar AirwaysBritish AirwaysSriLankan Airlines oneworld

Alaska Atmos bands the TOTAL DISTANCE FLOWN, not the nonstop great circle: the cheapest Atmos routing is Oman Air via MCT, ~5,075 flown miles against a 4,984-mile nonstop, which reads the Asia-Pacific chart's 5,001-7,000 mi band — 37,500 economy / 75,000 business one-way, plus the $20 partner booking fee per person each way (up from $12.50 on 1-Jul-2026). One-way. Treat it as a band-boundary call: ~5,075 miles sits within 1.5% of the 5,000-mile line, so the adjacent band is possible.

Estimate Band-boundary row: Oman Air via MCT = ~5,075 mi summed great-circle, which reads the Atmos Asia-Pacific partner chart's 5,001-7,000 mi band (37,500 economy / 75,000 business one-way). KNIFE-EDGE: the routing measures ~5,075 mi, just over the 5,000-mile band boundary, and our great-circle geometry is city-level - the fare engine's own mileage could land the itinerary in the neighbouring band. Not calculator-verified (alaskaair.com blocks automated reads).

Feed it: 180,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 360,000 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Business

United MileagePlus

~80,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — United MileagePlus

Star Alliance

United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~80,000 is a typical Saver partner level to Europe. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.

Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→Europe on Star Alliance metal; United went fully dynamic in 2020, so this is a typical Saver that moves with availability and cabin scarcity.

Feed it: 40,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 200,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 180,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.25:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)

as of awardwallet.com
Business

Air India Maharaja Points

~100,000 pts est.

Air India mainline via DEL (Star Alliance), Value tier — MAA-DEL-CDG

Air India Star Alliance

Europe business, 100,000 points on the A350 via Delhi. Exactly double Aeroplan's ₹-equivalent for the same routing — listed so the gap is visible; transfer to Aeroplan instead.

Estimate Air India publishes no award chart. Its own Points Calculator states that “Fares indicated above are dependent on the time of booking and seat availability”, and Maharaja Club prices every award either as a Value fare (the discounted rate for booking well in advance) or as a higher Prime fare closer to departure. This number is the Value-fare floor as sampled after the April-2026 repricing — not a published chart cell: Value space is not always available on a given flight, and the same seat prices higher once it is gone. Pricing model re-verified against Air India’s Maharaja Club T&C and Points Calculator on 2026-08-09.

Feed it: 100,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 50,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 100,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)

as of awardwallet.com
Business

Emirates Skywards

~109,000 pts est.

Emirates via DXB (one stop) — Classic Rewards, calculator-priced

Emirates

MAA-DXB-CDG on Emirates, calculator-priced with no chart, premium cabins up ~15% since 20-May-2026 and heavy surcharges. Against Aeroplan's fixed 70,000 on Air India's nonstop, the detour needs the A380 to justify it.

Estimate Emirates Skywards one-way Saver estimate, re-marked 01-Aug-2026 to the official miles-calculator pull of 25-Jul-2026 (post the 20-May-2026 devaluation, premium cabins +~15%; connecting corridors summed per leg); dynamic - no published chart, Saver space thin, Flex/Flex Plus price well above.

Feed it: 218,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 534,000 RBL Reward Points (4.9:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 218,000 SBI Travel Credits (2:1)

as of awardwallet.com
Business

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go

125,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, India→Europe — TAP Miles&Go

Star Alliance

TAP's 4 May 2026 devaluation lifted India→Europe (its "Europe and North Africa" zone) from 70k/115k to 80k/125k one-way. TAP's own metal and the Lufthansa group carry the heaviest fuel surcharges of any Star program into Europe; Turkish, EgyptAir and Ethiopian routings dodge most of the YQ. Keep the itinerary inside two TAP zones — anything touching a third is billed segment by segment and summed.

Feed it: 300,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 600,000 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 200,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of publish-p133109-e1368204.adobeaemcloud.com
First

American Airlines AAdvantage

the play 62,500 pts

Qatar Airways via DOH (oneworld partner award), or British Airways via LHR, or SriLankan Airlines via CMB, or Oman Air via MCT

Qatar AirwaysBritish AirwaysSriLankan AirlinesOman Air oneworld

AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. First is the chart’s top cabin for this region pair, so the cell is easier to read than to book wherever no oneworld carrier flies a first cabin on the sector. That region-to-region cell is the PAIR, not the direction: every Indian-Subcontinent cell reads identically from either origin chart, so this heading has one published number.

Feed it: 187,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 375,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 125,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

as of aa.com
First

Air Canada Aeroplan

~100,000 pts est.

Air India mainline via DEL (Star Alliance partner award)

Air India Star Alliance

Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN — only a CA$39 partner booking fee plus taxes. First is the published top cabin for this band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. Mirrored from cdg-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 100,000 is the cdg-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of cdg-maa — Air Canada Aeroplan prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the cdg-maa first cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

Feed it: 50,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 100,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 250,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

as of aircanada.com

More corridors

74 from MAA · 48 to CDG

More from Chennai

More to Paris

Flying back? Paris to Chennai on points (CDG–MAA). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into Europe — 532 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.