Air Miles

Air miles are loyalty reward points earned by travellers for flights taken with specific airlines or airline alliance networks — and increasingly through credit card spending, hotel stays, and partner merchant transactions — that can be redeemed for free or discounted flights, seat upgrades, lounge access, hotel stays, and other travel and lifestyle benefits. Major airline loyalty programmes offering air miles to Indian travellers include Air India's Flying Returns programme, IndiGo's BluChip programme, and global alliance programmes including Lufthansa Miles & More, British Airways Avios, and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. Co-branded credit cards — such as Air India SBI Signature Card, HDFC Bank Diners Club Black, and American Express Platinum — allow cardholders to earn miles on every rupee spent, with higher earn rates on airline, hotel, and travel category spending. For frequent business travellers in India, accumulated air miles can provide significant value — reducing travel costs for personal vacations, providing business class upgrade opportunities, and enabling complimentary international travel for family members. From a financial planning perspective, air miles have an economic value that varies by redemption category — typically highest when redeemed for premium cabin international flights (where the per-mile value can be 3x to 5x higher than economy redemptions or retail merchandise options). Miles expire in most programmes after 12 to 36 months of account inactivity, making regular earning and redeeming essential to maximise their financial value.