Award flight · one-way
Melbourne → Johannesburg on points: 8 options across three programs our cards can reach, and Aeroplan is the one to read carefully. It bands on distance FLOWN, not the 6,412-mile great circle — the only Star routing is Singapore Airlines via SIN at ~9,130 miles, which lands in the 7,001+ Atlantic–Pacific band at 75,000 economy and 130,000 business, but well above what the map suggests. AAdvantage prices the oneworld routing off its region chart at 42,500/80,000 and Qantas flies the nonstop on its own distance table. All three are published charts, so THE PLAY here is a real number, not an 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 SYD | 42,500 | — | ₹42,500 | the play |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | Qantas own metal via PER (MEL–PER–JNB), Classic Flight Reward Zone 7 on 6,842 one-way miles | 43,200 | — | ₹43,200 | 1.0× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award — SQ via SIN, ~9,130 mi flown | 75,000 | — | ₹75,000 | 1.8× |
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 SYD | 80,000 | — | ₹80,000 | the play |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | Qantas own metal via PER (MEL–PER–JNB), Classic Flight Reward Zone 7 on 6,842 one-way miles | 113,900 | — | ₹1,13,900 | 1.4× |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award — SQ via SIN, ~9,130 mi flown | 130,000 | — | ₹1,30,000 | 1.6× |
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 SYD | 100,000 | — | ₹1,00,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award — SQ via SIN, ~9,130 mi flown | 150,000 | — | ₹1,50,000 | 1.5× |
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. 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. 1 other programme priced here publishes nothing the desk could read.
Qantas oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
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)
Qantas oneworld
There is no Qantas Melbourne–Johannesburg nonstop: Qantas flies South Africa from Perth and from Sydney. The routing decides the band. Via Perth the Trip sums 1,678 + 5,164 = 6,842 miles and stays Zone 7 at 43,200; via Sydney it sums 7,288 miles and would tip into Zone 8 (48,200). The Perth feed is the price shown. Classic Rewards are points + taxes, fees and carrier charges; Qantas publishes no surcharge table, so no numeric value is asserted here.
Feed it: 34,560 HSBC Reward Points (1:1.25 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 21,600 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 43,200 SBI Travel Credits (1:1)
Singapore Airlines Star Alliance
Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN, and the only Star routing here is Singapore Airlines via SIN — ~9,130 flown miles against the 6,412-mile great circle, landing in the 7,001+ mile Atlantic–Pacific band (75,000 economy), not the 60,000 the great-circle distance alone would suggest.
Feed it: 37,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 75,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 187,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Qantas oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 240,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 480,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 160,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Qantas oneworld
There is no Qantas Melbourne–Johannesburg nonstop: Qantas flies South Africa from Perth and from Sydney. The routing decides the band. Via Perth the Trip sums 1,678 + 5,164 = 6,842 miles and stays Zone 7 at 113,900; via Sydney it sums 7,288 miles and would tip into Zone 8 (130,100). The Perth feed is the price shown. Classic Rewards are points + taxes, fees and carrier charges; Qantas publishes no surcharge table, so no numeric value is asserted here.
Feed it: 91,120 HSBC Reward Points (1:1.25 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 56,950 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 113,900 SBI Travel Credits (1:1)
Singapore Airlines Star Alliance
Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN, and the only Star routing here is Singapore Airlines via SIN — ~9,130 flown miles against the 6,412-mile great circle, landing in the 7,001+ mile Atlantic–Pacific band (130,000 business), not the 92,500 the great-circle distance alone would suggest.
Feed it: 65,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 130,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 325,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Qantas oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 300,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 600,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 200,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Singapore Airlines Star Alliance
Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN, and the only Star routing here is Singapore Airlines via SIN — ~9,130 flown miles against the 6,412-mile great circle, landing in the 7,001+ mile Atlantic–Pacific band (150,000 First). SQ files First/Suites metal only on select A380 legs and SIN–JNB books business, so expect a mixed-cabin award priced between the business and First levels. — only a CA$39 partner booking fee plus taxes.
Feed it: 75,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 150,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 375,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Flying back? Johannesburg to Melbourne on points (JNB–MEL). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into Africa — 210 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.