Award route card · one-way
No nonstop to Saigon, but Singapore Airlines threads it via Changi at a clean 20,000 KrisFlyer Saver, both legs SQ metal — Vietnam is Zone 2 and the cell is unpenalised. Aeroplan routes Thai via Bangkok for 47,500 business; Avios sums Malaysia via KL for 22,500. No Air India metal, so no Maharaja. The KrisFlyer one-stop is the buy.
The play · business
Feed it: 1,20,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 2,40,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage | Malaysia business via KUL (oneworld partner award) | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | the play |
| Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair) | Malaysia business via KUL (oneworld) — Avios partner chart, per-segment | 43,000 | — | ₹43,000 | 1.1× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Thai Airways via BKK (Star Alliance partner award) | 47,500 | — | ₹47,500 | 1.2× |
The play · economy
Feed it: 20,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 10,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 40,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1)
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Singapore Airlines via SIN (one stop), Saver | 20,000 | — | ₹22,000 | the play |
| Avios (BA / Qatar / Finnair) | Malaysia via KUL (oneworld) — Avios partner chart, per-segment | 22,500 | — | ₹22,500 | 1.0× |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | Malaysia via KUL (oneworld partner award) | 25,000 | — | ₹25,000 | 1.1× |
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. “Dynamic” rows never compete for the play. Feed-ins come from the same transfer data as the optimizer, multi-hop chains included.
40,000 AA miles business via Kuala Lumpur — 120,000 Bonvoy at 3:1 (see /transfers/to/american-aadvantage). Above the 43,000 Avios sum on the same routing; completeness for the oneworld board.
Feed it: 1,20,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 2,40,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
MAA-KUL (Z3, 24,500 J) + KUL-SGN (Z2, 18,500 J) = 43,000 Avios in Malaysia business via Kuala Lumpur. Two stops to Saigon; a completeness row, not the corridor's buy.
Feed it: 43,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 86,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 43,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
The natural Star routing is Thai via Bangkok — MAA-BKK-SGN is ~1,829 flown miles, inside the 0-2,500-mile Atlantic-Pacific band at 47,500 business, surcharge-free. Chain-funded HDFC 2:1 / Bonvoy 3:1.
Feed it: 23,750 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 47,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 1,18,750 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Vietnam is Zone 2, and the Zone 6 → Zone 2 cell is clean — SQ prices MAA-SIN-SGN at a fixed 20,000 Saver on its own metal both legs. A tidy one-stop to Ho Chi Minh City fed 1:1 by four Indian issuers.
Feed it: 20,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 10,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 40,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1)
MAA-KUL (1,633 mi, Z3, 12,500) + KUL-SGN (653 mi, Z2, 10,000) = 22,500 Avios on Malaysia metal — the priceable oneworld routing (Thai via BKK is Star, not oneworld). KrisFlyer's 20,000 via Singapore is cheaper.
Feed it: 22,500 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 45,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 22,500 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
25,000 AA miles Indian Subcontinent → Asia Region 2 (Vietnam), routed on Malaysia via KUL — 75,000 Bonvoy at 3:1 (see /transfers/to/american-aadvantage). The fixed region price above the Avios sum.
Feed it: 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 1,50,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 25,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)