Air India Maharaja Club - Worth joining with credit card points?

by financewhiz · 2d ago · 147 views · 8 replies

financewhiz OP

financewhiz

2d ago

Air India's Maharaja Club has been revamped. Should you transfer credit card points?

Transfer Partners

HDFC Infinia/Diners: 1 point = 1 Flying Return point

Amex MR: 1.5:1 ratio

Axis Points: Coming soon

Redemption Sweet Spots

Delhi-London Business: 75K points (excellent value)

Mumbai-Singapore: 35K points

Domestic Business: 15K points

My Analysis

Pros:

Good international redemption rates

Star Alliance partner (can use on Singapore, Thai)

Status match from other programs

Improving lounges

Cons:

Availability can be poor

Still working out kinks post-merger

Limited domestic routes

Verdict

Worth transferring for international business class. Avoid for domestic economy.

Anyone done a recent redemption? How was availability?

8 Comments

cardmaster · 2d ago

Booked DEL-LHR business last month. Availability was good 3 months out.

dealseeker · 2d ago

The A350 business class is actually quite nice now. Worth the points.

dealseeker · 2d ago

Status match from Vistara was smooth. Got Gold tier instantly.

travelhacker · 2d ago

I prefer Singapore KrisFlyer for international. Better availability.

rewardhunter · 2d ago

Don't forget you can book Star Alliance partners with these points!

loungelover · 2d ago

The lounges have improved a lot. New Delhi Maharaja lounge is decent.

loungelover · 2d ago

Transferring from HDFC is the best ratio. Don't waste Amex points here.

pointsguru · 2d ago

Fuel surcharges can be high on AI. Factor that into your redemption value calc.