The Ultimate Guide to American Express Membership Rewards Points: Part 2 – All the Ways to Get to India

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American Express Membership Rewards points are 1 of the most flexible types of points.  That’s because you can transfer them to certain airlines and fly to many countries, including India.

Emily and I visit India once a year.  We’ve even taken Emily’s mom to India, twice!

The Ultimate Guide to American Express Membership Rewards Points:

• Part 1 – All the Ways to Get to Europe
• Part 2 – All the Ways to Get to India

The best American Express Membership Rewards points transfer partners for flights to India are:

• Air Canada Aeroplan – flights on several Star Alliance Airlines without fuel surcharges
• Delta Airlines – flights on Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Air France, KLM, Korean Air, and Saudia without fuel surcharges
• Singapore Airlines – flights on Singapore Airlines Suites, First, and Business Class but with fuel surcharges

1.   Air Canada

You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Air Canada Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio to use for flights to India!

From the US to India, you’ll pay:

• 50,000 Aeroplan miles 1-way in coach
• 75,000 Aeroplan miles 1-way in Business Class
• 105,000 Aeroplan miles 1-way in First Class

Air Canada flies non-stop between Toronto and Delhi.  And seasonally between Vancouver and Delhi.  So you can connect from the US through one of these cities to India!

Aeroplan charges fuel surcharges for flights on some airlines, but you pay NO fuel surcharges on:

• Air China
• Air India
• Brussels Airlines
• EgyptAir
• Ethiopian Airlines
• EVA Air
• Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
• Singapore Airlines
• SWISS Air
• Turkish Airlines
• United Airlines
• low fuel surcharges on LOT Airlines (~$60 per segment)

However, you will pay hefty fuel surcharges using Aeroplan miles on Air Canada, ANA, Lufthansa, or Thai Airways.

1.  Nonstop Flights From the US to India

If you want to fly nonstop from the US to India, you can fly on United Airlines or Air India.

United Airlines flies from Newark to Delhi and Mumbai.  Usually you will NOT find Business Class award seats on these nonstop flights, but you may find some coach seats during some months of the year.  You can book connecting flights to Newark on United Airlines for no additional mileage cost.

Air India flies nonstop from Chicago and New York (JFK) to Delhi and from Newark (EWR) to Mumbai.

 2.  Connecting in Europe

If you want to fly to India with a connection in Europe without paying fuel surcharges, look for flights on:

• Air India (connecting flights from Europe to India and domestic India connections)
• Brussels Airlines (flights to Brussels)
• Scandinavian Airlines (flights to Stockholm and Copenhagen)
• Singapore Airlines (coach from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt )
• SWISS Air (flights to Zurich and Geneva, and onward to Delhi and Mumbai)
• Turkish Airlines (flights to Istanbul and onward to Delhi and Mumbai)
• United Airlines

You’ll pay low fuel surcharges on LOT Airlines (flights to Warsaw).

However, Aeroplan’s website will NOT find every flight connection.  If you have several connections or want a stopover, you have to call Aeroplan at 800-361-5373.

Air India is 1 of the newest members of the Star Alliance, so you can book flights on Air India using airline miles from Star Alliance airlines, like United Airlines.  And you can fly them from Europe to India.

Here are the European cities Air India flies to:

• Birmingham
• Frankfurt
• London (to Delhi and Mumbai)
• Milan
• Paris
• Rome

In order to get to Europe, you can fly on other Star Alliance partners.

A.   United Airlines

United Airlines has the most flights between the US and Europe.  The bolded cities have direct connecting flights to India on Star Alliance carriers without Aeroplan fuel surcharges.

1.   Newark

You can fly from Newark to:

• Amsterdam
• Barcelona
• Belfast
• Berlin
• Birmingham (connect to Air India)
• Brussels
• Dublin
• Edinburgh
• Frankfurt (connect to Air India)
• Geneva
• Glasgow
• Hamburg
• Istanbul (connect to Turkish Airlines)
• Lisbon (Not shown on map)
• London (connect to Air India)
• Madrid
• Manchester
• Milan (connect to Air India)
• Munich
• Oslo
• Paris (connect to Air India)
• Rome (connect to Air India)
• Shannon
• Stockholm
• Stuttgart
• Zurich (connect to SWISS Air)

2.   Washington, DC (IAD)

United Airlines flies to the following European cities from Washington, DC (IAD):

• Amsterdam
• Brussels
• Dublin
• Frankfurt (connect to Air India)
• Geneva
• London (connect to Air India)
• Manchester
• Munich
• Paris (connect to Air India)
• Rome (connect to Air India)
• Zurich (connect to SWISS Air)

3.   Chicago

From Chicago, you can fly to:

• Amsterdam
• Brussels
• Frankfurt (connect to Air India)
• London (connect to Air India)
• Munich
• Paris (connect to Air India)

4.   Houston

United Airlines flies from Houston to:

• Amsterdam
• Frankfurt (connect to Air India) 
• London (connect to Air India)

5.   San Francisco

You can fly from San Francisco to:

• Frankfurt (connect to Air India)
• London (connect to Air India)
• Paris (connect to Air India)

6.   Los Angeles

From Los Angeles you can fly to:

• London (connect to Air India)

B.   SWISS

SWISS Air is another good option to get from the US to Switzerland, and then from Zurich to Delhi or Mumbai.

1.   Zurich

You can fly to Zurich from:

• Boston
• Chicago
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• Montreal
• Newark
• New York (JFK)
• San Francisco

From Zurich, you can fly to Delhi or Mumbai and avoid paying fuel surcharges!

• Delhi (connect to domestic Indian destinations on Air India)
• Mumbai (connect to domestic Indian destinations on Air India)

2.   Geneva

You can fly to Geneva from:

• Montreal
• Newark
• New York
• Toronto
• Washington, DC

C.   Turkish Airlines

You can fly to Istanbul from:

• Boston
• Chicago
• Houston
• Los Angeles
• Montreal
• New York (JFK)
• Toronto
• Washington, DC

From Istanbul, you can fly to either Delhi or Mumbai on Turkish Airlines with no fuel surcharge!

• Delhi (connect to domestic flights on Air India)
• Mumbai (connect to domestic flights on Air India)

D.   SAS

You can use Aeroplan miles to fly coach and Business Class on Scandinavian Air Systems (SAS).  Scandinavian Air Systems flies to 3 Nordic cities from 4 American cities.

1.   Copenhagen

You can fly to Copenhagen from:

• Chicago O’Hare
• Newark
• San Francisco
• Washington, DC

2.   Oslo

You can fly to Oslo from:

• Newark

3.   Stockholm

You can fly to Stockholm from:

• Chicago O’Hare
• Newark

Note:  You can NOT connect to India from Copenhagen, Oslo, or Stockholm.  But you may be able to connect to another European city and from there fly to India!

E.   LOT Airlines

You can also use Aeroplan miles to fly on LOT Polish Airlines in coach and Business Class to Warsaw from:

• Chicago
• New York (JFK)
• Toronto
• Washington, DC

You will pay some fuel surcharges on LOT, but only ~$60 per segment.

There are no LOT flights from Warsaw to India, but you can connect to other European cities with flights to India!

F.   Brussels Airlines

Aeroplan miles can be used on Brussels Airlines to fly in coach and Business Class to Brussels from:

• New York (JFK)
• Washington, DC

There are no direct flights to India on Star Alliance airlines from Brussels, but you can connect to other European cities that do have flights to India!

G.   Singapore Airlines

You can fly on Singapore Airlines with Aeroplan miles to fly:

• Houston to Moscow (DME)
• New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (connect to Air India)

But, you can only redeem for flights in coach, because Business and First/Suites Class are unavailable to Aeroplan members.

3.   Connecting in Asia

If you live on the West Coast, flying to India via Asia can make sense in terms of travel time.

To avoid fuel surcharges, you should look for flights on these airlines:

• Air China (flights to Beijing and onward to Delhi)
• Air India (flights to India from several cities in Asia)
• EVA Air (flights to Taipei )
• Singapore Airlines (coach to Seoul, Tokyo (NRT), Hong Kong, and Singapore, and onward to several cities in India)
• United Airlines (flights to several Asian cities)

From Asia, you can fly from:

• Bangkok to Mumbai
• Hong Kong to Delhi
• Osaka to Hong Kong to Delhi
• Seoul to Hong Kong to Delhi
• Shanghai to Delhi
• Singapore to Chennai
• Tokyo to Delhi

But, to connect in Asia, you 1st have to find a flight to Asia.

A.   United Airlines

Of all the US airlines, United Airlines has the most routes to Asia!  The bolded cities have nonstop Star Alliance flights to India!

1.   Chicago, Denver, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, Washington, DC

You can fly from:

• Chicago (ORD) to Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo (NRT)
• Denver to Tokyo (NRT)
• Honolulu to Tokyo (NRT)
• Houston to Tokyo (NRT)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai and Tokyo (NRT)
• Newark (EWR) to Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo (NRT)
• San Francisco (SFO) to Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo (NRT)
• Washington, DC (IAD) to Beijing and Tokyo (NRT)

2.   Tokyo (NRT)

From Tokyo (NRT), United Airlines flies to:

• Hong Kong
• Seoul-Incheon
• Singapore

3.   Hong Kong

United Airlines also flies from Hong Kong to:

• Ho Chi Minh City
• Singapore

B.   Air China

You can also use Aeroplan miles to fly on Air China without fuel surcharges.

You can fly to Beijing from:

• Houston
• Los Angeles
• New York (JFK)
• San Francisco
• Vancouver

Air China flies from Beijing to Delhi, and from Chengdu to Mumbai (United Airlines has a flight from San Francisco to Chengdu).  You can stay for 72 hours without a visa in both Beijing and Chengdu, even without a Chinese visa.

C.   Eva Air

EVA Air is based in Taipei and flies to several US and Canadian cities.

You can fly from Taipei to:

• Los Angeles
• New York (JFK)
• San Francisco
• Seattle
• Toronto
• Vancouver

Eva Air does NOT fly from Taipei to India, but you can fly to other Asian cities that fly to India!

D.   Singapore Airlines

1.   Asia

Singapore Airlines flies to Asia from Los Angeles and San Francisco.  And you can stop in other Asian cities.  You can only book coach seats on Singapore Airlines using Aeroplan miles.

• San Francisco to Seoul-Incheon to Singapore
• San Francisco to Hong Kong to Singapore
• Los Angeles to Tokyo-Narita to Singapore

You can book a flight to Seoul, Tokyo, or Hong Kong, then fly on Air India to India from those cities.

2.   India

Singapore Airlines also flies from Singapore to these cities in India:

• Ahmedabad
• Bangalore
• Chennai
• Delhi
• Mumbai
• Kolkata

Now you can create an Aeroplan award booking to India without paying massive fuel surcharges!

2.   Delta Airlines

You can use Delta Airlines miles for round-trip awards to India with NO fuel surcharges on:

• Delta Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• Air France
• KLM
• Korean Air
• Saudia

Delta Airlines is known for not having many saver awards available, but you may be able to find a seat.

To fly from the US or Canada to India, you’ll pay:

• 85,000 Delta Airlines miles round-trip in coach
• 140,000 Delta Airlines miles round-trip in Business Class
• No redemptions allowed for international First Class

You are allowed 1 stopover and 1 open-jaw on an award ticket!

A.   India

Delta has 1 flight from Amsterdam to Mumbai:

B.   Europe

You can also fly to Europe to connect to flights on Air France, KLM, or Virgin Atlantic.

1.   Atlanta

From Atlanta, you can fly to:

• Amsterdam
• Brussels
• Dusseldorf
• Frankfurt
• London
• Madrid
• Manchester
• Munich
• Paris
• Stuttgart

2.   New York

You can fly from New York (JFK) to:

• Amsterdam
• Barcelona
• Brussels
• Dublin
• Frankfurt
• London
• Milan
• Paris
• Zurich

3.   Newark

Delta Airlines flies from Newark to:

• Amsterdam
• Paris

4.   Detroit

From Detroit, you can fly to:

• Amsterdam
• Frankfurt
• London
• Paris

5.   Minneapolis

You can fly from Minneapolis to:

• Amsterdam
• London
• Paris

6.   Boston

Delta Airlines flies from Boston to:

• Amsterdam
• London
• Paris (seasonal)

7.   Los Angeles

You can fly from Los Angeles to:

• London
  

8.   Salt Lake City

From Salt Lake City, you can fly to:

• Amsterdam
• Paris

9.   Portland

Delta Airlines flies from Portland to:

• Amsterdam

10.   Seattle

You can fly from Seattle to:

• Amsterdam
• London
• Paris (CDG)

11.   Paris

You can also fly to Paris (seasonally) from:

• Chicago
• Cincinnati (Covington)
• Philadelphia
• Pittsburgh

You can connect to flights out of Amsterdam, Paris, or London to India.

A.   Air France

Although Air France is a direct transfer partner with American Express Membership Rewards points, you can use Delta Airlines miles on Air France.

Air France flies to Paris from:

• Atlanta
• Boston
• Chicago (ORD)
• Detroit
• Houston
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• Minneapolis
• New York (JFK)
• San Francisco
• Washington, DC (IAD)

You can fly from Paris to:

• Bangalore
• Delhi
• Mumbai

Search for Air France flights on the Delta website because it shows more Air France flights.

B.   KLM

You can fly to Amsterdam from:

• Atlanta
• Chicago (ORD)
• Dallas (seasonal)
• Houston
• Los Angeles
• New York (JFK)
• San Francisco
• Washington, DC (IAD)

Then from Amsterdam, you can fly to Delhi.

C.   Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic is an American Express Membership Rewards transfer partner, but you’ll pay high fuel surcharges.  But you can use Delta Airlines miles on Virgin Atlantic and pay NO fuel surcharges.

Virgin Atlantic flies to London from:

• Atlanta
• Boston
• Las Vegas to London (LGW)
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• Newark
• New York (JFK)
• Orlando to London (LGW)
• San Francisco
• Washington, DC (IAD)

You can also fly on Virgin Atlantic from London (LHR) to Mumbai and Delhi.

D.   Saudia Airlines

You can use Delta Airlines miles on Saudia Airlines.

You can fly to Jeddah and onward to Riyadh from:

• Los Angeles
• New York (JFK)
• Washington, DC (IAD)

From Jeddah and Riyadh, you can fly to these Indian cities:

• Bangalore
• Chennai Madras
• Delhi
• Hyderabad
• Kochi
• Kozhikode
• Mumbai

You can NOT book Saudia Airlines flights on the Delta website.

You can transit a Saudia Arabian airport for up to 18 hours without a visa.  And you will not need a visa for a flight between Jeddah and Riyadh (2 cities in Saudi Arabia) IF you’re coming from or continuing onward to another country.

Via Asia

You can fly Delta Airlines to Asia and connect to Korean Air, which does NOT have fuel surcharges.

Korean Air flies from Seoul (ICN) to Mumbai 3 days per week.

However, you should 1st check if award seats are available from Seoul to Mumbai, because it will be a major part of your award routing.

You can fly on Delta Airlines or Korean Air to get to Seoul.

Korean Air

You can fly to Seoul from:

• Atlanta
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Honolulu
• Houston
• Las Vegas
• Los Angeles
• New York (JFK)
• San Francisco
• Seattle
• Washington, DC (IAD)

You can also fly on Delta Airlines to several cities in Asia, then connect on Korean Air to Seoul.

Delta flies to Tokyo from:

• Atlanta to Narita
• Detroit to Narita
• Los Angeles to Narita and Haneda
• Minneapolis to Narita
• New York (JFK) to Narita
• Portland to Narita
• Seattle to Narita and Haneda

From Tokyo, you can connect to a Korean Air flight to Seoul, and onward to Mumbai.

Delta flies from Detroit and Seattle.

• Beijing from Detroit and Seattle
• Seoul from Detroit and Seattle
• Shanghai from Detroit and Seattle
• Nagoya from Detroit

3.   Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines is 1 of the best airlines in the world.  You can use Star Alliance partner miles, like United Airlines and Air Canada for coach tickets.  You get great entertainment options and friendly service, and you’ll pay NO fuel surcharges.

But, if you want to book Singapore Airlines A380 Suites, First Class, or Business Class, you can usually only book using Singapore Airlines Krisflyer miles.

You can earn Singapore Airlines Krisflyer Miles via:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Citi ThankYou Points
• Starwood Preferred Guest

Singapore Airlines flies the following routes.  The bolded routes are Airbus A380 planes, which includes Suites instead of First Class.

• Houston to Moscow to Singapore
• Los Angeles to Tokyo (NRT) to Singapore
• New York to Frankfurt to Singapore
• San Francisco to Hong Kong to Singapore
• San Francisco to Seoul to Singapore

From Singapore, you can redeem flights on Singapore Airlines and its subsidiary, SilkAir, to these Indian cities:

• Ahmedabad
• Bangalore
• Chennai Madras
• Coimbatore (on SilkAir)
• Delhi
• Hyderabad (on SilkAir)
• Kochi (on SilkAir)
• Kolkata
• Mumbai
• Trivandrum (on SilkAir)
• Visakhapatnam (on SilkAir)

Book Online For a 15% Mileage Discount

Link:   Singapore Airlines Award Chart

If you do NOT live in a city that Singapore Airlines flies from (Houston, Los Angeles, New York, or San Francisco), you have to book a different award to get there.

However, you get a 15% mileage discount when you book online. You only get the discount for flights booked online, which only includes Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights

India is a part of South Asia Zone #6, which includes India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.

From Los Angeles and San Francisco (Zone #13 West Coast US) to India (Zone #6), after the 15% discount you’ll pay:

• 36,125 Singapore Airlines miles 1-way in coach + ~$450 in taxes 1-way
• 76,500 Singapore Airlines miles 1-way in Business Class + ~$480 in taxes 1-way
• 106,250 Singapore Airlines miles 1-way in Suites/First Class + ~$540 in taxes 1-way

You can fly from Houston and New York (Zone #14 East Coast US) to India (after the 15% discount) for:

• 44,625 Singapore Airlines miles 1-way in coach + ~475 in taxes 1-way
• 65,025 Singapore Airlines miles 1-way in Business Class + ~$500 in taxes 1-way
• 112,625 Singapore Airlines miles 1-way in Suites/First Class + ~$540 in taxes 1-way

You’ll pay high taxes so it might not be worth it for coach tickets.  However, it could be worth it for flights in Suites/First Class, because those seats usually cost $15,000-$20,000 each!

You can NOT have a stopover longer than 24 hours on a 1-way award, but you can have a stopover on a round-trip award.  The stopover can be in Singapore or the connecting city, like Hong Kong or Tokyo.

How to Redeem Singapore Airlines Miles

Step 1 – Log-in to Your KrisFlyer Account

To redeem Singapore Airlines miles, go to the Singapore Airlines website and log-in to your KrisFlyer account.

Step 2 – Enter Your Travel Details

You can search for award tickets on the Singapore Airlines homepage by entering your travel details.

Click on “Redeem award flight(s)” to search for award tickets.  It’s best to search 1-way at a time to find available seats.

Step 3 – Select Your Flights

Choose your flights.  The 15% discount is automatically applied.

You’ll pay only 106,250 Singapore Airlines miles + ~$530 in taxes to fly in a Suite from Los Angeles to India.

TIP:  You can have a connection of up to 23 hours and 59 minutes.  Singapore Changi airport is 1 of the best airports in the world for a connection, and the city is not too far away on the MRT train/subway.  Several flights from the US arrive early in the morning, and several flights to India depart late at night, so you might have a long connection.

While you can book a long connection, the Singapore Airlines website may not be able to see it.  So you should search segment-by-segment (i.e., search from the US to Singapore and then Singapore to India).  Then call Singapore Airlines at 800-742-3333 to book.  You can ask the agent to honor the 15% mileage discount because the flight you want can’t be booked online.

The Singapore Airlines website can NOT book mixed-class itineraries, so you can NOT book First/Suites class to Singapore, and then Business Class to India.

Bottom Line

You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to certain airlines and fly to lots of countries, like India.

You can avoid paying fuel surcharges by transferring your American Express Membership Rewards points to Air Canada and flying on certain Star Alliance partner airlines like United Airlines, SWISS, and Turkish Airlines.

United Airlines flies nonstop to India from Chicago, Newark and New York.

You can also fly to India with a connection in Europe without paying fuel surcharges.

For folks on the West Coast, it might make sense to fly to India via Asia.  You pay NO fuel surcharges flying on some airlines like Air China, Singapore Airlines, and United Airlines.

You can fly to India using Delta Airlines miles (an American Express Membership Rewards transfer partner) with NO fuel surcharges.

You get a 15% discount on redeemed miles when you book on the Singapore Airlines website.