Award flight · one-way
Melbourne → Shanghai on points: 11 options across the alliance backbones our cards can reach. Aeroplan books Star partner metal at a fixed 8,017 km distance band, AAdvantage prices the oneworld routing off its region chart, and Flying Blue covers SkyTeam dynamically. The verified charts crown THE PLAY; the dynamic row is shown as an honest 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan the play | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (8,017 km) | 30,000 | — | ₹30,000 | the play |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — China Airlines via TPE, or Garuda Indonesia via CGK, or Vietnam Airlines via SGN | ~30,000 est. | — | ₹30,000 | 1.0× |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Malaysia Airlines via KUL, or Japan Airlines via NRT | 30,000 | — | ₹30,000 | 1.0× |
| China Eastern Miles | China Eastern Airlines own metal from PVG, region award | 46,000 | — | ₹39,100 | 1.3× |
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 — or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Malaysia Airlines via KUL, or Japan Airlines via NRT | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (8,017 km) | 52,500 | — | ₹52,500 | 1.3× |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — China Airlines via TPE, or Garuda Indonesia via CGK, or Vietnam Airlines via SGN | ~60,000 est. | — | ₹60,000 | 1.5× |
| China Eastern Miles | China Eastern Airlines own metal from PVG, region award | 85,000 | — | ₹72,250 | 1.8× |
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 — or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Malaysia Airlines via KUL, or Japan Airlines via NRT | 50,000 | — | ₹50,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (8,017 km) | 60,000 | — | ₹60,000 | 1.2× |
| China Eastern Miles | China Eastern Airlines own metal from PVG, region award | 135,000 | — | ₹1,14,750 | 2.3× |
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. Air France-KLM Flying Blue states that a carrier-imposed surcharge is charged on an award. American Airlines AAdvantage and China Eastern Miles 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.
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.
Feed it: 15,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 30,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 75,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
China AirlinesGaruda IndonesiaVietnam Airlines SkyTeam
Flying Blue prices dynamically — no fixed chart. Air France/KLM pass carrier (YQ) surcharges on own metal — typically €90–110 economy / €200–300 business one-way long-haul; intra-region SkyTeam ~€15–40. Typical one-way economy runs 20k–40k; award space and travel date drive the real number.
Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is the typical one-way level for this region-pair (range 20k–40k); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Feed it: 30,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 15,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 30,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
Cathay PacificMalaysia AirlinesJapan Airlines oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
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)
China Eastern SkyTeam
China Eastern Airlines own-metal Melbourne→Shanghai. Eastern Miles awards on China Eastern metal are generally taxes-and-fees only — MU does not add a carrier-imposed fuel surcharge (YQ) to its own award tickets, which is what makes the long-haul cells usable rather than theoretical. A valid China Eastern Airlines routing is assumed.
Feed it: 306,667 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 1,150,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors) · 230,000 Axis EDGE Miles (5:1 via Hilton Honors)
Cathay PacificMalaysia AirlinesJapan Airlines oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
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. 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.
Feed it: 26,250 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 52,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 131,250 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
China AirlinesGaruda IndonesiaVietnam Airlines SkyTeam
Flying Blue prices dynamically — no fixed chart. Air France/KLM pass carrier (YQ) surcharges on own metal — typically €90–110 economy / €200–300 business one-way long-haul; intra-region SkyTeam ~€15–40. Typical one-way business runs 35.5k–90k; award space and travel date drive the real number.
Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is the typical one-way level for this region-pair (range 35.5k–90k); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Feed it: 60,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 30,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 60,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
China Eastern SkyTeam
China Eastern Airlines own-metal Melbourne→Shanghai. Eastern Miles awards on China Eastern metal are generally taxes-and-fees only — MU does not add a carrier-imposed fuel surcharge (YQ) to its own award tickets, which is what makes the long-haul cells usable rather than theoretical. A valid China Eastern Airlines routing is assumed.
Feed it: 566,667 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 2,125,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors) · 425,000 Axis EDGE Miles (5:1 via Hilton Honors)
Cathay PacificMalaysia AirlinesJapan Airlines oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 150,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 300,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 100,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
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.
Feed it: 30,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 60,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 150,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
China Eastern SkyTeam
China Eastern Airlines own-metal Melbourne→Shanghai. Eastern Miles awards on China Eastern metal are generally taxes-and-fees only — MU does not add a carrier-imposed fuel surcharge (YQ) to its own award tickets, which is what makes the long-haul cells usable rather than theoretical. A valid China Eastern Airlines routing is assumed.
Feed it: 900,000 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 3,375,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors) · 675,000 Axis EDGE Miles (5:1 via Hilton Honors)
Flying back? Shanghai to Melbourne on points (PVG–MEL). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into East Asia — 273 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.