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File Nº 08 — India Points & Miles

A point is worth what you redeem it for.

How rewards currencies work in India: what earns them, how they move between programmes at a published ratio, and the arithmetic that prices a redemption before you commit to it.

*Every ratio below is as filed in the transfer-route ledger. Where a record leaves a field blank, the cell says so instead of guessing.

7
routes filed
1
source programmes
The mechanics

Three postings, in order

Every rewards strategy is these three moves. The whole game is making each one deliberately instead of by default.

  1. i.

    Earn

    Points arrive from card spending, welcome offers, flights and stays. The card decides the rate: the same grocery run earns once or several times over depending on what is in your wallet.

    Spend → points
  2. ii.

    Transfer

    A transferable bank currency can move to an airline or hotel programme at that partner's published ratio. This is where the flexibility lives — you choose the partner after you know the trip, not before.

    Points → partner
  3. iii.

    Redeem

    The same point buys wildly different amounts depending on what you spend it on. Nothing about the balance tells you its worth; only the booking in front of you does.

    Points → booking
The reckoning

What a point is actually worth

A point has no price of its own. It has a rate, and the rate is set by the single booking in front of you — which is why the whole method fits in one division. Run it on the two options you are choosing between; the larger figure is the better use of the points.

The card ledger is where this site’s recorded numbers live. The tools page collects the calculators — each one says so when the figures it needs are not on file.

Browse the card ledgerOpen the tools page
The only number that matters

cash price of the booking

÷points it costs

=value of one point

Routes on file

Which points move where

7 routes filed
India transfer routes
FromToRatioMinimumClears in
American Express Membership Rewards (India)
British AirwaysAirlineThe British Airways Club (Avios)
1,200 : 6001,200Up to 48 hours
American Express Membership Rewards (India)
Cathay PacificAirlineAsia Miles
800 : 400800Up to 48 hours
American Express Membership Rewards (India)
HiltonHotelHilton Honors
1,000 : 1,5001,000Up to 48 hours
American Express Membership Rewards (India)
MarriottHotelMarriott Bonvoy
100 : 100100Up to 48 hours
American Express Membership Rewards (India)
Qatar AirwaysAirlinePrivilege Club (Avios)
500 : 250500Up to 48 hours
American Express Membership Rewards (India)
Singapore AirlinesAirlineKrisFlyer
800 : 400800Up to 48 hours
American Express Membership Rewards (India)
Virgin AtlanticAirlineFlying Club
800 : 640800Up to 48 hours
Questions

Points, explained plainly

What is the difference between points and miles?

Mostly vocabulary. Airlines tend to call their currency miles; banks, hotels and coalition programmes tend to say points. What matters is whether the currency is locked to one programme or transferable to several — transferable bank points are the flexible kind.

What are the best ways to earn points and miles?

The big levers are: a card whose earn rates match the categories you actually spend in, welcome offers when you genuinely need a new card, and earning a transferable currency rather than a locked one. Stacking helps too — a loyalty number plus a rewards card on the same purchase earns in both places.

Can I transfer points between programmes?

Transferable bank currencies can usually move to a published list of airline and hotel partners, each at its own ratio. Airline and hotel currencies rarely transfer out. Transfers are one-way and usually irreversible, so confirm the award price at the destination programme before you move anything.

Should I save points or redeem them right away?

Earn toward a specific redemption rather than stockpiling. Programmes can devalue their currency at any time, and points do not earn interest. If a trip is on the calendar, saving for it makes sense; points with no plan attached are the ones a devaluation hurts most.

How do I know what my points are worth?

Divide the cash price of the thing you are booking by the points it costs. That gives the value of one point for that redemption, and it is the only number that matters — multiply it by 100 and you have the cents-per-point figure the hobby quotes. Comparing that rate across options tells you whether a transfer or a cash booking is the better use.