Maharaja Club works best when combined with regular Air India travel, credit card transfers, and planned redemptions.
What Is the Air India Maharaja Club?
Maharaja Club is Air India’s official frequent flyer program. Members earn Maharaja Points whenever they fly with Air India or its partner airlines. These points can later be redeemed for free flights, cabin upgrades, extra baggage, and other travel benefits.
Air India connects India to major destinations across Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Whether you travel within India or internationally, Maharaja Club helps convert regular travel into long-term value.
Over the years, Maharaja Club has become a reliable program for both frequent flyers and occasional travellers, helping turn everyday travel into meaningful benefits like free flights, cabin upgrades, lounge access, and extra baggage.
Why Maharaja Club Matters
With planned spending of around ₹6–8 lakh annually, travellers can significantly reduce flight costs using loyalty points. In some cases, points can even cover the full cost of a ticket. At its core, Maharaja Club works like most airline loyalty programs — you earn points and redeem them for flights or upgrades. What makes it stand out is:
- Earning opportunities across Air India + 24 Star Alliance airlines
- Strong domestic and international coverage
- Easy redemptions for upgrades and award tickets
- Integration with credit cards and lifestyle partners
However, airline loyalty programs come with rules such as seat availability, blackout dates, and redemption limits. Understanding these details in advance makes the program far more rewarding.
Maharaja Club Membership Tiers Explained
The Maharaja Club has four membership tiers:
- Red (entry level)
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum (highest tier)
Members earn two types of points:
- Maharaja Points – used for redemptions
- Tier Points – used only to upgrade membership status
Booking flights directly through Air India’s website or mobile app earns an additional 2 Maharaja Points for every ₹100 spent.
Note: Following the merger of Air India and Vistara, co-branded Vistara credit cards were expected to transition into Air India cards. No official timeline has been announced yet.
Red Tier: Entry-Level Membership
All members start at Red Tier upon enrollment.
- 1,000 bonus Maharaja Points after the first paid Air India flight(excluding Reward Flights)
- Earn points on Air India, Star Alliance partner airlines, and partner brands
- Redeem points for award flights and cabin upgrades
Silver Tier Benefits
To qualify for Silver Tier, you need either 15,000 Tier Points (with at least 4,500 from Air India) or 30 flights in a membership year(minimum of 4 on Air India).
Silver Tier was also available through select co-branded credit cards such as SBI Vistara Prime, IDFC First Club Vistara, and Axis Vistara Signature. These co-branded cards are no longer open for new applications.
With Silver Tier , you unlock the following benefits:
- Priority Connect: Direct access to dedicated customer support via +91 1169 328 888 within India
- Domestic Itinerary Change Benefit: One change per ticket at a flat fee of ₹1000+ GST(effective ₹1180), applicable up to 24 hours before departure on domestic flights
- Cabin Upgrade Voucher: One domestic upgrade voucher valid for 6 months
- Extra Baggage Allowance: Complimentary additional 5 kg on Air India flights
- Priority Services: Priority check-in, waitlist clearance, and boarding on Air India flights
Gold Tier Benefits
Gold Tier offers one of the most well-rounded sets of benefits for frequent travellers. To qualify, you must meet any one of the following criteria within a membership year:
- Earn 30,000 Tier Points, including at least 9,000 Tier Points from Air India flights, or
- Complete 60 eligible flights, with a minimum of 8 flights on Air India
Gold Tier was also available directly through the Axis Vistara Infinite Credit Card. The Axis Vistara Infinite Credit Card is presently closed to new sign-ups.
Once you move up from Silver Tier, you unlock the following additional benefits:
- Itinerary Change Fee Waivers: One free change up to 24 hours before departure on domestic flights, and one free change up to 72 hours before departure on international flights
- Cabin Upgrade Vouchers: Two domestic upgrade vouchers valid for 9 months
- Domestic Cancellation Benefit: Flat cancellation fee of ₹1,199 + GST if cancelled up to24 hours before departure
- Complimentary Seat Selection: 100% off standard seat selection on Air India–operated flights
- Fly Prior Service: Switch to an earlier flight within 12 hours of original departure on the same route, date, and cabin class
- Extra Baggage Allowance: Up to 20 kg extra or one additional piece up to 23 kg on Air India flights
- Lounge Access: Complimentary access for the cardholder plus one guest
- Star Alliance Baggage Benefit: Additional 20 kg or one extra piece up to 23 kg on Star Alliance partner flights
Platinum Tier Benefits
Platinum is the highest membership tier in the Air India Maharaja Club and offers enhanced versions of the Gold Tier benefits.
To qualify for Platinum Tier, you must meet any one of the following criteria within a membership year;
- Earn 45,000 Tier Points, including at least 13,500 Tier Points from Air India flights, or
- Complete 90 eligible flights, with a minimum of 12 flights on Air India
Currently, there is no co-branded credit card route to achieve Platinum Tier status.
With Platinum Tier, you unlock the following additional benefits:
- Itinerary Change Fee Waivers: Up to two free changes per ticket for domestic flights if requested up to 24 hours before departure. For international flights, up to two free changes are allowed if requested up to 72 hours before departure
- Cabin Upgrade Vouchers: Three domestic cabin upgrade vouchers issued on tier upgrade or renewal, valid for 12 months
- Domestic Cancellation Benefit: No cancellation fees for domestic flights if cancelled up to 24 hours before departure
How to Earn Maharaja Points
Maharaja Points can be earned across flights, credit cards, and partner brands, making it easier to accumulate points steadily over time.
- Flying with Air India: Earn Maharaja Points on every Air India flight based on your membership tier. For every ₹100 spent, Red members earn 6 points, Silver earn 8 points, Gold earn 9 points, and Platinum earn 10 points.
- Star Alliance Partner Airlines: Earn points when flying with any of the 24 Star Alliance partner airlines.
- Direct Bookings: Get an additional 2 Maharaja Points per ₹100 spent when booking flights directly via Air India’s website or mobile app.
- Co-Branded Credit Cards: Maharaja Points can be earned through Air India and Vistara co-branded credit cards. Earlier, cards such as SBI Air India Signature and SBI Air India Platinum offered point accrual. Post-merger, points are earned on Vistara co-branded cards like SBI Vistara Prime, Axis Vistara Signature and others.
- Credit Card Transfer Partners: Transfer reward points from partner banks including HDFC, SBI, HSBC, DBS, ICICI, Fi Money, Yes Bank, and others. Transfer ratios and terms vary by bank.
- Lifestyle & Travel Partners: Air India partners with 30+ brands across lifestyle, car rentals, experiences, and stays. Maharaja Points can be earned by booking through these partners or by providing your membership ID during transactions.
If you’re short on points, Maharaja Points can also be purchased directly from Air India at ₹1.50 per point. This option is best used only for topping up points for a specific redemption.
Purchase Maharaja Points
If you’re short on points, Maharaja Points can be bought directly from Air India at ₹1.50 per point, with a minimum purchase of 100 points and no maximum cap.
Purchased points are valid for 24 months. The validity of all points can be extended by another 24 months each time you take a qualifying paid Air India flight.
Verdict: Buying points regularly isn’t ideal, but it can be useful for topping up points in urgent redemption cases.
Family Pooling Explained
Family Pooling allows up to 9 family members to combine their points into a single account. Pooling percentages can be set at 100%, 75%, or 50%, depending on preference.
Maharaja Points Validity
Maharaja Points are valid for 24 months from the date they are earned.
Every paid Air India flight automatically extends the validity of all points by another 24 months. In short, as long as you fly with Air India occasionally, your Maharaja Points never expire.
How to Redeem Maharaja Points
For Air India redemptions, you can use the “Calculate Your Points” tool on Air India’s website to check how many points are required for your chosen route and travel date.
Maharaja Points can be redeemed for:
- Award flights on Air India
- Flights with Star Alliance partner airlines
- Cabin upgrades
- Cash + Points bookings on Air India flights
Air India offers two redemption fare options:
- Value Fare: Requires a fixed range of points with lower redemption cost, best suited for early bookings. Availability is limited, with both minimum and maximum points defined.
- Prime Fare: Available closer to the travel date, offering greater flexibility at a higher points cost.
For example, a one-way Economy flight from Delhi (DEL) to Pune (PNQ) may cost between 5,000 and 7,500 points under Value Fare, while the same route under Prime Fare may require 14,000 points.
Using Travel and Upgrade Vouchers
Co-branded Air India and Vistara credit cards offer milestone travel vouchers for Economy, Premium Economy, and Business Class, along with cabin upgrade vouchers issued on annual fee payment or renewal.
Travel vouchers are subject to seat availability. Typically, each flight offers 4 Economy, 2 Premium Economy, and 2 Business Class award seats for voucher redemption.
If your preferred cabin is unavailable, vouchers can be downgraded to a lower cabin by paying a convenience fee:
- ₹500 (inclusive of GST) for downgrading from Premium Economy to Economy
- ₹750 for downgrading from Business Class to Premium Economy
For former Vistara routes, vouchers are valid on flights with numbers starting AI2XXX.
Cabin upgrade vouchers can be used only on revenue fare tickets and tickets booked using points. Upgrades are usually processed at the check-in counter, though some users have successfully requested upgrades via customer care.
Upgrade vouchers can also be used on travel voucher bookings, subject to seat availability and staff discretion at the airport.
Making Maharaja Club Work for You
Air India’s Maharaja Club remains one of the most comprehensive airline loyalty programs in India. With a wide domestic and international network and Star Alliance partnerships, it offers strong value for both frequent and occasional travellers.
When used thoughtfully, Maharaja Points can unlock free flights, premium upgrades, and meaningful savings—making travel more rewarding over time.
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