Saniya and I fly to Greece in 2027: Qatar QSuites out, and eight-seat Lufthansa First on the A380 home. Booked with 3,54,612 points from my American Express, HSBC and Axis Magnus Burgundy credit cards.
By Aadil Bandukwala · Flying 2027
The values are for my preferred dates of flying, on the date the bookings were made. On a phone, swipe the tables sideways.
| Flights | Tickets | Carrier | Booked via | Points from | Points | Cash paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BLR → DOH [Business QSuites] DOH → Greece [Business] | 2 | Qatar Airways | Qatar Privilege Club | Amex + HSBC | 1,80,000 | ₹78,847 |
Greece → MUC [Business] MUC → BOM [First on A380] | 2 | Lufthansa | Miles & More | Axis Magnus Burgundy | 1,74,612 | ₹1,44,019 |
| Flights | Cash fare | Seat charges | Taxes | Balance | Points | Value per point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BLR → DOH [Business QSuites] DOH → Greece [Business] | ₹7,34,422 | ₹30,983 | ₹47,864 | ₹6,55,575 | 1,80,000 | ₹3.64 |
Greece → MUC [Business] MUC → BOM [First on A380] | ₹12,92,236 | ₹0 | ₹1,44,019 | ₹11,48,217 | 1,74,612 | ₹6.58 |
| Both bookings, for two | INR | Points | Value per point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two cash tickets | ₹20,26,658 | 0 | – |
| Points + taxes + seat charges | ₹2,22,866 | 3,54,612 | – |
| Cash fare covered by points | ₹18,03,792 | 3,54,612 | ₹5.09 |
I'm Aadil Bandukwala, co-founder and host of The Great Indian Points & Miles Show. I hold Accor Diamond and Emirates Skywards Gold, and my wallet is HDFC Infinia, Axis Magnus Burgundy, HSBC Premier, ICICI Emirates and the Amex Platinum Charge.
I've flown Emirates First, Singapore Suites and the Etihad First Apartment on points from Indian credit cards. Greece is the next one, and this page is the plan exactly as I booked it.
More about me
Out on Qatar Airways through Doha, home on Lufthansa through Munich. Each booking uses a different set of card points, sent to the programme that sells that seat for the fewest.
Photos: LufthansaThis is the flight I'm most excited about. Lufthansa's A380 carries just eight First Class seats, and in 2026 Skytrax named Lufthansa the World's Best First Class Onboard Dining.
It's also the most expensive part of the trip in cash, ₹12,92,236 for the two of us, which makes it the best use of points at ₹6.58 a point. I booked it through Miles & More, whose members see First Class award seats long before partner programmes do.
In Munich there's valet parking at an exclusive drop-off at Terminal 2, and personal assistants take care of the formalities and walk you to the lounge.
Lufthansa runs its own First Class Lounges in Frankfurt, Munich and New York, with private quiet rooms, work areas and proper dining.
Photo: Lufthansa Group, MunichNo bus, no airbridge queue. When your flight leaves from one of the stands that qualifies, Lufthansa drives First Class passengers from the First Class Lounge in Munich straight to the aircraft, in a limousine or an exclusive minivan.
Since November 2025, SIXT has run 40 premium cars for this in Munich and Frankfurt.
When you want to sleep, the crew turns your seat into a two-metre bed with a mattress, a temperature-regulating duvet, Swiss satin bedding by Fleuresse and memory foam pillows.
There's loungewear, a Dr. Babor amenity kit, and a handwritten welcome at your seat. The crew is trained specifically for First Class.
Caviar is served from the trolley as its own course, with blinis and a mother-of-pearl spoon. The menu is a set of tasting trilogies, and you choose when and in what order your courses come.
Four Masters of Wine curate the wine list, and the house champagne is Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame. On the breakfast service, you can ask for caviar on your eggs.
The short hop that gets us to Munich. It sits on the same booking as the First Class flight.
QSuites is Qatar's Business Class, and every Suite has its own sliding door. The middle of the cabin has a few kinds of Suite for people travelling together.
This photo is from the last time Saniya and I flew QSuites, in a Twin Suite. Two Suites sit next to each other, but the divider between them is fixed. You're together, but each of you keeps your own space.
For Greece I booked the Double Suite. The divider between the two middle seats lowers all the way, and when both seats go flat they make one double bed.
That choice is what the ₹30,983 in seat charges pays for. I don't have Qatar status, so picking seats on this booking isn't free.
The onward flight sits on the same Qatar booking, so it's part of the same 1,80,000 points.
My Raffles London night, a redemption I was thrilled with, worked out to ₹2.15 a point. This trip more than doubles it, and the Lufthansa First booking triples it.
Across both bookings, points cover ₹18,03,792 of the ₹20,26,658 cash fare, which is 89%. What I pay in cash is taxes, carrier surcharges and the seat charge.
Lufthansa First is booked with Miles & More miles. QSuites are booked with Qatar Privilege Club Avios. These Indian credit cards transfer to one of the two, at the ratios their banks publish.
Ratios checked on each bank's own page on 7 Nov 2026. Tap a programme name for the source. Banks change these often.
Decide what you actually want to fly, then work backwards to the airline programme that sells that seat for the fewest points. For QSuites that is Qatar Privilege Club. For Lufthansa First it is Miles & More.
Search award availability on the airline's own site for your exact dates. Transfers from Indian cards are one way, so never move points on the hope that a seat will open up.
Price the same flights, same cabin, same dates in cash. That number is what tells you whether the redemption is worth it. Mine came to ₹20,26,658 for two.
Move exactly the points the booking needs from your card's rewards portal and book as soon as they land. Award seats can disappear while points sit in your account.
Points cover the fare, not everything. My Qatar booking needed ₹78,847 in taxes and seat selection. The Lufthansa booking needed ₹1,44,019 in taxes and carrier surcharges.
Two Qatar QSuites for 85,000 Avios with HDFC Infinia points, Miami to Doha to Bangalore, and every step to book your own.
Read the QSuites storyA day with Dhimant and me. We audit cards as a group and book real redemptions live on screen.
One 60-minute strategy session on Zoom: your card audit, your trip plan and the exact transfer routes to get there.
Two strategy sessions, a written plan after each, and coffee with Dhimant or me in Bangalore, or on Zoom.
Dhimant and me running your whole card portfolio year-round, with a direct WhatsApp line to both of us.
An intimate gathering of India's most serious points and miles practitioners. So far in Bangkok and Hanoi.
A day with Dhimant and me. We audit cards as a group, book real redemptions live on screen, and answer every question you bring.
3,54,612 credit card points for two people, plus ₹2,22,866 in taxes, surcharges and seat charges. The outbound on Qatar Airways took 1,80,000 Amex and HSBC points. The return on Lufthansa took 1,74,612 Axis Magnus Burgundy points.
Numbers are for my dates on the day I booked. Fares, award prices, taxes and transfer ratios change, so price your own dates before you move any points.
