Award flight · one-way
San Francisco → Washington on points: 9 options across the alliance backbones our cards can reach. Aeroplan's only Star metal here is United, a named Select Partner it prices DYNAMICALLY, so that row carries the chart's published "Starting at" floor rather than a fixed 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage the play | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Alaska Airlines via SEA, or American Airlines via DFW | 12,500 | — | ₹12,500 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | United nonstop — an Aeroplan SELECT PARTNER, priced dynamically off a "Starting at" floor — or Air Canada via YYZ | ~12,500 est. | — | ₹12,500 | 1.0× |
| United MileagePlus | United Airlines own metal from SFO, dynamic award | ~20,000 est. | — | ₹20,000 | 1.6× |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — Aeroméxico via MEX, or Delta Air Lines via JFK | ~25,000 est. | — | ₹25,000 | 2.0× |
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 Alaska Airlines via SEA, or American Airlines via DFW | 25,000 | — | ₹25,000 | the play |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | United nonstop — an Aeroplan SELECT PARTNER, priced dynamically off a "Starting at" floor — or Air Canada via YYZ | ~25,000 est. | — | ₹25,000 | 1.0× |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — Aeroméxico via MEX, or Delta Air Lines via JFK | ~55,000 est. | — | ₹55,000 | 2.2× |
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 Alaska Airlines via SEA, or American Airlines via DFW | 50,000 | — | ₹50,000 | the play |
| United MileagePlus | United Airlines own metal from SFO, dynamic award | ~40,000 est. | — | ₹40,000 | 0.8× |
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 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.
Alaska AirlinesAmerican Airlines oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 37,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 75,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 25,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
United AirlinesAir Canada Star Alliance
Converted to an estimate 2026-08-01: the row asserted Aeroplan's fixed "All other partners" cell on metal that column explicitly excludes. Star Alliance has no fixed-price carrier on US domestic metal at all — United and Air Canada are the only Star operators on this pair, and both sit in the dynamic column. There is no fixed-partner routing to re-metal to, so the row carries the published Select floor as an estimate. The Select floor happens to equal the fixed cell in this band, so the number on the board does not move — what changes is the promise behind it. It is a floor now, and it renders as an estimate, which means it can never be crowned THE PLAY. Aeroplan's durable edge on this pair is the fee sheet — not a guaranteed number.
Estimate United Airlines is one of Aeroplan's named SELECT PARTNERS ("Select Partners include United Airlines, Emirates, Flydubai, Etihad Airways, Canadian North, Calm Air, Bearskin Airlines and Provincial Airlines Ltd (PAL)"), and the Flight Reward Chart prices that column DYNAMICALLY. The 1,501–2,750-mile Within-North-America band this routing reads prints "Starting at 12,500 pts" economy and "Starting at 25,000 pts" business for Air Canada and/or Select Partners — against a flat 12,500 / 25,000 for "All other partners", a cell that does NOT apply to United or Air Canada metal. We carry the published Select floor, not the fixed cell; live quotes sit at or above it and climb in high-demand periods. Star Alliance has no fixed-price carrier on US domestic metal at all — United and Air Canada are the only Star operators on this pair, and both sit in the dynamic column. There is no fixed-partner routing to re-metal to, so the row carries the published Select floor as an estimate.
Feed it: 6,250 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 12,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 31,250 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
United Airlines Star Alliance
United Airlines own-metal San Francisco→Washington. United MileagePlus is fully dynamic — no award chart. Levels below are the typical one-way per person; ranges are the honest low/high seen across dates and demand. A valid United Airlines routing is assumed.
Estimate Dynamic/unpublished-chart program — estimate is the typical one-way economy level San Francisco→Washington (range 10k–35k); not a fixed chart price, never THE PLAY.
Feed it: 10,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 50,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)
AeroméxicoDelta Air Lines 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 18k–40k; award space and travel date drive the real number.
Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is a distance-band estimate (this region-pair is not separately anchored) (range 18k–40k); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Feed it: 25,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 12,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 25,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
Alaska AirlinesAmerican Airlines oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 150,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 50,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
United AirlinesAir Canada Star Alliance
Converted to an estimate 2026-08-01: the row asserted Aeroplan's fixed "All other partners" cell on metal that column explicitly excludes. Star Alliance has no fixed-price carrier on US domestic metal at all — United and Air Canada are the only Star operators on this pair, and both sit in the dynamic column. There is no fixed-partner routing to re-metal to, so the row carries the published Select floor as an estimate. The Select floor happens to equal the fixed cell in this band, so the number on the board does not move — what changes is the promise behind it. It is a floor now, and it renders as an estimate, which means it can never be crowned THE PLAY. Aeroplan's durable edge on this pair is the fee sheet — not a guaranteed number.
Estimate United Airlines is one of Aeroplan's named SELECT PARTNERS ("Select Partners include United Airlines, Emirates, Flydubai, Etihad Airways, Canadian North, Calm Air, Bearskin Airlines and Provincial Airlines Ltd (PAL)"), and the Flight Reward Chart prices that column DYNAMICALLY. The 1,501–2,750-mile Within-North-America band this routing reads prints "Starting at 12,500 pts" economy and "Starting at 25,000 pts" business for Air Canada and/or Select Partners — against a flat 12,500 / 25,000 for "All other partners", a cell that does NOT apply to United or Air Canada metal. We carry the published Select floor, not the fixed cell; live quotes sit at or above it and climb in high-demand periods. Star Alliance has no fixed-price carrier on US domestic metal at all — United and Air Canada are the only Star operators on this pair, and both sit in the dynamic column. There is no fixed-partner routing to re-metal to, so the row carries the published Select floor as an estimate.
Feed it: 12,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 25,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 62,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
AeroméxicoDelta Air Lines 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 45k–75k; award space and travel date drive the real number.
Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is a distance-band estimate (this region-pair is not separately anchored) (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)
Alaska AirlinesAmerican 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)
United Airlines Star Alliance
United Airlines own-metal San Francisco→Washington. United MileagePlus is fully dynamic — no award chart. Levels below are the typical one-way per person; ranges are the honest low/high seen across dates and demand. A valid United Airlines routing is assumed.
Estimate Dynamic/unpublished-chart program — estimate is the typical one-way first level San Francisco→Washington (range 25k–70k); not a fixed chart price, never THE PLAY.
Feed it: 20,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 100,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 90,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.25:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)
Flying back? Washington to San Francisco on points (IAD–SFO). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into North America — 510 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.