For years, Air India’s frequent-flyer programme wasn’t exactly the first thing that came to mind when I thought about airline miles.
It was called Flying Returns.
The name was forgettable.
The website wasn’t exactly inspiring.
And if you were serious about points and miles, there were usually better programmes to think about.
Then came the Air India transformation.
Flying Returns became Maharaja Club.
Air India joined Star Alliance more deeply into its loyalty proposition.
Vistara’s Club Vistara was merged into the programme.
And, in 2026, Air India made another round of changes to points requirements, status qualification and award-ticket flexibility.
So the obvious question is:
Is Maharaja Club now worth taking seriously?
After using it myself, my answer is:
Yes.
But with one very important qualification:
You need to understand how the programme works before deciding whether it is actually valuable for you.
So let’s break it down.
First: what is Maharaja Club?
Maharaja Club is Air India’s frequent-flyer programme.
It replaced the old Flying Returns programme in 2024, following the integration of Club Vistara into Air India’s loyalty ecosystem. Air India retained the four-tier structure of Red, Silver, Gold and Platinum, while renaming the reward currency Maharaja Points.
And there are actually two different types of points you need to understand.
This is probably the most important thing in this entire article.
Maharaja Points
These are your redeemable points.
You can use them for:
- Award flights
- Cabin upgrades
- Eligible Air India Express redemptions
- Star Alliance award flights
And they can also be earned through selected non-airline partners.
Tier Points
These are your status points.
They help you move from:
Red → Silver → Gold → Platinum
They cannot simply be redeemed for flights.
Think of it as:
Maharaja Points = money
Tier Points = status
Once you understand that distinction, Maharaja Club becomes much easier.
The four Maharaja Club tiers
There are currently four levels:
| Tier | Qualification | Maharaja Points earned on Air India/AI Express | What matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | Join Maharaja Club | 6 / ₹100 | Basic membership |
| Silver | 15,000 Tier Points OR 20 flights | 8 / ₹100 | Baggage + upgrade vouchers |
| Gold | 30,000 Tier Points OR 45 flights | 9 / ₹100 | Lounge + seat selection + Fly Prior + stronger flexibility |
| Platinum | 45,000 Tier Points OR 60 flights | 10 / ₹100 | Best overall benefits + highest flexibility |
For the flight-count route, there are minimum Air India/Air India Express flight requirements:
Silver: 20 flights, including at least 4 Air India/Air India Express flights
Gold: 45 flights, including at least 8 Air India/Air India Express flights
Platinum: 60 flights, including at least 12 Air India/Air India Express flights.
For the Tier Points route, you also need a minimum portion earned on Air India/Air India Express.
And here’s an important change from the old programme:
The flight-count thresholds are now much lower than they used to be.
Air India revised these in 2026 to make status progression easier for frequent flyers.
But how do you actually earn Maharaja Points?
This is where Maharaja Club gets interesting.
On eligible Air India flights, your base earning depends on your tier.
Currently:
Red: 6 Maharaja Points / ₹100
Silver: 8 / ₹100
Gold: 9 / ₹100
Platinum: 10 / ₹100
And there’s an additional:
+2 Maharaja Points / ₹100
when you book directly through the Air India website or app.
So a Platinum member booking directly can potentially earn:
12 Maharaja Points per ₹100
on eligible Air India bookings.
That’s a 12% points earning rate on eligible fare spend, before considering the actual value of those points.
But there’s an important catch.
The earning calculation isn’t simply based on everything you paid for the ticket.
For Air India, Maharaja Points and Tier Points are calculated using the eligible fare components, with taxes and additional fees excluded.
Air India Express has its own earning calculation, currently based on the base fare.
Air India Express is now part of the game
This is a significant development.
Since May 2026, Maharaja Club members can earn Maharaja Points and Tier Points on eligible Air India Express flights as well.
For Air India Express, the earning rates are:
| Booking channel | Red | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air India Express website/app | 8 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Other channels | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
These are Maharaja Points per ₹100 of eligible spend.
So if you’re someone who regularly flies around India, the fact that Air India Express is now part of the programme makes Maharaja Club considerably more relevant.
And then there’s Star Alliance
This is where I think Maharaja Club becomes much more interesting than just an Air India loyalty programme.
Air India is a Star Alliance member.
That gives Maharaja Club members the ability to earn and redeem on Air India and Star Alliance partner airlines, subject to the relevant earning and redemption rules.
That means your Maharaja Club ecosystem can extend beyond Air India.
You could potentially earn or redeem across airlines such as:
Lufthansa
Singapore Airlines
Thai Airways
United
Turkish Airlines
Swiss
ANA
and the rest of the Star Alliance network.
Air India currently lists 25 Star Alliance partner airlines in its Maharaja Club ecosystem.
This is a big deal.
Because you’re no longer looking at Maharaja Club as:
“Air India’s points programme.”
You’re looking at it as:
“An Indian airline’s loyalty currency connected to a global alliance.”
So what does each status actually get you?
This is where I think the programme starts becoming interesting.
Red
Red is basically your entry-level membership.
You can:
- Earn Maharaja Points
- Earn Tier Points
- Redeem points
- Access partner opportunities
- Access Customer Support
But there isn’t much reason to chase Red.
You’re already Red when you join.
Silver
Silver is the first tier I’d actively consider chasing.
You get:
Extra baggage
You get +5 kg on Air India flights where the weight system applies.
Upgrade vouchers
You receive one domestic cabin upgrade voucher on tier upgrade/renewal, subject to availability and validity.
Priority check-in
Second-priority boarding
Priority waitlist
And you also start earning more Maharaja Points:
8 vs 6 per ₹100.
So Silver is not just a shiny card.
There are tangible benefits.
Gold
Gold is where the programme starts becoming genuinely attractive.
You get everything from Silver plus:
Lounge Access with one Guest
Complimentary seat selection
Standard seats are free on eligible Air India bookings.
Fly Prior
If you arrive early at the airport, Gold members can switch to an earlier Air India domestic flight on the same route/date/cabin, subject to availability.
And the fee is waived.
Better baggage allowance
Complimentary excess baggage allowance: +20 kg on Air India flights where free baggage allowance is as per the weight system, or 1 additional piece up to 23 kg where it is as per the piece system.
More upgrade vouchers
Gold members receive two domestic upgrade vouchers on tier upgrade/renewal.
Better award-ticket flexibility
This is something I particularly like about the new programme.
Gold members can cancel eligible Award Flights without a fee up to 7 days before departure.
Outside the free window, a 25% fee applies.
That’s significantly more useful than it sounds if your travel plans change frequently.
Platinum
And then we reach the tier I personally find the most interesting.
Platinum requires:
45,000 Tier Points
or
60 eligible flights, including at least 12 Air India/Air India Express flights.
And the benefits start stacking up.
Lounge access + one guest
Platinum members get lounge access and can bring a guest travelling on the same Air India-operated or Star Alliance flight, subject to the applicable conditions.
20 kg additional baggage
On Air India weight-based baggage journeys.
Or an additional piece up to 23 kg where the piece system applies.
Free seat selection
Not just standard seats.
All seats across the network, subject to the programme conditions.
Three upgrade vouchers
You receive three domestic cabin upgrade vouchers on tier upgrade/renewal.
Fly Prior
Complimentary.
First-priority boarding
Priority waitlist
Better cancellation flexibility
And this is perhaps my favourite Platinum benefit:
For eligible Award Flights, Platinum members can cancel or reschedule up to 2 hours before departure and get their Maharaja Points refunded without the normal cancellation charge.
That’s a very powerful benefit.
Especially for someone who books award tickets regularly.
The tier comparison I would actually use
If I strip away the marketing language, this is how I’d look at it:
| Benefit | Red | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earn Maharaja Points | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Earn Tier Points | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Lounge access | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Guest in lounge | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Priority check-in | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Priority boarding | — | 2nd | 1st | 1st |
| Extra baggage | — | +5 kg | +20 kg | +20 kg |
| Free standard seat selection | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Free all-seat selection | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Fly Prior | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Upgrade vouchers | — | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Award cancellation flexibility | — | 30 days | 7 days | 2 hours |
| Reward earning rate | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
That’s where the programme starts making sense.
Silver is useful.
Gold is good.
Platinum is where I’d actually chase status.
The redemption story changed in 2026
This is another reason Maharaja Club deserves a fresh look.
In April 2026, Air India substantially revised its award pricing.
Domestic awards now start from 1,500 Maharaja Points, while international awards start from 10,000 points, with region-based levels introduced.
Examples of starting Economy levels include:
UK & Europe: 35,000 points
U.S. and Australia: from 40,000 Maharaja Points; Canada: from 50,000 Maharaja Points
Southeast Asia: 12,000 points
Gulf & Middle East: 12,000 points
These are indicative starting levels and availability matters.
Air India also said that Economy redemption levels were reduced by around 30% on average across 80% of domestic routes and 75% of international routes.
Business Class saw average reductions of around 15% on 70% of domestic routes and around 25% on 35% of international routes.
But—and this is important—not every route got cheaper.
Some routes actually became more expensive.
For example, Air India’s own comparison shows Delhi–London Economy moving from 30,000 to 35,000 points, while Delhi–Bali fell from 25,000 to 12,000.
So don’t assume:
“The new award chart is cheaper.”
The more accurate statement is:
Some redemptions became substantially better, while others became worse.
That’s why you should always check the actual award price before transferring or buying points.
And this is where Maharaja Club becomes interesting for Indians
Let’s say you’re based in India and have a credit card ecosystem that gives you access to airline points.
Suddenly, Maharaja Club becomes another potential use case.
Instead of transferring everything to one international airline programme, you can potentially use points for:
Domestic Air India flights
International Air India flights
Star Alliance awards
Cabin upgrades
and potentially Air India Express travel.
And because Air India has such a large Indian network, there are plenty of opportunities to use the currency.
But should you transfer all your credit-card points to Maharaja Club?
Absolutely not.
This is one of the biggest mistakes people make.
The fact that you can transfer points somewhere doesn’t mean you should.
I would only transfer when I have:
A specific flight in mind
+
A confirmed award price
+
Availability
+
A reasonable value per point
Don’t transfer 100,000 credit-card points into Maharaja Club just because you think:
“I’ll figure out where to use them later.”
Once transferred, you’re generally moving into a much less flexible currency.
Transfer when you have a plan.
Not because the programme looks exciting.
My favourite Maharaja Club feature isn’t actually the earning rate
It’s the award flexibility attached to status.
Think about this.
You book a flight using points.
Plans change.
If you’re Red, you have considerably less flexibility.
If you’re Silver, you get a longer cancellation window.
Gold gives you more flexibility.
And Platinum gives you an almost ridiculous amount of flexibility:
up to 2 hours before departure for eligible Award Flights.
That changes how comfortable I am booking an award ticket.
And that’s something I value more than earning an extra couple of points per ₹100.
So which tier should you chase?
Here’s my completely subjective take.
Red
Don’t chase it.
It’s simply your entry point.
Silver
Worth having.
Especially if you fly Air India reasonably often.
Baggage + upgrade voucher make this useful.
Gold
The sweet spot for many travellers.
You get lounge access, better baggage, free standard seat selection, Fly Prior, upgrade vouchers and better flexibility.
If you fly Air India regularly, this is probably the tier I’d target.
Platinum
The aspirational tier.
If you’re already flying enough to qualify, absolutely enjoy it.
But I wouldn’t manufacture unnecessary Air India travel just to reach Platinum.
The benefits are excellent.
The question is whether you’re flying enough naturally to justify the chase.
The really interesting part: Credit-card points → Maharaja Club
If you are into points and miles in India, this is probably the section you actually came here for.
You don’t necessarily have to fly Air India to build a Maharaja Club balance.
You can also convert points from several banking and rewards programmes into Maharaja Points.
And this is where Maharaja Club becomes particularly interesting for an Indian points collector.
Air India currently has a fairly broad network of banking and points-conversion partners.
But — and this is important — the conversion ratio depends heavily on the bank and the card you hold.
So don’t look at this as:
“My bank transfers to Air India, therefore it’s a good transfer.”
The ratio matters.
A lot.
The major credit-card transfer partners
Here’s the current landscape I would keep bookmarked:
| Bank / Programme | Examples | Maharaja Club conversion |
|---|---|---|
| Axis Bank | EDGE Rewards / EDGE Miles | Varies by card |
| HDFC Bank | Infinia, Infinia Metal, Diners Black, Diners Black Metal, Regalia Gold | 2:1 / 3:1 |
| HSBC | Eligible HSBC Reward Points | Check current ratio |
| ICICI Bank | ICICI Reward Points | Check current ratio |
| IndusInd Bank | Eligible credit cards | Check current ratio |
| YES BANK | YES Reward Points | Check current ratio |
| RBL Bank | RBL Reward Points | Check current ratio |
| DBS Bank | DBS Vantage, DBS Spark, Bajaj Finserv DBS SuperCard | 5:4 / 6:1 |
| Kotak Mahindra Bank | Kotak Air Miles | Check current ratio |
| Federal Bank | Federal Reward Points | Check current ratio |
| Union Bank of India | Union Points | Check current ratio |
| Punjab National Bank | PNB Reward Points | Check current ratio |
| Central Bank of India | Cent Points | Check current ratio |
| South Indian Bank | SIB Points | Check current ratio |
| Karur Vysya Bank | Anmol Points | Check current ratio |
| Jupiter | Jupiter Jewels | Conversion available |
| Air India SBI Card | Maharaja Club co-brand | Earn directly as Maharaja Points |
Air India’s current partner directory confirms these conversion relationships, although individual card eligibility and transfer ratios vary.
Let’s look at the important ones
Rather than overwhelm you with every bank in the ecosystem, these are the ones I think most TravelWithCards readers should know about.
1. Axis Bank
This is one of the most interesting options.
Axis allows eligible EDGE Reward Points and EDGE Miles to be converted into Maharaja Points.
And the ratio varies dramatically depending on the card.
For example:
| Axis card | Conversion |
|---|---|
| Burgundy Private | 5 EDGE Reward Points → 4 Maharaja Points |
| Magnus / Reserve | 5 EDGE Reward Points → 2 Maharaja Points |
| Atlas | 1 EDGE Mile → 2 Maharaja Points |
| Select / Privilege / Rewards | 10 → 1 |
| Other eligible cards | 20 → 1 |
That makes the Axis Atlas → Maharaja Club relationship particularly interesting.
One EDGE Mile converts to 2 Maharaja Points.
So if you have Atlas, Maharaja Club becomes another potential use of your EDGE Miles.
But don’t transfer blindly.
Atlas miles can have other uses, and you should compare the opportunity cost before moving them.
2. HDFC Bank
HDFC has a direct Maharaja Club conversion route through SmartBuy.
And the ratios are quite straightforward:
| HDFC card | HDFC Reward Points → Maharaja Points |
|---|---|
| Infinia / Infinia Metal | 2:1 |
| Diners Black / Diners Black Metal | 2:1 |
| Regalia Gold | 3:1 |
Transfers are initiated through HDFC SmartBuy and Air India says the points are generally credited to Maharaja Club within 2–4 working days.
For example:
10,000 Infinia points → 5,000 Maharaja Points.
That can be useful if you have a specific Air India award in mind.
But again:
Don’t transfer just because you can.
HDFC points have multiple redemption options, so Maharaja Club should be compared against those alternatives.
3. HSBC
HSBC is another important partner in the ecosystem.
Eligible HSBC Reward Points can be converted into Maharaja Points through the bank’s rewards platform.
This is particularly relevant because HSBC points can already be useful for several travel programmes.
So again, Maharaja Club becomes another option, not necessarily the default redemption.
Air India currently lists HSBC Global as a Maharaja Club conversion partner.
4. ICICI Bank
ICICI Bank also allows eligible ICICI Reward Points to be converted into Maharaja Points.
This is worth knowing if you’re an ICICI cardholder because it means your ICICI points aren’t restricted to the bank’s own redemption catalogue.
You can potentially move them into the Air India ecosystem for:
Award Flights
or
Cabin Upgrades.
Air India currently lists ICICI Bank Rewards as a conversion partner.
5. IndusInd Bank
IndusInd is another current conversion partner.
Eligible IndusInd credit-card reward points can be converted into Maharaja Points.
This is particularly useful because some IndusInd cards have relatively strong reward earning rates, making the effective Maharaja Point earning rate more important than simply looking at the conversion ratio.
Air India’s current partner directory confirms the conversion partnership.
6. YES BANK
YES BANK allows eligible YES Reward Points to be converted into Maharaja Points.
Interestingly, Air India also lists YES BANK’s Rewardz programme, meaning the ecosystem isn’t restricted purely to credit cards.
7. RBL Bank
RBL Reward Points can also be converted into Maharaja Points.
Again, check the current ratio and eligible cards before transferring.
Air India currently lists RBL Bank among its Maharaja Club conversion partners.
8. DBS Bank
DBS has some particularly interesting conversion ratios.
Currently:
DBS Vantage: 5 DBS Points → 4 Maharaja Points
DBS Spark: 6 → 1
Bajaj Finserv DBS SuperCard: 6 → 1
The Vantage ratio is clearly the standout here.
And then there are the other partners
Air India’s current conversion ecosystem is actually quite large.
It also lists:
Kotak Mahindra Bank
Federal Bank
Union Bank
Punjab National Bank
Central Bank of India
South Indian Bank
Karur Vysya Bank
Jupiter
and others.
There are also non-bank conversion partners such as:
IHG One Rewards
Emirates NBD Plus Points
Onpoint
Maximize
HeyMax
and others.
This is important because Maharaja Club is no longer dependent solely on Air India flights for earning.
But here’s my biggest warning
Just because a transfer exists doesn’t mean it’s a good transfer.
This is something I think is particularly important for Indian credit-card users.
Suppose you have:
10,000 bank points.
You should NOT ask:
“How many Maharaja Points will I get?”
The first question should be:
“What else can I do with these 10,000 bank points?”
For example, your bank points may also transfer to:
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Accor ALL
- KrisFlyer
- British Airways
- Qatar Airways
- Etihad
- other airline/hotel programmes
depending on the bank and card.
So Maharaja Club should be treated as one redemption option in your points portfolio.
Not necessarily the best one.
My rule for transferring to Maharaja Club
I use a very simple three-step rule.
1. Find the flight
Don’t start with your credit-card points.
Start with the journey.
Delhi → London
Delhi → Tokyo
Mumbai → Singapore
Whatever you’re actually planning.
2. Check the award price
Go into Maharaja Club and see how many points the flight actually costs.
And check availability.
Don’t rely on an award chart alone.
3. Transfer only what you need
Once you’ve found:
the flight
+
the date
+
the award availability
+
the number of Maharaja Points required
then transfer the bank points.
Not before.
Because once your bank points become Maharaja Points, you’ve lost a significant amount of flexibility.
The points ecosystem is actually the bigger story
This is what I find most interesting about Maharaja Club.
You can potentially have a chain like this:
Credit-card spend
↓
Bank Reward Points
↓
Maharaja Points
↓
Air India / Air India Express / Star Alliance award
That means the programme doesn’t exist in isolation.
It’s part of the larger Indian points ecosystem.
And for someone who already collects credit-card points, that’s where the opportunity lies.
My current shortlist
If I had to simplify all of this for someone just starting out:
Most interesting to investigate
Axis EDGE Miles
HDFC Infinia / Diners Black
HSBC
ICICI
IndusInd
DBS Vantage
And then look at the other partners if you already hold those cards.
But I would never recommend transferring based solely on the bank name.
The exact card matters.
The conversion ratio matters.
The alternative uses of the points matter.
And most importantly:
The redemption matters.
One final rule
If you remember only one thing from this article, remember this:
Don’t collect Maharaja Points because they exist.
Collect them because you know where you’re going to use them.
That’s the difference between collecting points…
and actually getting value from them.
And here’s my personal verdict
I think Maharaja Club has gone from:
“Air India’s loyalty programme”
to
“A genuinely interesting Indian airline loyalty programme.”
The combination of:
Air India
+
Air India Express
+
Star Alliance
+
lower award pricing on many routes
+
meaningful elite benefits
+
credit-card transfer opportunities
makes it worth understanding.
But I wouldn’t blindly chase it.
The programme is strongest if:
You fly Air India regularly
or
You live in a city with a strong Air India network
or
you frequently use Star Alliance
or
you can access Maharaja Club through a useful credit-card transfer partner.
For everyone else, there may be better airline currencies.
My simple Maharaja Club mental model
If you’re new to the programme, remember just four things:
Maharaja Points
Spend these.
Tier Points
Use these to earn status.
Status
Silver → Gold → Platinum
Award availability
Always check this before transferring points.
That’s it.
You don’t need to become a mileage nerd overnight.
Start with one question:
Where do I actually want to fly?
Then work backwards.
One final thought
I’ve used Maharaja Points myself for domestic travel, and I’ve found the programme particularly interesting now that Air India has made the redemption structure more competitive on many routes.
But I think the real opportunity is bigger than domestic economy flights.
The combination of Star Alliance + Air India’s long-haul network + credit-card points is where I think Maharaja Club could become genuinely powerful.
Because earning points is easy.
The trick is knowing when they’re worth spending.
Note: Maharaja Club rules, award pricing, qualification thresholds and benefits are subject to change and availability. The information above reflects Air India’s published programme information available in October 2026. Always check the live Air India Maharaja Club terms and Points Calculator before making a transfer or redemption.
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