If you’re a United enthusiast—or you simply live at a United hub—don’t be so quick to piss on Air India’s Maharajah Club. Yes, I know… Air India isn’t exactly the program that gets anyone excited. Although this opportunity is not new, Turkish Airlines’ recent devaluations have elevated its relevance, making Air India’s pricing for short-haul United redemptions unusually competitive.
Honestly, I’m amazed this has not been talked about more. In my opinion, this sweet spot is right up there with the old-school British Airways award chart for short-haul American Airlines flights.
How Much of a Unicorn Are We Talking?
3,500 miles.
Yes, really.
While Turkish used to charge 10,000 miles for domestic United flights, Air India can potentially send you on your way for 3,500 miles instead.
Air India doesn’t publish a clear partner award chart, so I went ahead and created a distilled version for domestic United flights:
- 0 to 650 miles: 3,500 points
- 651 to 1,000 miles: 5,500 points
- 1,001 to 1,750 miles: 7,500 points
- 1,751 miles to most domestic flights: 13,500 points
- East Coast to Hawaii: 30,000 points
While Turkish used to charge 10,000 miles for any domestic United flight, Air India’s pricing quietly undercut that—sometimes by a wide margin. For any route under 1,750, you were actually better off redeeming Maharajah Club miles instead, since those flights would cost 7,500 miles or fewer. With the lowest band starting at 3,500 miles, the savings add up quickly. Especially on last minute domestic flights where cash fares are expensive.
Why should you piss on Air India’s Maharajah Club?
As exciting as the 3,500-mile sweet spot is, you should know what you’re getting into. Beyond the fact that the only useful consideration for Air India Maharajah miles is for short-haul and medium-haul flights on United, is the award change and cancellation fees.
There’s no polite way to say this—they are pretty brutal. This is not the program to make speculative bookings. You only issue tickets when you are committed to your travel plans.
The change and cancellation fee on Star Alliance Award tickets are as follows:
- 15% change fee for flights more than 7 days prior to departure, or,
- 25% change fee for flights within 7 days of departure, or,
- 20% cancellation fee for flights more than 7 days prior to departure, or,
- 30% cancellation fee for flights within 7 days of departure.
Okay, let’s be honest. For a short-haul flight under 650 miles, paying a 1,050 miles cancellation fee might not be as bad as it looks. But I definitely would not be booking speculative flights.
How Do I Earn Air India Maharajah Club Miles?
Fair question—Air India does not have any bank transfer partners in the U.S. So why even care?
Two words: Rove Miles. You can earn points by booking your flights through Rove (and earn benefits as if you were buying direct from the vendor). They’re very transparent about their model: they pass airline ticketing commissions back to you as miles.
The alternative?
Just buy Maharajah Points outright. Air India sells miles at Rs 1.5 each. That is roughly 1.7 US cents per mile. At 3,500 miles, that means tickets on United start as low as US$60 per flight. A sub-$100 domestic United ticket—especially last minute—is an incredible deal in today’s market.
Final Thoughts
Look—I get it. We all love to hate Air India. The brand, the service, the chaos… it’s an easy punchline. But even the most frustrating loyalty programs hide gems, and this is one of the brightest hiding in plain sight. Air India’s cheap domestic United redemptions are absolutely worth a look if you know how to work the system.
