The same Air India flight can sometimes be booked using two different airline loyalty programmes:
- Directly through Air India Maharaja Club
- Through Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer as a Star Alliance partner award
The aircraft, route and operating airline may be exactly the same. However, the number of points required—and the taxes you pay—can be completely different.
That is why you should never transfer your credit-card points before comparing both options.
The example from the video
For an Air India flight from Delhi to Port Blair, the redemption options shown in the video were:
| Booking method | Points required |
|---|---|
| Air India Maharaja Club | 10,000 Maharaja Points |
| KrisFlyer Star Alliance redemption | 14,500 KrisFlyer miles, plus applicable taxes |
In this particular search, booking directly through Air India required 4,500 fewer points.
That is a substantial difference for the same route. Those saved points could contribute towards another flight later.
However, this does not mean that Air India Maharaja Club will always be the better option.
How can the same flight have two different prices?
Air India and Singapore Airlines operate separate frequent-flyer programmes.
When you book directly through Maharaja Club, Air India determines the number of Maharaja Points needed for its own award flight. Air India provides a points calculator to check the indicative redemption requirement for a route.
KrisFlyer, meanwhile, allows members to redeem miles for flights operated by Star Alliance airlines, including Air India. Such bookings are priced according to KrisFlyer’s Star Alliance partner-award rules—not according to the price shown by Air India Maharaja Club.
In simple terms:
Air India decides the Maharaja Club price, while KrisFlyer decides the KrisFlyer price.
That is why one programme may ask for fewer points than the other.
When booking directly through Air India may be better
Booking through Maharaja Club may make more sense when:
- Air India requires fewer points
- Taxes and fees are lower
- You already hold Maharaja Points
- Your credit-card points transfer favourably to Air India
- Air India offers more suitable award availability
- The cancellation or change conditions are better for your situation
Air India allows Maharaja Points to be redeemed for award flights and provides an online calculator to estimate the points needed. Redemption levels remain subject to availability and can change.
When KrisFlyer may still be useful
Even where KrisFlyer requires more miles, it may still be the practical choice.
For example:
- You already have KrisFlyer miles that need to be used
- You do not have enough Maharaja Points
- Your card offers a better transfer ratio to KrisFlyer
- The required flight is available through KrisFlyer but not through Air India
- You want to use one mileage balance across several Star Alliance airlines
- KrisFlyer’s itinerary options work better for a wider international journey
KrisFlyer can be especially valuable because its miles can be used across the Star Alliance network, subject to partner availability and programme rules. Singapore Airlines publishes a separate Star Alliance award chart, and taxes, surcharges and fees remain payable in addition to the miles required.
Do not compare only the headline points requirement
Suppose one option requires 10,000 points and another requires 14,500 miles.
It may appear obvious that the 10,000-point option is better, but you still need to examine the complete cost.
1. Compare taxes and fees
Award tickets are rarely completely free.
One programme may require fewer points but charge higher taxes or fees. The correct comparison is:
Points required + cash payable
Not just the points figure.
2. Compare the normal cash fare
Always check how much the same ticket costs when purchased normally.
For example, imagine a ticket costs ₹5,000 in cash and an award booking requires:
- 10,000 points
- ₹1,000 in taxes
You are effectively using 10,000 points to save only ₹4,000.
The value received would be:
₹4,000 ÷ 10,000 points = ₹0.40 per point
Depending on how you earned those points and what other redemptions are available, that may not be an attractive use of them.
A low mileage requirement does not automatically mean a high-value redemption.
3. Account for your credit-card transfer ratio
The airline website may show 10,000 Maharaja Points or 14,500 KrisFlyer miles, but that is not necessarily the number of credit-card points you must transfer.
For illustration:
- If 10,000 credit-card points become 10,000 airline points, the ratio is 1:1.
- If 10,000 credit-card points become only 5,000 airline miles, you would need 20,000 card points for the same redemption.
Therefore, compare the number of credit-card points actually required, not merely the airline mileage displayed.
Transfer ratios vary by card, issuer, programme and sometimes by promotional offer.
4. Check award-seat availability first
An airline may operate several paid flights on a route but release only a limited number of seats for mileage redemption.
Availability through Maharaja Club may also differ from the availability visible to KrisFlyer as a partner programme.
Finding the flight on Google Flights or the airline’s cash-booking page does not guarantee that it can be booked using points.
5. Review cancellation and change conditions
Before booking, compare:
- Cancellation charges
- Date-change charges
- No-show penalties
- Refund timelines
- Point-expiry implications
- Whether taxes are refundable
- Customer-support requirements
A slightly more expensive award may occasionally be worth considering if its rules are materially more flexible.
The biggest mistake: transferring points too early
Many travellers first transfer their credit-card points and only then search for award seats.
That reverses the correct order.
The safer sequence is:
- Search the flight through Air India Maharaja Club.
- Search the same Air India flight through KrisFlyer.
- Compare points, taxes and availability.
- Check the cash fare.
- Calculate your effective value per point.
- Confirm the relevant card-to-airline transfer ratio.
- Transfer only the number of points needed.
- Complete the booking promptly.
Credit-card-to-airline transfers are usually final. Once points enter an airline programme, they generally cannot be moved back to the credit-card account.
Award availability can also disappear while you are deciding, so avoid transferring speculatively unless you are comfortable keeping the points in that airline programme.
A simple value formula
Use this formula before redeeming:
Value per point = (Cash fare avoided − taxes and fees on the award ticket) ÷ points used
For example:
- Normal cash fare: ₹12,000
- Award-ticket taxes: ₹2,000
- Points required: 10,000
The effective saving is:
₹12,000 − ₹2,000 = ₹10,000
Therefore:
₹10,000 ÷ 10,000 points = ₹1 per point
You can then compare that value with other ways in which the same points could be used.
Remember that cash tickets may earn airline points, tier credits or card rewards, while award tickets may not. This can slightly reduce the effective value of the redemption.
The final verdict
For an Air India flight, do not automatically assume that booking directly through Air India will be cheaper.
Do not assume KrisFlyer will be better simply because it offers access to Star Alliance partners either.
For the Delhi–Port Blair example in the video:
- Air India Maharaja Club required 10,000 points
- KrisFlyer required 14,500 miles plus taxes
Booking directly therefore appeared more economical in points for that particular search.
But pricing can vary by route, date, cabin, award availability and programme changes. The result for another flight may be different.
The most important rule is simple:
Compare first. Transfer your credit-card points later.
The smartest mileage strategy is not merely collecting more points. It is knowing which programme to use for each booking.
Disclaimer: The figures discussed are an illustrative search from the video and may change. Award pricing, taxes, seat availability, transfer ratios and programme rules should be verified at the time of booking.
