Flight loyalty guide
Air India Maharaja Club
Maharaja Club is the largest frequent flyer programme in the Indian skies. Earn points every time you fly with Air India or any of their 24 Star Alliance Partners.
Alliance & hubs
- Alliance
- Star Alliance (AI)
- Primary hubs
- Delhi (DEL), Mumbai (BOM), Bengaluru (BLR)
Program essentials
Key facts to get started with Air India’s Maharaja Club.
- Join cost
- Complimentary membership
- Earn currency
- Maharaja Points (tier points & reward points)
- Earning basis
- 6–10 Maharaja Points per ₹100 spent on base fare + fuel surcharge, 6 Tier Points/₹100 on Air India flights
- Tiers
- Red • Silver • Gold • Platinum
How the Maharaja Club works
Members earn two types of points: Maharaja Points, which can be redeemed for award travel or cabin upgrades, and Tier Points, which determine your status level. Earnings accumulate whenever you fly Air India or Star Alliance partners, book via the website/app, shop with over 50 non‑airline partners or use co‑branded credit cards. Booking directly on airindia.com or the Air India app yields an extra 2 Maharaja Points per ₹100 on eligible flights.
Eligible flight activity
- Air India‑operated flights booked with cash or Cash + Points (no points earned on reward tickets).
- Flights operated by Star Alliance partners when crediting to your Maharaja account.
- Partner flights do not earn Tier Points on a one‑to‑one basis, instead you earn 1 Tier Point for every 2 Maharaja Points.
Maharaja Points normally expire after 24 months, but the expiry of your entire balance is extended by another 24 months whenever you take a paid Air India flight (does not apply to award tickets). This means points never expire for ‘active’ members who fly at least once every two years.
Maharaja Club tier breakdown
Four elite tiers unlock progressively richer earnings, upgrade vouchers, fee waivers and status perks.
| Tier | Qualification | Retention | Earn & bonuses | Signature perks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red (Entry) | Automatic on enrollment | No annual qualification required | 6 Maharaja Points / ₹100 + 6 Tier Points / ₹100, +2 points/₹100 when booking on airindia.com or app | 1,000‑point enrolment bonus after your first paid Air India flight · Earn and redeem on Air India & Star Alliance flights · Access to Family Pool for pooling points with up to 9 members |
| Silver | 15,000 Tier Points (incl. 4,500 on Air India) OR 30 flights with 4 Air India flights in 12 months | 15,000 Tier Points (4,500 AI) OR 30 flights with 4 AI flights each membership year | 8 Maharaja Points / ₹100 + 6 Tier Points / ₹100, +2 points/₹100 for direct bookings | Priority Connect helpline for booking/itinerary changes · Flat fee (≈₹1,180) for one domestic itinerary change up to 24 hours before departure · 1 cabin upgrade voucher valid 6 months · Complimentary 5 kg extra baggage allowance on Air India flights · Priority check‑in, waitlist clearance and boarding services |
| Gold | 30,000 Tier Points (incl. 9,000 on Air India) OR 60 flights with 8 Air India flights in 12 months | 30,000 Tier Points (9,000 AI) OR 60 flights with 8 AI flights each year | 9 Maharaja Points / ₹100 + 6 Tier Points / ₹100, +2 points/₹100 for direct bookings | Free itinerary change (1x) up to 24h before departure on domestic flights and up to 72h on international flights · 2 cabin upgrade vouchers valid 9 months · Fee waiver for domestic flight cancellation up to 24h (INR 1,199 + GST) · Complimentary standard seat selection · Fly Prior service (switch to an earlier domestic flight within 12h) · Lounge access with one guest and excess baggage allowance of 20 kg or 1 piece up to 23 kg on AI/Star Alliance flights · Priority check‑in, boarding and waitlist clearance |
| Platinum | 45,000 Tier Points (incl. 13,500 on Air India) OR 90 flights with 12 Air India flights in 12 months | 45,000 Tier Points (13,500 AI) OR 90 flights with 12 AI flights each year | 10 Maharaja Points / ₹100 + 6 Tier Points / ₹100, +2 points/₹100 for direct bookings | Two free itinerary changes per ticket on domestic and international flights · 3 cabin upgrade vouchers valid 12 months · Domestic cancellation fee waiver up to 24h before departure · Complimentary seat selection on all seats, including exit‑row and bulkhead · Fly Prior and priority services · Excess baggage allowance of 20 kg or 1 extra piece (Air India & Star Alliance) · Lounge access with a guest |
Tier tracking rules
Maharaja Club monitors your Tier Points and eligible flights across the past 365 days. You can move up a tier by meeting the required Tier Points or flight count, and you must meet the same threshold each year to retain your status. Upgrades are processed automatically as soon as the qualifying threshold is reached, and your membership year resets on the date of tier upgrade.
- Tier Points are earned only on Air India flights (6 Tier Points per ₹100) and on partner flights at 1 Tier Point per 2 Maharaja Points.
- Status evaluations happen continuously, once your Tier Points or flight count crosses the threshold, your account is upgraded automatically.
- Retention requires meeting the same Tier Points or flight count in the following membership year, otherwise, your status will be downgraded.
- Points cannot be used to buy status, only earning flights and partner activities qualify for Tier Points.
Discounts & perks
Tier‑based benefits range from basic priority services to generous fee waivers and lounge access.
- Priority Connect hotline gives Silver, Gold and Platinum members fast access to customer support for bookings, ticket changes and account issues.
- Fee waivers for itinerary changes scale with your tier — a discounted change fee for Silver, free domestic/international changes for Gold and multiple free changes for Platinum.
- Cabin upgrade vouchers (1–3 per year depending on tier) allow domestic cabin upgrades subject to seat availability.
- Complimentary extra baggage: Silver members receive +5 kg on Air India flights, Gold and Platinum receive +20 kg or one extra 23‑kg piece on Air India and Star Alliance flights.
- Lounge access for Gold and Platinum members, including one guest, at Air India and Star Alliance lounges.
- Fly Prior service lets Gold and Platinum members travel on an earlier domestic flight within 12 hours of their original departure (same route, cabin and day) without fees.
Upgrade vouchers & family pooling
Maharaja Club does not issue generic lounge passes like some programmes, but members receive upgrade vouchers and can share points through family pooling.
- Cabin upgrade vouchers are awarded on tier upgrade/renewal: 1 for Silver (valid 6 months), 2 for Gold (valid 9 months) and 3 for Platinum (valid 12 months), usable on domestic flights subject to availability.
- Family Pool feature lets you add up to nine family members and choose how much of their earning is pooled (100%, 75% or 50%). Pooling simplifies award redemptions by combining points in one account.
- Cash + Points booking allows you to pay part of a ticket in cash and part in points, helpful when your balance is low.
- You can buy Maharaja Points for ₹1.50 each to top up your balance when needed, purchased points carry a 24‑month validity.
Points policy essentials
Understand the rules governing your Maharaja Points and Tier Points.
- Maharaja Points have a default 24‑month validity but never expire for active members — each paid Air India flight resets the expiry of your entire balance for another 24 months.
- Tier Points count toward status but cannot be redeemed. Tier Points expire on a rolling 365‑day basis and determine your tier level.
- You earn 6 Tier Points per ₹100 spent on Air India (base fare + fuel surcharge) across all tiers and 1 Tier Point per 2 Maharaja Points on Star Alliance partner flights.
- No points are awarded on codeshare or interline flights or on award tickets.
- Claim missing points up to 12 months after Air India travel or within six to twelve months for Star Alliance partners, depending on the airline.
- Purchases from non‑airline partners and co‑branded credit cards earn Maharaja Points but not Tier Points.
- Maharaja Points can be transferred from select bank credit cards, transfer ratios vary by issuer.