In May 2024, Vistara Airlines announced its merger with Air India, which was finalized in November 2024 with the transfer of Club Vistara (CV) points into Flying Returns Points. This merger marked a significant shift for both airlines and their loyal customers.
However, recently, Air India replaced its Flying Returns programme and introduced the all-new Maharaja Club programme. Now, instead of earning Flying Returns Points, cardholders will earn Maharaja Club Points, which can be redeemed for flight upgrades, travel vouchers, award flights and more. These points are valid not only for Air India but also across 25 Star Alliance partner airlines. This programme aims to enhance the flying experience for Air India’s frequent flyers, offering them increased convenience and benefits.
Here’s the ultimate guide to Air India’s Maharaja Club programme to help you maximize your rewards.
Membership Tiers & Benefits
Maharaja Club programme has four tiers, starting from the entry-level Red Tier to the premium Platinum tier. The more you spend, the higher tier you can achieve with increased benefits. For instance, upon signing up, you will be automatically enrolled in the Red Tier. However, by meeting certain criteria, such as tier points or revenue flights, you can move to a higher tier. One important thing to note is that you must maintain the required criteria each year to retain your tier status.
Qualification Criteria for Each Tier
- Red: Automatically enrolled upon enrollment in Maharaja Club
- Silver: 15,000 tier points (with at least 4,500 tier points on Air India) or 30 flights (with at least 4 flights on Air India)
- Gold: 30,000 tier points (with at least 9,000 tier points on Air India) or 60 flights (with at least 8 flights on Air India)
- Platinum: 45,000 tier points (with at least 13,500 tier points on Air India) or 90 flights (with at least 12 flights on Air India)
Benefits of Each Tier
| Tier | Red | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| Maharaja Points (per Rs. 100 spent) | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Tier Points (per Rs. 100 spent) |
6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Priority Customer Services | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Itinerary Changes Fee Waiver – Domestic Flights | – | Rs. 1,000 Fee- 1X change per ticket | Free- 1X change per ticket* | Free- 2X change per ticket* |
| Itinerary Changes Fee Waiver – International Flights | – | – | Free- 1X change per ticket** | Free- 2X change per ticket* |
| Fee Waivers for Domestic Flight Cancellation | – | – | Rs. 1,199 Fee* | Free* |
| Complimentary Seat Selection | – | – | 100% off on standard seats | 100% off on all seats |
| Cabin Upgrade Vouchers upon Tier Renewal/ Upgrade | – | 1X with 6 months validity | 2X with 9 months validity | 3X with 12 months validity |
| Complimentary Fly Prior | – | – | Yes | Yes |
| Priority Waitlist Clearance/ Priority Check-in/ Priority Boarding/ Priority Connect | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Excess Baggage Allowance on Air India Flights (As per the weight system) | – | 5 Kg | 20 Kg | 20 Kg |
| Excess Baggage Allowance on Air India Flights (As per the piece system) | – | – | 1 piece, up to 23 Kg | 1 piece, up to 23 Kg |
| Excess Baggage Allowance on Star Alliance Flights | – | – | 20 Kg or 1 piece, up to 23 Kg | 20 Kg or 1 piece, up to 23 Kg |
| Complimentary Lounge Access with 1 Guest | – | – | Yes | Yes |
*Applicable up to 24 hours before departure.
**Applicable up to 72 hours before departure.
Additionally, cardholders can earn 2 bonus Maharaja Points for every Rs. 100 spent on direct bookings through Air India website or app.
Convert Reward Points into Maharaja Club Points
Cardholders can convert their reward points into Maharaja Club Points and redeem them for award flights or cabin upgrades. However, this transfer facility is only available for Air India’s partners, including HDFC Bank, DBS Bank, SBI Card, ICICI Bank, HSBC Bank, and Axis Bank.
Cardholders can convert their rewards as per the details below:
| Card Issuer | Credit Card | Reward Points: Maharaja Points |
| HDFC Bank | Infinia/ HFC Bank Diners Black | 2:1 |
| Regalia Gold | 3:1 | |
| DBS Bank | Vantage Card | 5:4 |
| Spark / Bajaj Finserv DBS SuperCard | 6:1 | |
| SBI Card | SBI Aurum | 5:1 |
| Miles Credit Card/ Miles Credit Card Prime/ Miles Credit Card Elite | 1:1 | |
| ICICI Bank | Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card | 1:1 |
| Other Eligible Credit Cards* | 6:1 | |
| HSBC Bank | Premier | 1:1 |
| Classic/ Gold/ Smart Value/ Platinum | 2:1 | |
| Axis Bank | Burgundy Private | 5:4 |
| Magnus/ Reserve | 5:2 | |
| Atlas | 1:2 | |
| Select/ Privilege/ Rewards | 10:1 | |
| Other Eligible Cards | 20:1 |
*A minimum of 2,000 ICICI Bank reward points required for conversion into Maharaja Club Points.
To convert these reward points, log in to the internet or mobile banking portal of your respective card issuer, navigate to the miles transfer section, and convert your reward points into Maharaja Club Points by entering your Maharaja Club ID.
EXCLUSIVE ‘Maharaja Club Points Plus’ Offer Till 31st March
With Maharaja Club Points Plus offer, cardholders can convert their reward points into Maharaja Club Points and earn up to 50% bonus Maharaja Club Points on conversions made between March 6 and March 31. This offer is applicable for ICICI, DBS, HDFC, and SBI Credit cardholders.
However, the bonus percentage varies based on the number of points transferred. Here are the details:
| Points Converted | Bonus Percentage |
| 5,000 – 25,000 | 10% |
| 25,001 – 50,000 | 20% |
| 50,001 – 75,000 | 30% |
| 75,001 – 100,000 | 40% |
| 1,00,000+ | 50% (Up to 2,00,000 per partner) |
Calculation of Bonus Maharaja Club Points
Cardholders can earn bonus Maharaja Club Points on the first eligible transaction per card issuer. For instance, if a cardholder converts 50,000 Maharaja Club Points from HDFC reward points in their first transaction and 10,000 Maharaja Club Points from ICICI reward points in their second transaction, they will earn bonus Maharaja Club Points in both cases, as bonus points are awarded on the first transaction with each issuer.
On the other hand, if a cardholder converts 10,000 Maharaja Club Points from SBI Card in their first transaction and then converts 50,000 Maharaja Club Points from SBI Card again in the second transaction, they will only earn bonus points on the first transaction. The second transaction from the same issuer (SBI Card) will not be eligible for bonus Maharaja Club Points.
Free Flight Tickets through Maharaja Club Points
Cardholders can enroll in the Maharaja Club programme and convert their reward points to a maximum of 2,00,000 Maharaja Club Points, which can be redeemed for a variety of flight options.
For instance:
- Four one-way tickets from Delhi to Dubai (46,000 Maharaja Points each)
- Five one-way tickets from Mumbai to London (42,000 Maharaja Points each)
- One round-trip from Delhi to New York in Economy Class (1,24,000 Maharaja Points)
- Ten round trips from Delhi to Mumbai in Economy Class (1,50,000 Maharaja Points)
Redemption of Maharaja Club Points
Cardholders can redeem Maharaja Points to book award flights, cabin upgrades, and more on Air India. Additionally, Maharaja Points can also be used to book flights with any of the 25 Star Alliance partner airlines, including:
| Aegean Airlines, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Air Canada, Austrian, Avianca-Taca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Shenzhen Airlines, South African Airways, Swiss, Singapore Airlines, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, and United Airlines |
For redemptions on Air India flights, cardholders can redeem Maharaja Points against two types of fares:
- Value Fare: Offers minimum points deduction if you book your award flight in advance
- Prime Fare: Allows award flight bookings even during peak seasons or for last-minute travel, but requires more points
In addition, cardholders can now redeem Vistara vouchers for Air India flights. To do so, navigate to the ‘Voucher’ section in your Air India account and redeem your existing Vistara voucher. However, cardholders should note that bookings made via vouchers cannot be modified.
