Award flight · one-way
Chennai → Colombo on points: 25 options, the board now symmetric with Colombo → Chennai. Award charts price the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so every program that prices the reverse heading is mirrored here — a mirror still flagged as an estimate never takes the crown. The cheapest verified business seat on the board is 14,000 via Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair), and economy starts at 6,500. 17 rows are first-hand chart reads.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair) the play | SriLankan nonstop (oneworld) — Avios partner chart, single segment Zone 1 | 6,500 | — | ₹6,500 | the play |
| IndiGo BluChip | IndiGo nonstop — BluChip, dynamic (revenue-priced) | ~8,400 est. | — | ₹4,200 | 0.6× |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Avianca LifeMiles | ~7,500 est. | — | ₹7,500 | 1.2× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (647 km) | ~7,500 est. | — | ₹7,500 | 1.2× |
| Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards | SriLankan Airlines nonstop MAA-CMB (oneworld partner award), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Alaska Atmos | 7,500 | — | ₹7,500 | 1.2× |
| United MileagePlus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — United MileagePlus | ~10,000 est. | — | ₹10,000 | 1.5× |
| SriLankan FlySmiLes | SriLankan nonstop — FlySmiLes published zone chart (own metal, online price) — nonstop | 12,870 | — | ₹11,583 | 1.8× |
| Aegean Miles+Bonus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Aegean Miles+Bonus | 12,500 | — | ₹12,500 | 1.9× |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Star Alliance metal (Air India — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→a South-Asia neighbour — EVA Infinity MileageLands | 15,000 | — | ₹15,000 | 2.3× |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award | 17,500 | — | ₹17,500 | 2.7× |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) | 20,000 | — | ₹20,000 | 3.1× |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — TAP Miles&Go | 50,000 | — | ₹40,000 | 6.2× |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair) the play | SriLankan business nonstop (oneworld) — Avios partner chart, single segment Zone 1 | 14,000 | — | ₹14,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (647 km) | ~12,500 est. | — | ₹12,500 | 0.9× |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Avianca LifeMiles | ~15,000 est. | — | ₹15,000 | 1.1× |
| Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards | SriLankan Airlines nonstop MAA-CMB (oneworld partner award), India→a South-Asia neighbour — Alaska Atmos | 15,000 | — | ₹15,000 | 1.1× |
| United MileagePlus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — United MileagePlus | ~20,000 est. | — | ₹20,000 | 1.4× |
| Aegean Miles+Bonus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Aegean Miles+Bonus | 21,000 | — | ₹21,000 | 1.5× |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Star Alliance metal (Air India — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→a South-Asia neighbour — EVA Infinity MileageLands | 22,500 | — | ₹22,500 | 1.6× |
| SriLankan FlySmiLes | SriLankan nonstop — FlySmiLes published zone chart (own metal, online price) — nonstop | 25,740 | — | ₹23,166 | 1.7× |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award | 30,000 | — | ₹30,000 | 2.1× |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) | 35,000 | — | ₹35,000 | 2.5× |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Star Alliance partner metal, India→a South-Asia neighbour — TAP Miles&Go | 70,000 | — | ₹56,000 | 4.0× |
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 | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (647 km) | ~25,000 est. | — | ₹25,000 | 0.6× |
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. Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair) states that a carrier-imposed surcharge is charged on an award. Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards, United MileagePlus and American Airlines AAdvantage 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. 7 other programmes priced here publish nothing the desk could read.
Open this corridor in British Airways’ Flight Finder → It fills in your search — MAA to CMB on 29/12/2026, which you change there. It does not show award space, and no link on this page can. It is the only carrier handoff the desk ships: Qatar returns CASH fares under award-looking parameters, Aeroplan discards them behind a login, KrisFlyer’s search has no URL to link to, and the Flying Blue template in circulation has never been verified.
SriLankan Airlines oneworld
The cheapest Avios seat leaving India: MAA-CMB is 402 mi, a single Zone-1 segment — 6,500 Avios one-way on SriLankan's own nonstop, no connection. Six issuers feed Avios directly. Under an hour and a half in the air for the price of a domestic hop.
Feed it: 6,500 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 13,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 6,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
IndiGo
IndiGo flies MAA-CMB nonstop — Chennai's own airline table lists Colombo on the 6E row, settling the listings conflict this row used to carry — but BluChip tracks the live fare (~₹0.40-0.60 per point) with taxes cash-only — no chart. On a ₹6-10k cash route the fixed 6,500 Avios one row up is the plan; BluChip just zeroes an expiring balance.
Estimate IndiGo BluChip is revenue-linked ~Rs0.50/pt; ~= typical one-way IndiGo economy fare / Rs0.50 for ~402 mi - a rupee offset that moves 1:1 with the live fare. Own-metal only, no partners.
Feed it: 12,600 HSBC Reward Points (1.5:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 42,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:1) · 25,200 HDFC Reward Points (3:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))
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: 22,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 45,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 15,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)
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 cmb-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 7,500 is the cmb-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Estimate Reverse of cmb-maa — Air Canada Aeroplan prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the cmb-maa economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.
Feed it: 3,750 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 7,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 18,750 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
SriLankan Airlines oneworld
SriLankan Airlines flies MAA-CMB nonstop, ~402 miles, and Alaska Atmos bands partner awards by distance flown — the Asia-Pacific chart's sub-1,500-mile band: 7,500 economy / 15,000 business one-way, plus the $20 partner booking fee per person each way (up from $12.50 on 1-Jul-2026). One-way.
Feed it: 22,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 45,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 15,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance
United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~10,000 is a typical Saver partner level to a South-Asia neighbour. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.
Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→a South-Asia neighbour 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: 5,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 25,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 30,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)
SriLankan Airlines oneworld
FlySmiLes 20-zone published chart (official PDF, effective 01-Sep-2022, machine-validated cell-by-cell — spec: docs/research/hub-grid/specs/srilankan-flysmiles.json). ONLINE one-way price on UL own metal (phone bookings cost ~11% more); YQ passes on awards. SriLankan is the only oneworld carrier at Colombo, so this is CMB's own-metal door.
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: 37,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 75,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 25,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air India 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: 15,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 100,000 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 375,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)
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: 52,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 105,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 35,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
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: 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)
Star Alliance
TAP's 4 May 2026 chart repriced India — which sits in its "Asia" origin zone — and intra-Asia went from 40k/60k to 50k/70k one-way, still flat regardless of distance (fine to Tokyo, poor to Colombo). The Gulf was carved out into a Middle East zone of its own at 60k/80k, so Bangkok now undercuts Dubai. Heavy fuel surcharges on Lufthansa-group and TAP metal; steer via Turkish, EgyptAir or Ethiopian to dodge the YQ.
Feed it: 120,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 240,000 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 80,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
SriLankan Airlines oneworld
14,000 Avios (Zone 1) for SriLankan's regional business on the 402-mile MAA-CMB nonstop — a lounge, a meal and a flat-ish seat for less than most programs want for economy. Directly feedable from Amex/Axis/HDFC.
Feed it: 14,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 28,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 14,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
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 cmb-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 12,500 is the cmb-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Estimate Reverse of cmb-maa — Air Canada Aeroplan prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the cmb-maa business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.
Feed it: 6,250 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 12,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 31,250 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
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: 45,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 90,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 30,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)
SriLankan Airlines oneworld
SriLankan Airlines flies MAA-CMB nonstop, ~402 miles, and Alaska Atmos bands partner awards by distance flown — the Asia-Pacific chart's sub-1,500-mile band: 7,500 economy / 15,000 business one-way, plus the $20 partner booking fee per person each way (up from $12.50 on 1-Jul-2026). One-way.
Feed it: 45,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 90,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 30,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Star Alliance
United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~20,000 is a typical Saver partner level to a South-Asia neighbour. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.
Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→a South-Asia neighbour 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: 10,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 50,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)
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: 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.86:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (5.71:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.9:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air India 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: 22,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 562,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)
SriLankan Airlines oneworld
FlySmiLes 20-zone published chart (official PDF, effective 01-Sep-2022, machine-validated cell-by-cell — spec: docs/research/hub-grid/specs/srilankan-flysmiles.json). ONLINE one-way price on UL own metal (phone bookings cost ~11% more); YQ passes on awards. SriLankan is the only oneworld carrier at Colombo, so this is CMB's own-metal door.
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: 90,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 180,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 60,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
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: 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)
Star Alliance
TAP's 4 May 2026 chart repriced India — which sits in its "Asia" origin zone — and intra-Asia went from 40k/60k to 50k/70k one-way, still flat regardless of distance (fine to Tokyo, poor to Colombo). The Gulf was carved out into a Middle East zone of its own at 60k/80k, so Bangkok now undercuts Dubai. Heavy fuel surcharges on Lufthansa-group and TAP metal; steer via Turkish, EgyptAir or Ethiopian to dodge the YQ.
Feed it: 180,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.57:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 360,000 RBL Reward Points (5.14:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.71:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
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: 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)
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 cmb-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 25,000 is the cmb-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Estimate Reverse of cmb-maa — Air Canada Aeroplan prices the zone pair or the distance band, not the direction, so this mirrors the cmb-maa first cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.
Feed it: 12,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 25,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 62,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Flying back? Colombo to Chennai on points (CMB–MAA). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into South Asia — 380 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.