San Francisco to Delhi on points

ANA via Tokyo (Star Alliance) — one-way, regular season

All Nippon Airways Star Alliance

ANA's own-metal chart prices Asia 2 (Zone 4) ⇄ North America (Zone 6) at 32,500 miles one-way in regular season — 27,500 low, 46,000 high — and ANA has sold one-ways since 24-Jun-2025, so this is a legal single direction with no return commitment. The chart cell is written "to/from", so it is identical in both directions. Business on ANA's own metal is 71,500 one-way, dearer than the 68,000 partner cell, so this board's business row rides a Star partner instead. Fuel surcharges apply and Marriott Bonvoy 3:1 is the only Indian road in.

Feed it: 82,500 Amex Membership Rewards (2.54:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 165,000 RBL Reward Points (5.08:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 55,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.69:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

Air India own metal from DEL, region award — nonstop

Air India Star Alliance

Air India own-metal San Francisco→Delhi. Air India publishes no no-surcharge promise: the Maharaja Club terms say members “shall pay applicable taxes and surcharges” on Air India, Air India Express and Star Alliance flights alike, and the FAQ this desk once cited for the opposite does not contain the sentence it was credited with. What own-metal awards have cost in practice is statutory taxes plus airport/user development fees: small on India–Gulf/SE Asia, moderate on Europe/North America, and materially higher on anything touching London Heathrow because of UK APD. Star Alliance partner awards booked with Maharaja Points are a different animal and can carry partner surcharges. A valid Air India routing is assumed.

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)

Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong (oneworld), Standard award

Cathay Pacific oneworld

SFO–HKG–DEL flies 9,242 miles — the 7,501+ band, 38,000 Standard one-way with layovers counted. Two thousand under Air India's 40,000 for a Pacific detour; a real alternative when Value space dries up. Reconstructed post-May-2026 chart, capped Standard space, SBI 1:1 feed.

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)

SkyTeam partner metal (AF/KLM/KE/VN), India→North America — Air Europa SUMA

Air FranceKLMKorean AirVietnam Airlines SkyTeam

Air Europa SUMA prices SkyTeam partner metal off a five-band ONE-WAY distance chart: 0–600 mi 6k/12k · 601–1,250 12k/24k · 1,251–1,750 15k/30k · 1,751–3,500 32k/64k · over 3,500 48k/95k (economy/business). This corridor reads the over-3,500 mi band. The 2020 chart that made India→Europe a 51k business steal is gone — the short Gulf hops are where SUMA is now cheap. Partner awards are SUMA call-centre only, paid entirely in Miles, and non-refundable.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — Air Europa SUMA's chart prices the zone pair, not the direction. The del-sfo row is a verified chart read at this price; this direction is mirrored from it, not separately re-read, so it is flagged an estimate and never crowned THE PLAY.

Feed it: 48,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 96,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 240,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))

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

Qatar AirwaysJapan AirlinesCathay PacificAmerican AirlinesBritish Airways 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 partner metal, India→North America — Copa ConnectMiles (fixed region chart)

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)

Star Alliance metal (CA own via PEK + LH/SQ — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India→North America — Air China PhoenixMiles

Air ChinaLufthansaSingapore 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 Reverse of del-sfo — Air China PhoenixMiles prices the zone pair, not the direction, so the del-sfo row is mirrored here rather than re-read. That row is itself an 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)

Korean Air via ICN (oneworld partner award), India→North America — Alaska Atmos

Korean AirJapan AirlinesCathay PacificBritish AirwaysQatar Airways

Alaska Atmos bands the TOTAL DISTANCE FLOWN, not the nonstop great circle: the cheapest Atmos routing is Korean Air via ICN, ~8,537 flown miles against a 7,694-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)

SkyTeam metal (MU own + AF/KLM/KE/VN), India→North America — China Eastern Eastern Miles

Air FranceKLMKorean AirVietnam AirlinesChina Eastern SkyTeam

China Eastern prices its own metal (India→Shanghai/Kunming nonstop) plus SkyTeam partners. North Asia is its genuine ex-India strength; other regions estimate off the nearest published China-anchored band (Eastern Miles publishes no India-origin matrix). All one-way.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — China Eastern Miles prices the zone pair, not the direction, so the del-sfo row is mirrored here rather than re-read. That row is itself an estimate: Eastern Miles publishes no India-origin award matrix — this level estimates off the nearest published China-anchored band, as the row note states, not a verified chart price.

Feed it: 366,667 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 1,375,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors) · 275,000 Axis EDGE Miles (5:1 via Hilton Honors)

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

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 Reverse of del-sfo — Avianca LifeMiles prices the zone pair, not the direction, so the del-sfo row is mirrored here rather than re-read. That row is itself an 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)

Korean Air via Incheon (SkyTeam) — published Americas⇄Southwest Asia chart, off-peak

Korean Air SkyTeam

47,500 one-way off-peak (70,000 peak) on Korean's published through-chart, Delhi–Incheon–SFO on KE metal, one-ways at half round-trip. A fine fixed price ruined by the funding: Accor 2:1 or IHG 5:1 are India's only ways in. For balances that already exist, not ones worth building.

Feed it: 95,000 HSBC Reward Points (2:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 190,000 HDFC Reward Points (4:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 475,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (10:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))

SkyTeam metal (AF/KLM/KE), India→North America — SAS EuroBonus

Air FranceKLMKorean Air SkyTeam

SAS joined SkyTeam on 1-Sept-2024, so EuroBonus now prices SkyTeam metal. Ex-India sweet spot: intra-"CESA" business to North Asia/Japan at ~30k. Watch the ×2 multiplier on Air Europa/China Airlines/Vietnam Airlines (UX/CI/VN) metal. One-way = 60% of round-trip.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — SAS EuroBonus's chart prices the zone pair, not the direction. The del-sfo row is a verified chart read at this price; this direction is mirrored from it, not separately re-read, so it is flagged an estimate and never crowned THE PLAY.

Feed it: 378,000 HDFC Reward Points (7:1 via Radisson Rewards) · 378,000 SBI Travel Credits (7:1 via Radisson Rewards) · 945,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (17.5:1 via Radisson Rewards)

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

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 SFO → DEL and DEL → SFO 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)

Japan Airlines via Tokyo (oneworld) — JMB partner distance chart

Japan Airlines oneworld

Delhi–Tokyo–San Francisco totals ~8,830 miles — the 8,001–10,000 partner band, 47,000 one-way (JAL's own sector charts sum to 44,500). Direct-fed via HSBC 1:1 / Axis 1:2 / SBI 2:1, which no cheaper row on this corridor can say — but it's still 7,000 over the Air India nonstop with a Tokyo connection added.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — Japan Airlines Mileage Bank's chart prices the zone pair, not the direction. The del-sfo row is a verified chart read at this price; this direction is mirrored from it, not separately re-read, so it is flagged an estimate and never crowned THE PLAY.

Feed it: 23,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 47,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 117,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

Air France / KLM / SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — via ICN, or China Eastern via PVG, or Vietnam Airlines via SGN, or Virgin Atlantic via LHR

Air FranceKLMKorean AirChina EasternVietnam AirlinesVirgin Atlantic 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 45k–75k; award space and travel date drive the real number.

Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is the typical one-way level for this region-pair (range 45k–75k); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Feed it: 55,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 27,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 55,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)

Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (12,382 km) — nonstop

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)

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

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 Reverse of del-sfo — United MileagePlus prices the zone pair, not the direction, so the del-sfo row is mirrored here rather than re-read. That row is itself an 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)

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

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)

Singapore Airlines via SIN (Saver) — incl. the SIN–SFO ultra-long-haul nonstop

Singapore Airlines Star Alliance

Official Zone 6 ⇄ Zone 12 (USA West Coast) Saver on the 1-Nov-2025 chart — 55,000, against Air India's 40,000 nonstop. Beware the community chart pages quoting 44,000: that's the ex-Singapore table, not India's. Four Indian issuers feed KrisFlyer; the price is still the reason not to.

Feed it: 55,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 27,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 110,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1)

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

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.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go's chart prices the zone pair, not the direction. The del-sfo row is a verified chart read at this price; this direction is mirrored from it, not separately re-read, so it is flagged an estimate and never crowned THE PLAY.

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)

Korean Air via ICN (SFO–ICN–DEL) — Vietnam LotusMiles

Korean Air SkyTeam

LotusMiles deducts miles PER FLIGHT SEGMENT on its SkyTeam partner table (official chart, effective 1-Aug-2025), and no SkyTeam carrier flies SFO–DEL nonstop — so the price is a SUM, not one cell. Cheapest verified SkyTeam build is Korean Air SFO–ICN–DEL — per-segment: DEL–ICN 30,000 (SW Asia × NE Asia 2) + ICN–SFO 45,000 (NE Asia 2 × North America) = 75,000. India is SW Asia on that table; LotusMiles' own SGN/HAN metal runs off a separate chart (25k/60k one-way). One-way.

Feed it: 75,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 75,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 75,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1)

SkyTeam partner metal (AF/KLM/KE/VN/MU), India→North America — Delta SkyMiles (dynamic)

Air FranceKLMKorean AirVietnam AirlinesChina Eastern SkyTeam

Delta has had no award chart since 2015 — fully dynamic, so ~75,000 is a representative saver-ish partner level to North America; peak dates and 2026 partner hikes can swing business 1.5–3×. Kenya Airways (NBO) and Korean (ICN) are the strongest ex-India SkyTeam value.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — Delta SkyMiles prices the zone pair, not the direction, so the del-sfo row is mirrored here rather than re-read. That row is itself an estimate: Delta SkyMiles is fully dynamic (no chart since 2015); ~75,000/230,000 is a representative SkyTeam partner saver level India→North America on AF/KLM/KE/VN/MU metal — peak dates and the 2026 partner hikes swing business 1.5–3×.

Feed it: 225,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 450,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 150,000 HSBC Reward Points (2:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))

Star-partner award on the Air India nonstop (Star Alliance) — one-way

Air India Star Alliance

ANA's partner chart prices the whole Zone 4 ⇄ Zone 6 pair — India to anywhere in North America, Canada and Mexico included — at 40,000 one-way in economy and 68,000 in business (80,000 / 136,000 round-trip), season-blind and distance-blind, with the one-way cell published since 24-Jun-2025. It wants a single Star partner end to end (Air India here); ANA's own metal via Tokyo is dearer in business at 71,500. The cell is written "to/from" — the same number in both directions. Fuel surcharges apply and Marriott Bonvoy 3:1 is the only Indian road in; miles expire in 36 months.

Feed it: 174,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.56:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 348,000 RBL Reward Points (5.12:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 116,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.71:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

Star Alliance metal (CA own via PEK + LH/SQ — CA itself flies only Delhi from India), India→North America — Air China PhoenixMiles

Air ChinaLufthansaSingapore 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 Reverse of del-sfo — Air China PhoenixMiles prices the zone pair, not the direction, so the del-sfo row is mirrored here rather than re-read. That row is itself an 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))

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

Qatar AirwaysJapan AirlinesCathay PacificAmerican AirlinesBritish Airways 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)

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

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 SFO → DEL and DEL → SFO 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)

SkyTeam partner metal (AF/KLM/KE/VN), India→North America — Air Europa SUMA

Air FranceKLMKorean AirVietnam Airlines SkyTeam

Air Europa SUMA prices SkyTeam partner metal off a five-band ONE-WAY distance chart: 0–600 mi 6k/12k · 601–1,250 12k/24k · 1,251–1,750 15k/30k · 1,751–3,500 32k/64k · over 3,500 48k/95k (economy/business). This corridor reads the over-3,500 mi band. The 2020 chart that made India→Europe a 51k business steal is gone — the short Gulf hops are where SUMA is now cheap. Partner awards are SUMA call-centre only, paid entirely in Miles, and non-refundable.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — Air Europa SUMA's chart prices the zone pair, not the direction. The del-sfo row is a verified chart read at this price; this direction is mirrored from it, not separately re-read, so it is flagged an estimate and never crowned THE PLAY.

Feed it: 95,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 190,000 HDFC Reward Points (2:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 475,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))

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

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)

Korean Air via ICN (oneworld partner award), India→North America — Alaska Atmos

Korean AirJapan AirlinesCathay PacificBritish AirwaysQatar Airways

Alaska Atmos bands the TOTAL DISTANCE FLOWN, not the nonstop great circle: the cheapest Atmos routing is Korean Air via ICN, ~8,537 flown miles against a 7,694-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)

Korean Air via Incheon (SkyTeam) — published Americas⇄Southwest Asia chart, off-peak

Korean Air SkyTeam

85,000 off-peak one-way (127,500 peak) in Prestige — between AA's 70,000 and Aeroplan's 90,000, on the only SkyTeam metal with a published India–US price. The Accor-only feed keeps it theoretical for Indian wallets; 10-year mile validity keeps it on the board.

Feed it: 170,000 HSBC Reward Points (2:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 340,000 HDFC Reward Points (4:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL)) · 850,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (10:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))

SkyTeam metal (MU own + AF/KLM/KE/VN), India→North America — China Eastern Eastern Miles

Air FranceKLMKorean AirVietnam AirlinesChina Eastern SkyTeam

China Eastern prices its own metal (India→Shanghai/Kunming nonstop) plus SkyTeam partners. North Asia is its genuine ex-India strength; other regions estimate off the nearest published China-anchored band (Eastern Miles publishes no India-origin matrix). All one-way.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — China Eastern Miles prices the zone pair, not the direction, so the del-sfo row is mirrored here rather than re-read. That row is itself an estimate: Eastern Miles publishes no India-origin award matrix — this level estimates off the nearest published China-anchored band, as the row note states, not a verified chart price.

Feed it: 666,667 Amex Membership Rewards (6.67:1 via Hilton Honors) · 2,500,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (25:1 via Hilton Honors) · 500,000 Axis EDGE Miles (5:1 via Hilton Honors)

Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (12,382 km) — nonstop

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: 45,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 90,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 225,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

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

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 Reverse of del-sfo — Avianca LifeMiles prices the zone pair, not the direction, so the del-sfo row is mirrored here rather than re-read. That row is itself an 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)

Japan Airlines via Tokyo (oneworld) — JMB partner distance chart

Japan Airlines oneworld

85,000 in the 8,001–10,000-mile band (sector math: 40,000 + 55,000 = 95,000 — the band is the better story) for JL business both legs. Five thousand under Aeroplan with a direct bank feed, 15,000 over AA's Qsuite without the Bonvoy gymnastics — the honest middle of this corridor's business board.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — Japan Airlines Mileage Bank's chart prices the zone pair, not the direction. The del-sfo row is a verified chart read at this price; this direction is mirrored from it, not separately re-read, so it is flagged an estimate and never crowned THE PLAY.

Feed it: 42,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 85,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 212,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)

Air France / KLM / SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — via ICN, or China Eastern via PVG, or Vietnam Airlines via SGN, or Virgin Atlantic via LHR

Air FranceKLMKorean AirChina EasternVietnam AirlinesVirgin Atlantic 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. India–US business saver seats price at 95,000 miles one-way (Jul-2026 datapoint); popular dates run 120k–175k or more.

Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is the saver-level one-way for the India–North America pair (saver 95k; popular dates run 120k–175k+); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.

Feed it: 95,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 47,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 95,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)

SkyTeam metal (AF/KLM/KE), India→North America — SAS EuroBonus

Air FranceKLMKorean Air SkyTeam

SAS joined SkyTeam on 1-Sept-2024, so EuroBonus now prices SkyTeam metal. Ex-India sweet spot: intra-"CESA" business to North Asia/Japan at ~30k. Watch the ×2 multiplier on Air Europa/China Airlines/Vietnam Airlines (UX/CI/VN) metal. One-way = 60% of round-trip.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — SAS EuroBonus's chart prices the zone pair, not the direction. The del-sfo row is a verified chart read at this price; this direction is mirrored from it, not separately re-read, so it is flagged an estimate and never crowned THE PLAY.

Feed it: 756,000 HDFC Reward Points (7:1 via Radisson Rewards) · 756,000 SBI Travel Credits (7:1 via Radisson Rewards) · 1,890,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (17.5:1 via Radisson Rewards)

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

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 partner metal, India→North America — TAP Miles&Go

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.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go's chart prices the zone pair, not the direction. The del-sfo row is a verified chart read at this price; this direction is mirrored from it, not separately re-read, so it is flagged an estimate and never crowned THE PLAY.

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 own metal from DEL, region award — nonstop

Air India Star Alliance

Air India own-metal San Francisco→Delhi. Air India publishes no no-surcharge promise: the Maharaja Club terms say members “shall pay applicable taxes and surcharges” on Air India, Air India Express and Star Alliance flights alike, and the FAQ this desk once cited for the opposite does not contain the sentence it was credited with. What own-metal awards have cost in practice is statutory taxes plus airport/user development fees: small on India–Gulf/SE Asia, moderate on Europe/North America, and materially higher on anything touching London Heathrow because of UK APD. Star Alliance partner awards booked with Maharaja Points are a different animal and can carry partner surcharges. A valid Air India routing is assumed.

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 partner metal, India→North America — United MileagePlus

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 Reverse of del-sfo — United MileagePlus prices the zone pair, not the direction, so the del-sfo row is mirrored here rather than re-read. That row is itself an 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)

Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong (oneworld), Standard award

Cathay Pacific oneworld

119,000 Standard in the 7,501+ band — CX business to the West Coast at a 49,000 premium over Aeroplan's nonstop 90,000 and 1.7× AA's Qsuite. Exists because SBI feeds Asia Miles 1:1 and Standard space sometimes opens when Star space won't.

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 via Dubai — Classic Rewards, calculator-priced

Emirates

Skywards prices Delhi–Dubai–San Francisco off a calculator, not a chart, and the May-2026 devaluation lifted premium cabins ~15%. No published number to print — price it, then compare against the 70k/90k fixed anchors above before burning.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — Emirates Skywards prices the zone pair, not the direction, so the del-sfo row is mirrored here rather than re-read. That row is itself an 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: 290,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1) · 720,000 RBL Reward Points (4.97:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 290,000 SBI Travel Credits (2:1)

Virgin Atlantic via LHR (both legs VS metal) — dynamic since Oct 2024

Virgin Atlantic SkyTeam

SFO–LHR–DEL on Virgin metal both legs, chartless since October 2024: the India leg starts around 75,000 points in Upper on quiet dates, the eleven-hour LHR–SFO leg prices separately on top, and UK APD plus carrier charges land twice. Amex MR 2:1 is the only feed. Completeness demands the row; arithmetic retires it.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — Virgin Atlantic Flying Club prices the zone pair, not the direction, so the del-sfo row is mirrored here rather than re-read. That row is itself an estimate: Virgin Atlantic is dynamic since Oct-2024 (no chart); India-LHR Upper practical off-peak 65-75k for ~7,694 mi, beyond-LHR a summed through-award. Heavy ex-UK carrier surcharges; Amex MR 2:1 is the only Indian feed.

Feed it: 168,750 Amex Membership Rewards (5:4) · 660,000 RBL Reward Points (4.89:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 220,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (1.63:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)

Singapore Airlines via SIN (Saver) — incl. the SIN–SFO ultra-long-haul nonstop

Singapore Airlines Star Alliance

133,000 Saver, Zone 6 ⇄ USA West Coast, official 1-Nov-2025 chart — SQ business the whole way including the 8,400-mile SIN–SFO leg. Nearly double AA's 70,000 Qsuite and 43,000 over Aeroplan. The easiest big balance to build in India, spent at the corridor's worst fixed rate.

Feed it: 133,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 66,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 266,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2:1)

KLM via AMS (SFO–AMS–DEL) — Vietnam LotusMiles

KLM SkyTeam

LotusMiles deducts miles PER FLIGHT SEGMENT on its SkyTeam partner table (official chart, effective 1-Aug-2025), and no SkyTeam carrier flies SFO–DEL nonstop — so the price is a SUM, not one cell. Cheapest verified SkyTeam build is KLM SFO–AMS–DEL — per-segment: DEL–AMS 70,000 (SW Asia × Europe) + AMS–SFO 100,000 (Europe × North America) = 170,000. India is SW Asia on that table; LotusMiles' own SGN/HAN metal runs off a separate chart (25k/60k one-way). One-way.

Feed it: 170,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 170,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 170,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1)

SkyTeam partner metal (AF/KLM/KE/VN/MU), India→North America — Delta SkyMiles (dynamic)

Air FranceKLMKorean AirVietnam AirlinesChina Eastern SkyTeam

Delta has had no award chart since 2015 — fully dynamic, so ~230,000 is a representative saver-ish partner level to North America; peak dates and 2026 partner hikes can swing business 1.5–3×. Kenya Airways (NBO) and Korean (ICN) are the strongest ex-India SkyTeam value.

Estimate Reverse of del-sfo — Delta SkyMiles prices the zone pair, not the direction, so the del-sfo row is mirrored here rather than re-read. That row is itself an estimate: Delta SkyMiles is fully dynamic (no chart since 2015); ~75,000/230,000 is a representative SkyTeam partner saver level India→North America on AF/KLM/KE/VN/MU metal — peak dates and the 2026 partner hikes swing business 1.5–3×.

Feed it: 690,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 1,380,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 460,000 HSBC Reward Points (2:1 via Accor Live Limitless (ALL))

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

Qatar AirwaysJapan AirlinesCathay PacificAmerican AirlinesBritish Airways 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)

Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (12,382 km) — nonstop

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: 75,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 150,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 375,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)