A ₹1,11,000 night at Raffles.I paid ₹1,350.
- One night at Raffles London at The OWO, Churchill's Old War Office
- 51,000 Accor points covered everything else
- The points came from two credit cards: Axis Magnus Burgundy and HSBC Premier
- Below: the cards, the ratios and the exact steps to do it yourself
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.
The room the points bought.
High ceilings, tall Whitehall windows, a writing desk, and scones with jam and clotted cream waiting on arrival. Tap for sound.
MI5 and MI6 were born in this building.
In 1909 the British government set up the Secret Service Bureau inside the War Office, and it met in the basement. Under Mansfield Cumming and Vernon Kell it split in two. One half became MI6, the other MI5.
In the Second World War, Special Operations Executive agents were interviewed and briefed downstairs. Churchill had his office on the second floor, in what is now the Haldane Suite. One of the five Heritage Suites is named after Christine Granville, said to be his favourite spy. Ian Fleming knew these corridors before he wrote James Bond, and Bond has since been filmed outside them in Skyfall and Spectre.
Saniya and I walked through the Haldane Suite, Churchill's old office. Red velvet, oak panelling, his view over Whitehall. It's a hotel suite now. You can feel that it wasn't always.
There's a heritage tour at 10:30 in the morning that walks you through all of it. Ask the concierge to put your name down. It's the best hour you'll spend in the building.
Photos: Raffles London at The OWO
London waits weeks for Gymkhana.We asked the concierge.
Gymkhana holds two Michelin stars, and its tables usually go weeks ahead. I asked the Raffles concierge if they could help. A table for four came back in quick time. That's Raffles service, and you get it even when the room is paid for in points.
Use your free welcome drink voucher at the Spy Bar.
Downstairs, in rooms that once held the War Office's secrets, there's a bar behind a door marked 007. A member of staff walks you down. Your room comes with a complimentary welcome drink voucher, and this is where Saniya and I used ours.
No pictures, though. They put a sticker over your phone camera at the door, which is why this is the hotel's photo, not mine.
117 hand-crafted glass petals, hung through a triple-height room. Lasvit made "Poppies" as a tribute to war heroes, in the building where Churchill once worked.
The suites, the spa, the staircase.
Indian credit cards that transfer to Accor
Three steps, the same on every card. Take the card's reward rate in points. Multiply by the transfer ratio to get Accor points (5:2 means ×0.4, 5:4 means ×0.8). Multiply by what an Accor point is worth: €0.02, ₹2.12.
Axis Burgundy Private: 15 EDGE per ₹200 is 7.5%. ×0.8 is 6% in Accor points. ×₹2.12 is 12.72% back.
Axis Burgundy Private
Complimentary for Burgundy Private clients (₹5 crore relationship). The strongest Accor earner in India.
HSBC Premier
For HSBC Premier banking customers. HSBC says transfers land instantly or within one business day.
Axis Magnus for Burgundy
Most Axis partners take Magnus for Burgundy points at 5:4. Accor is the exception at 5:2. Accor is a Group A partner, capped at 2 lakh EDGE a year.
HSBC TravelOne
4 points per ₹100 on flights, travel aggregators and forex.
Axis Magnus
35 EDGE per ₹200 above ₹1.5 lakh a month. Accor transfers capped at 1 lakh EDGE a year.
Axis Atlas
5 EDGE Miles per ₹100 on travel. Capped at 15,000 Accor points a year.
Etihad First · on pointsYour cards. Your spends. Your ₹1,350 night.
Most people already spend enough for a stay like this. They're earning on the wrong card. In one call we map what you spend to the card and the redemption that fits, and you leave with a written plan.
Book my Strategy SessionHow to book Raffles London with Accor points
- Step 1
Earn on a card that transfers to Accor
Put your everyday spends on one of the cards above: groceries, dining, bills, travel. Book flights and hotels through your bank's travel portal and buy gift vouchers through its voucher portal. That's where the multipliers are.
- Step 2
Join ALL Accor (free)
Create an ALL Accor Live Limitless account in the exact name on your card. That's where the points land.
- Step 3
Find your night first
Search Raffles London at The OWO on the ALL Accor app or all.accor.com and note the cash price. Accor points pay for the cash rate, so a cheaper night needs fewer points.
- Step 4
Transfer only what you need
Move points from your bank's rewards page to ALL Accor. Transfers are one way and can't be reversed, which is why you price the night before you move a single point.
- Step 5
Burn the points when you book, or at check-in
This is the one people get wrong. Use your points while booking on the ALL Accor app or website, or ask the front desk to apply them at check-in. Raffles won't take points at checkout. Leave it till then and you pay the full rate in cash.
- Step 6
Email the concierge before you land
Ask for the 10:30 heritage tour and the restaurant you can't get into. That's how we got Gymkhana.
Come hang out at Miles Ahead Pune
A day with Dhimant and me. We audit cards as a group, book real redemptions live on screen, and answer every question you bring. Stays like this one, worked out together.
Three things most people miss
The points part earns nothing
Whatever you pay with points doesn't earn new Accor points. Only the cash part does. Worth knowing before you burn every last point.
Never transfer on spec
Bank to Accor is one way. Price the night first, then move exactly what you need.
Ratios change
My Magnus points moved before Axis cut its Accor ratio from 5:4 to 5:2. Check today's ratio on your bank's page before you plan.
Singapore Suites · on pointsOne night like this is a win. Every trip like this is a system.
At ₹2 crore a year on cards, you're earning enough for nights like this many times over. Most of it leaks: the wrong card, the wrong transfer, points that expire. Sovereign is Dhimant and me running your entire card portfolio, year-round, so it doesn't.
- Your card stack rebuilt around your actual spend
- Every transfer and redemption planned before it's due
- Suites, QSuites, First and stays like this one, as the default
Raffles on Accor points, answered
Yes. The room rate for my night was ₹1,11,000. I paid with 51,000 ALL Accor points and ₹1,350 in cash. The points came from my Axis Magnus Burgundy and HSBC Premier credit cards. Your price depends on your dates, because Accor points pay for whatever the cash rate is that night.
Earn rates, ratios and point values checked 29 October 2026. Transfer ratios can change and hotel rates vary by date. Confirm both before you move points.
I flew in on points too. Upper Class, from 23,000 points.
Bengaluru to London in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class on Amex points. Here's that playbook.
See the flight playbook