Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
GUIDE
How to transfer credit card points in India
Reward points earned on India-issued HDFC, Axis and ICICI Bank credit cards can be turned into airline and hotel loyalty currency. KrisFlyer says reward points earned with its bank and retail partners can be converted to miles, Emirates Skywards Miles are valid for three years, and Avios survive as long as at least one Avios is collected, spent, bought or shared every 36 months. [5] [6] [8]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- KrisFlyer publishes that reward points earned with its bank and retail partners can be converted into KrisFlyer miles, which can then be used for flights, cabin upgrades and purchases with partners. [5]
- Emirates Skywards says its Miles are valid for three years. [6] The British Airways Club says Avios do not expire as long as you collect, spend, buy or share at least one Avios every 36 months. [8]
- Bonus conversion offers are tied to a named partner, market and set of dates: KrisFlyer listed a 20% bonus for Hong Kong ELEMENTS CLUB members converting ELEMENTS POINTS between 1 and 31 October 2026. [5]
What the programme pages publish
KrisFlyer describes membership as free to join, with miles earned in the air and through everyday spending, and states that reward points earned when you spend with its bank and retail partners can be converted to miles. [5] Emirates Skywards lists banking among its partner categories and says members can add to their balance by buying, gifting or multiplying Miles. [6] The British Airways Club lists credit cards as one of the ways to collect Avios. [8]
Eligibility is decided at card level.
Doing the conversion, step by step
1. Choose the receiving programme first. Confirm that the programme publishes bank or partner conversions at all. KrisFlyer, for example, states that reward points earned with its bank and retail partners can be converted to miles. [5]
2. Check what the miles can be spent on. KrisFlyer miles can be used to redeem flights and upgrades and to offset purchases with partners. [5] If the redemption you have in mind is not on that list, the conversion may not serve its purpose.
3. Look for a dated conversion campaign. Bonus campaigns are narrow by design. KrisFlyer listed an offer of 20% bonus KrisFlyer miles for ELEMENTS CLUB members who successfully converted ELEMENTS POINTS to KrisFlyer miles during 1–31 October 2026, both dates inclusive. [5] A campaign like that applies to one partner, one market and one window, and says nothing about any other issuer or card.
4. Check for a deadline on the points side before they move. KrisFlyer states that KrisPay miles can be transferred at a rate of 1 KrisPay mile to 1 KrisFlyer mile, within 21 days of the earn transaction. [5] That 21-day limit belongs to that specific route; it is not a general rule for card points.
5. Record the date and quantity you converted. If credit goes missing, the receiving programme's own claim rules and time limits decide what you can recover, and those limits differ between programmes. [8]
After the miles land
Once points become airline miles, the receiving programme's validity rule takes over, and it is not the same everywhere. Emirates states that Skywards Miles are valid for three years. [6] The British Airways Club states that Avios will not expire as long as you collect, spend, buy or share at least one Avios every 36 months, and that if you neither collect nor use Avios for three years they expire and are removed. [8]
Claims work on their own clock. The British Airways Club lets members claim missing Avios or tier points up to six months after their flight, and new members can claim for flights taken before they joined. [8]
Exceptions and limits
- Scope of this page. Only India-issued HDFC, Axis and ICICI Bank cards are in scope, and only KrisFlyer, Emirates Skywards and The British Airways Club were checked as receiving programmes. [5] [6] [8] Nothing here should be read across to another issuer, another market or another airline.
- Card-level variation. Transfer rules are not universal across card products. Each issuer's card-specific terms and partner list control, and where a partner is not published it should not be inferred.
- Dated promotions. The ELEMENTS bonus applied only to conversions made within 1–31 October 2026 and only for that partner's members in Hong Kong. [5] A promotion ending does not change the underlying conversion route, but it does change what you receive.
- Market-limited card benefits. Emirates says the Tier Miles offer on cobranded cards is currently available for select Emirates Skywards cobranded cards in the USA. [6] That is an example of a card benefit restricted by market and product, and it does not extend to Indian cards.
- Different expiry clocks. Three-year validity at Skywards and the 36-month activity rule at The British Airways Club mean the same number of converted miles can have very different shelf lives. [6] [8] Check the rule of the programme you are crediting, not the one you last read about.
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Other airline programmes are also not covered on this page.
- Singapore Airlines — KrisFlyer and PPS Club programme page, checked 18 October 2026
- Emirates Skywards programme page, checked 18 October 2026
- The British Airways Club — Collecting Avios, checked 18 October 2026