Award flight · one-way

Chicago to Chennai on points

40,000 pts cheapest economy · American Airlines AAdvantage ORD → MAA great-circle 13,782 km · 8,564 mi 10 programs priced as of

Chicago → Chennai on points: 22 options, the same board the maa-ord direction carries. The cheapest verified business seat on the board is 70,000 via American Airlines AAdvantage, and economy starts at 40,000. 10 of them are mirrored from maa-ord — the desk priced that direction and has not separately derived this one — so they render as honest estimates, and an estimate never wears the crown here.

read the full take fold the take back up

Economy

The play · economy

American Airlines AAdvantage

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — via LHR, or Qatar via DOH, or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR

40,000 pts
surcharge not published
₹40,000 all-in at house ₹

Which card mints this?

+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →

Program Metal / routing Points Surcharge All-in ₹ vs play
American Airlines AAdvantage the play oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — via LHR, or Qatar via DOH, or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR 40,000 — ₹40,000 the play
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) — via DEL 40,000 — ₹40,000 1.0×
Air China PhoenixMiles Star Alliance metal (LH partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), North America→India — Air China PhoenixMiles ~45,000 est. — ₹40,500 1.0×
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards British Airways via LHR (oneworld partner award), North America→India — Alaska Atmos ~42,500 est. — ₹42,500 1.1×
Avianca LifeMiles Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — Avianca LifeMiles — via DEL ~47,000 est. — ₹47,000 1.2×
Aegean Miles+Bonus Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — Aegean Miles+Bonus — via DEL 50,000 — ₹50,000 1.3×
United MileagePlus Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — United MileagePlus — via DEL ~60,000 est. — ₹60,000 1.5×
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Star Alliance metal (LH — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), North America→India — EVA Infinity MileageLands — via DEL 60,000 — ₹60,000 1.5×
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — TAP Miles&Go — via DEL ~80,000 est. — ₹64,000 1.6×
Air Canada Aeroplan Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (13,782 km) — Ethiopian Airlines via ADD 75,000 — ₹75,000 1.9×

Business

The play · business

American Airlines AAdvantage

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — via LHR, or Qatar via DOH, or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR

70,000 pts
surcharge not published
₹70,000 all-in at house ₹

Which card mints this?

+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →

Program Metal / routing Points Surcharge All-in ₹ vs play
American Airlines AAdvantage the play oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — via LHR, or Qatar via DOH, or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR 70,000 — ₹70,000 the play
Air China PhoenixMiles Star Alliance metal (LH partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), North America→India — Air China PhoenixMiles ~75,000 est. — ₹67,500 1.0×
Aegean Miles+Bonus Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — Aegean Miles+Bonus — via DEL 75,000 — ₹75,000 1.1×
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) — via DEL 80,000 — ₹80,000 1.1×
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards British Airways via LHR (oneworld partner award), North America→India — Alaska Atmos ~85,000 est. — ₹85,000 1.2×
Avianca LifeMiles Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — Avianca LifeMiles — via DEL ~90,000 est. — ₹90,000 1.3×
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Star Alliance metal (LH — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), North America→India — EVA Infinity MileageLands — via DEL 97,500 — ₹97,500 1.4×
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — TAP Miles&Go — via DEL ~125,000 est. — ₹1,00,000 1.4×
Air Canada Aeroplan Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (13,782 km) — Ethiopian Airlines via ADD 110,000 — ₹1,10,000 1.6×
United MileagePlus Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — United MileagePlus — via DEL ~110,000 est. — ₹1,10,000 1.6×

First

The play · first

American Airlines AAdvantage

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — via LHR, or Qatar via DOH, or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR

115,000 pts
surcharge not published
₹1,15,000 all-in at house ₹

Which card mints this?

+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →

Program Metal / routing Points Surcharge All-in ₹ vs play
American Airlines AAdvantage the play oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — via LHR, or Qatar via DOH, or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR 115,000 — ₹1,15,000 the play
Air Canada Aeroplan Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (13,782 km) — Ethiopian Airlines via ADD 165,000 — ₹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. 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.

Row by row

22 options · 10 sourced charts
Economy

American Airlines AAdvantage

the play 40,000 pts

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — via LHR, or Qatar via DOH, or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR

Qatar AirwaysBritish AirwaysCathay Pacific 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)

as of aa.com
Economy

Copa Airlines ConnectMiles

40,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) — via DEL

Air India 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. Copa's partner chart is a strictly upper-triangular region matrix — one cell per unordered region pair, no direction axis at all — so 40,000 is the same published cell as maa-ord, re-read off the official Copa PDF on 2026-08-06 rather than inferred.

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)

as of copaair.com
Economy

Air China PhoenixMiles

~45,000 pts est.

Star Alliance metal (LH partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), North America→India — Air China PhoenixMiles

Lufthansa 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). Mirrored from maa-ord: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 45,000 is the maa-ord number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-ord — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the maa-ord economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. 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)

as of ffp.airchina.com.cn
Economy

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards

~42,500 pts est.

British Airways via LHR (oneworld partner award), North America→India — Alaska Atmos

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, ~9,059 flown miles against a 8,564-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. Mirrored from maa-ord: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 42,500 is the maa-ord number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-ord — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the maa-ord economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

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)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Economy

Avianca LifeMiles

~47,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — Avianca LifeMiles — via DEL

Air India 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. Mirrored from maa-ord: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 47,000 is the maa-ord number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-ord — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the maa-ord economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. 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)

as of awardtravelfinder.com
Economy

Aegean Miles+Bonus

50,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — Aegean Miles+Bonus — via DEL

Air India 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. That chart is a single upper-triangular ZONE-PAIR matrix — 45 published cells for 9 zones, exactly one per unordered pair — so ORD → MAA and MAA → ORD resolve to the same cell. Re-read against the chart and promoted from mirror-estimate to chart read on 2026-08-06. 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)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Economy

United MileagePlus

~60,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — United MileagePlus — via DEL

Air India 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. Mirrored from maa-ord: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 60,000 is the maa-ord number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-ord — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the maa-ord economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. 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)

as of awardwallet.com
Economy

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands

60,000 pts

Star Alliance metal (LH — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), North America→India — EVA Infinity MileageLands — via DEL

Lufthansa 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). EVA's own Star Alliance requirement table is a triangular ORIGIN/DESTINATION REGIONAL ZONES matrix carrying one cell per region pair, so no second number exists for this heading.

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)

as of evaair.com
Economy

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go

~80,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — TAP Miles&Go — via DEL

Air India 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. Mirrored from maa-ord: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 80,000 is the maa-ord number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-ord — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the maa-ord economy cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

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)

Economy

Air Canada Aeroplan

75,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (13,782 km) — Ethiopian Airlines via ADD

Ethiopian 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.

Feed it: 37,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 75,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 187,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

as of aircanada.com
Business

American Airlines AAdvantage

the play 70,000 pts

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — via LHR, or Qatar via DOH, or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR

Qatar AirwaysBritish AirwaysCathay Pacific oneworld

AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.

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)

as of aa.com
Business

Air China PhoenixMiles

~75,000 pts est.

Star Alliance metal (LH partner metal — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), North America→India — Air China PhoenixMiles

Lufthansa 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). Mirrored from maa-ord: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 75,000 is the maa-ord number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-ord — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the maa-ord business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. 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))

as of ffp.airchina.com.cn
Business

Aegean Miles+Bonus

75,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — Aegean Miles+Bonus — via DEL

Air India 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. That chart is a single upper-triangular ZONE-PAIR matrix — 45 published cells for 9 zones, exactly one per unordered pair — so ORD → MAA and MAA → ORD resolve to the same cell. Re-read against the chart and promoted from mirror-estimate to chart read on 2026-08-06. 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)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Business

Copa Airlines ConnectMiles

80,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart) — via DEL

Air India 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. Copa's partner chart is a strictly upper-triangular region matrix — one cell per unordered region pair, no direction axis at all — so 80,000 is the same published cell as maa-ord, re-read off the official Copa PDF on 2026-08-06 rather than inferred.

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)

as of copaair.com
Business

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards

~85,000 pts est.

British Airways via LHR (oneworld partner award), North America→India — Alaska Atmos

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, ~9,059 flown miles against a 8,564-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. Mirrored from maa-ord: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 85,000 is the maa-ord number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-ord — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the maa-ord business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

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)

as of upgradedpoints.com
Business

Avianca LifeMiles

~90,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — Avianca LifeMiles — via DEL

Air India 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. Mirrored from maa-ord: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 90,000 is the maa-ord number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-ord — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the maa-ord business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. 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)

as of awardtravelfinder.com
Business

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands

97,500 pts

Star Alliance metal (LH — EVA itself serves no Indian city; the award rides partner metal), North America→India — EVA Infinity MileageLands — via DEL

Lufthansa 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). EVA's own Star Alliance requirement table is a triangular ORIGIN/DESTINATION REGIONAL ZONES matrix carrying one cell per region pair, so no second number exists for this heading.

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)

as of evaair.com
Business

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go

~125,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — TAP Miles&Go — via DEL

Air India 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. Mirrored from maa-ord: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 125,000 is the maa-ord number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-ord — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the maa-ord business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction.

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)

Business

Air Canada Aeroplan

110,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (13,782 km) — Ethiopian Airlines via ADD

Ethiopian 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.

Feed it: 55,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 110,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 275,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

as of aircanada.com
Business

United MileagePlus

~110,000 pts est.

Star Alliance partner metal, North America→India — United MileagePlus — via DEL

Air India 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. Mirrored from maa-ord: the chart cell is the same in either direction, so 110,000 is the maa-ord number read back the other way — an estimate until this direction is re-read, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Estimate Reverse of maa-ord — the chart prices the zone pair, not the direction of travel, so this mirrors the maa-ord business cell one-for-one; the desk has not separately re-read the chart for this direction. 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)

as of awardwallet.com
First

American Airlines AAdvantage

the play 115,000 pts

oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — via LHR, or Qatar via DOH, or Cathay Pacific via HKG, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or British Airways via LHR

Qatar AirwaysBritish AirwaysCathay Pacific oneworld

AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.

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)

as of aa.com
First

Air Canada Aeroplan

165,000 pts

Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (13,782 km) — Ethiopian Airlines via ADD

Ethiopian 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.

Feed it: 82,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 165,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 412,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

as of aircanada.com

More corridors

39 from ORD · 40 to MAA

Flying back? Chennai to Chicago on points (MAA–ORD). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into South Asia — 380 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.