Award flight · one-way
No Chennai–New York nonstop, so the board is one-stops. AA's Qsuite via Doha at 70,000 is arguably the best business seat and cheaper than Air India's own 130,000 US tier via Delhi — but funding AAdvantage from India means Bonvoy 3:1. Air India's economy floor is 40,000 (MAA–DEL–JFK, Delhi essentially on the polar great circle); Cathay via Hong Kong prices cumulative-distance on Asia Miles. Emirates via Dubai is calculator-only. Board note: the last 4 gaps against jfk-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. The cheapest verified business seat on the board is 70,000 via American Airlines AAdvantage, and economy starts at 38,000.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay Asia Miles the play | Cathay Pacific via HKG (oneworld), Standard award | 38,000 | — | ₹38,000 | the play |
| Air India Maharaja Points | Air India mainline via DEL (Star Alliance), Value tier — MAA-DEL-JFK | ~40,000 est. | — | ₹32,000 | 0.8× |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | Qatar Airways via DOH (oneworld partner award), or British Airways via LHR | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | 1.1× |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North America — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | 1.1× |
| Air China PhoenixMiles | Star Alliance metal (LH/SQ partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India→North America — Air China PhoenixMiles | ~45,000 est. | — | ₹40,500 | 1.1× |
| Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards | British Airways via LHR (oneworld partner award), India→North America — Alaska Atmos | 42,500 | — | ₹42,500 | 1.1× |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North America — Avianca LifeMiles | ~47,000 est. | — | ₹47,000 | 1.2× |
| Aegean Miles+Bonus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North America — Aegean Miles+Bonus | 50,000 | — | ₹50,000 | 1.3× |
| United MileagePlus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North America — United MileagePlus | ~60,000 est. | — | ₹60,000 | 1.6× |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Star Alliance metal (Air India/LH/SQ — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→North America — EVA Infinity MileageLands | 60,000 | — | ₹60,000 | 1.6× |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North America — TAP Miles&Go | 80,000 | — | ₹64,000 | 1.7× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (13,475 km) — via DEL, or Ethiopian Airlines via ADD, or Singapore Airlines via SIN, or Air India via DEL | ~75,000 est. | — | ₹75,000 | 2.0× |
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 | Qatar Airways Qsuite via DOH (oneworld partner award), or British Airways via LHR | 70,000 | — | ₹70,000 | the play |
| Air China PhoenixMiles | Star Alliance metal (LH/SQ partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India→North America — Air China PhoenixMiles | ~75,000 est. | — | ₹67,500 | 1.0× |
| Aegean Miles+Bonus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North America — Aegean Miles+Bonus | 75,000 | — | ₹75,000 | 1.1× |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North America — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) | 80,000 | — | ₹80,000 | 1.1× |
| Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards | British Airways via LHR (oneworld partner award), India→North America — Alaska Atmos | 85,000 | — | ₹85,000 | 1.2× |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North America — Avianca LifeMiles | ~90,000 est. | — | ₹90,000 | 1.3× |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Star Alliance metal (Air India/LH/SQ — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), India→North America — EVA Infinity MileageLands | 97,500 | — | ₹97,500 | 1.4× |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North America — TAP Miles&Go | 125,000 | — | ₹1,00,000 | 1.4× |
| Air India Maharaja Points | Air India mainline via DEL (Star Alliance), Value tier — MAA-DEL-JFK | ~130,000 est. | — | ₹1,04,000 | 1.5× |
| United MileagePlus | Star Alliance partner metal, India→North America — United MileagePlus | ~110,000 est. | — | ₹1,10,000 | 1.6× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (13,475 km) — via DEL, or Ethiopian Airlines via ADD, or Singapore Airlines via SIN, or Air India via DEL | ~110,000 est. | — | ₹1,10,000 | 1.6× |
| Cathay Asia Miles | Cathay Pacific via HKG (oneworld), Standard award | 119,000 | — | ₹1,19,000 | 1.7× |
| Emirates Skywards | Emirates via DXB (one stop) — Classic Rewards, calculator-priced | ~146,000 est. | — | ₹1,31,400 | 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 | Qatar Airways via DOH (oneworld partner award), or British Airways via LHR | 115,000 | — | ₹1,15,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (13,475 km) — via DEL, or Ethiopian Airlines via ADD, or Singapore Airlines via SIN, or Air India via DEL | ~165,000 est. | — | ₹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. Cathay Asia Miles and Emirates Skywards state that a carrier-imposed surcharge is charged on an award. Air India Maharaja Points, American Airlines AAdvantage, 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.
Cathay Pacific oneworld
MAA-HKG-JFK flies ~10,370 miles on Cathay metal both legs — the 7,501+ Standard band at 38,000 one-way, distance counted with the layover. A Pacific routing to New York, but 2,000 under Air India's nonstop-tier economy. SBI feeds Asia Miles 1:1.
Feed it: 76,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 38,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 198,000 RBL Reward Points (5.21:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air India Star Alliance
Air India's US economy Value floor is 40,000 points, priced on the all-mainline MAA-DEL-JFK routing (Delhi is essentially on the polar great circle — a 0.3% detour). ₹32,000 for ~17 hours when Value space exists.
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: 40,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 20,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 40,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
Qatar AirwaysBritish Airways oneworld
AA's partner chart, Contiguous 48 ⇄ Indian Subcontinent: 40,000 one-way on Qatar metal MAA-DOH-JFK — 120,000 Bonvoy at 3:1 (see /transfers/to/american-aadvantage). Matches Air India's economy floor with a Doha stop added.
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
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: 105,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.63:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 210,000 RBL Reward Points (5.25:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 70,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.75:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
LufthansaSingapore Airlines 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: 56,250 HSBC Reward Points (1.25:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 120,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.67:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 240,000 RBL Reward Points (5.33:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
British AirwaysQatar Airways oneworld
Alaska Atmos bands the TOTAL DISTANCE FLOWN, not the nonstop great circle: the cheapest Atmos routing is British Airways via LHR, ~8,559 flown miles against a 8,373-mile nonstop, which reads the Asia-Pacific chart's 7,001-10,000 mi band — 42,500 economy / 85,000 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: 112,500 Amex Membership Rewards (2.65:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 225,000 RBL Reward Points (5.29:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 75,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.76:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
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: 141,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 282,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 94,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)
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: 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)
Star Alliance
United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~60,000 is a typical Saver partner level to North America. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.
Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→North America 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: 30,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 150,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 120,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)
Air IndiaLufthansaSingapore Airlines 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: 60,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 400,000 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 1,500,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)
Star Alliance
TAP's 4 May 2026 devaluation lifted India→North America (its "Canada, USA, Mexico and the Caribbean" zone) from 70k/115k to 80k/125k one-way. That is ONE chart cell, and it holds only while the itinerary stays inside two TAP regions — an Asian gateway onto the transpacific hop. Any build that also crosses Europe spans a third region, and TAP then bills flight by flight and sums: 80k/125k plus 65k/120k = 145k/245k. Lufthansa-group metal carries the heaviest surcharges on Star.
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)
Air IndiaEthiopian AirlinesSingapore Airlines 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. Mirrored from jfk-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 75,000 is the jfk-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Estimate Reverse of jfk-maa — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the jfk-maa economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.
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 Airways oneworld
70,000 one-way in Qsuite via Doha — arguably the best business seat on the corridor, and cheaper than Air India's own 130,000. Qatar's partner saver space is the bottleneck, and Bonvoy 3:1 is the only Indian road in (see /transfers/to/american-aadvantage).
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)
LufthansaSingapore Airlines 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: 180,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.4:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 360,000 RBL Reward Points (4.8:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 93,750 HSBC Reward Points (1.25:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))
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: 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)
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: 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)
British AirwaysQatar Airways oneworld
Alaska Atmos bands the TOTAL DISTANCE FLOWN, not the nonstop great circle: the cheapest Atmos routing is British Airways via LHR, ~8,559 flown miles against a 8,373-mile nonstop, which reads the Asia-Pacific chart's 7,001-10,000 mi band — 42,500 economy / 85,000 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: 210,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.47:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 420,000 RBL Reward Points (4.94:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 140,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.65:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
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: 270,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 540,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 180,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1)
Air IndiaLufthansaSingapore Airlines 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: 97,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 650,000 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 2,437,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors)
Star Alliance
TAP's 4 May 2026 devaluation lifted India→North America (its "Canada, USA, Mexico and the Caribbean" zone) from 70k/115k to 80k/125k one-way. That is ONE chart cell, and it holds only while the itinerary stays inside two TAP regions — an Asian gateway onto the transpacific hop. Any build that also crosses Europe spans a third region, and TAP then bills flight by flight and sums: 80k/125k plus 65k/120k = 145k/245k. Lufthansa-group metal carries the heaviest surcharges on Star.
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)
Air India Star Alliance
US business at 130,000 (cut 28% in April 2026), the A350 up front via Delhi. Aeroplan can't touch this band from Chennai, so Maharaja is the Air-India-metal number; AA's Qsuite via Doha is far fewer miles for anyone who can reach it.
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: 130,000 IndusInd Reward Points (1:1) · 65,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 130,000 ICICI Reward Points (1:1)
Star Alliance
United went fully dynamic in 2020 (no fixed chart), so ~110,000 is a typical Saver partner level to North America. But Aeroplan often prices the same Star seat lower, so compare before burning United miles.
Estimate United MileagePlus Saver partner level, India→North America 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: 55,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 275,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 240,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.18:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)
Air IndiaEthiopian AirlinesSingapore Airlines 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. Mirrored from jfk-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 110,000 is the jfk-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Estimate Reverse of jfk-maa — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the jfk-maa business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.
Feed it: 55,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 110,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 275,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Cathay Pacific oneworld
119,000 Standard in the 7,501+ band for Cathay business both legs via Hong Kong — dearer than AA's 70,000 Qsuite and a longer, eastbound routing. For stranded SBI-fed Asia Miles balances only.
Feed it: 238,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 119,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 594,000 RBL Reward Points (4.99:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Emirates
MAA-DXB-JFK on Emirates prices off the Skywards calculator, +15% on premium since May-2026, no published number. Against a 70,000 Qsuite and a fixed Maharaja anchor, the quote has to be remarkable.
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: 292,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 720,000 RBL Reward Points (4.93:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 292,000 SBI Travel Credits (2:1)
Qatar AirwaysBritish Airways oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed. 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: 345,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 690,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 230,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Air IndiaEthiopian AirlinesSingapore Airlines 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. Mirrored from jfk-maa: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 165,000 is the jfk-maa number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Estimate Reverse of jfk-maa — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the jfk-maa first cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.
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? New York to Chennai on points (JFK–MAA). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into North America — 510 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.