Air India Maharaja Club Tiers in 2026: Red, Silver, Gold and Platinum Explained for Indian Flyers
By Aarav Sharma (Aarav Sharma covers Indian airline operations, airport infrastructure and route economics. He writes about Tier-1 and Tier-2 airport developments, IndiGo and Air India fleet strategy, and the unsung Indian aviation hubs travellers should know about.) · Published · Last updated · 13 min read
Maharaja Club is Air India's unified loyalty programme after it absorbed Flying Returns and Club Vistara. There are four tiers — Red, Silver, Gold, Platinum — with lower qualification thresholds from April 2026 and Star Alliance status attached. Here's exactly how each tier works for Indian flyers.
Quick answer
Maharaja Club is Air India's frequent-flyer programme, and it has four tiers: Red (free base tier), Silver, Gold and Platinum. As of June 2026, following an April 2026 update, the flight-count thresholds are lower than before — Silver from 20 qualifying flights, Gold from 45, and Platinum from 60 (each with a minimum number of Air India flights). Silver, Gold and Platinum carry Star Alliance status (Silver / Gold). The programme absorbed both Flying Returns and Club Vistara after the merger. Exact qualification and benefits change — confirm on the Air India Maharaja Club page.
The four Maharaja Club tiers at a glance
Maharaja Club uses a four-tier ladder. As of June 2026:
| Tier | How you reach it | Star Alliance status |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Free — automatic on sign-up | None |
| Silver | ~20 qualifying flights (min. 4 on Air India) or a points threshold | Star Alliance Silver |
| Gold | ~45 qualifying flights (min. 8 on Air India) | Star Alliance Gold |
| Platinum | ~60 qualifying flights (min. 12 on Air India) | Star Alliance Gold |
You can also qualify via tier points rather than raw flight count — useful for premium-cabin and long-haul flyers who take fewer but pricier trips. The thresholds above were reduced in April 2026 from the earlier 30/60/90-flight requirements, making status more reachable for regular domestic flyers. Always reconfirm the current numbers on Air India's site, as airlines tweak qualification annually.
What each tier actually gets you
The benefits scale up the ladder:
- Red: Earn and redeem points; that's the core. No lounge, no priority.
- Silver: Bonus points on flights, Star Alliance Silver (waitlist priority, some partner perks), and the entry-level status most frequent domestic flyers chase first.
- Gold: The sweet spot — priority check-in, extra baggage allowance, priority boarding, and lounge access at qualifying airports, plus Star Alliance Gold across 20+ partner airlines worldwide.
- Platinum: Everything in Gold plus the highest priority on waitlists, upgrades and service recovery, and the most generous baggage and lounge entitlements.
For a Mumbai- or Delhi-based flyer doing 20–25 sectors a year, Gold is the realistic and most rewarding target — lounge access alone can be worth more than the points.
What changed after the Vistara merger
Before the merger, Tata ran two separate programmes: Air India's Flying Returns and Vistara's Club Vistara. When Air India and Vistara combined (the merger completed in November 2024), both programmes were folded into the redesigned Maharaja Club, with around 4.5 million Club Vistara accounts inducted. Members generally retained the higher of their two tiers, and balances were unified into Maharaja Points. See our guide on what happened to your miles balance for the migration specifics.
One practical consequence: the old separate award charts and partner lists were rationalised. Vistara's standalone codeshare partnerships did not all carry over, but Air India's membership of Star Alliance brought 20-plus partner airlines into the mix — a net expansion for most flyers.
Earning points: flights, cards and partners
You earn Maharaja Points three main ways: flying Air India (and now Air India Express, where redemption was enabled in May 2026), spending on a co-branded Air India credit card, and transferring points from bank reward currencies. Indian co-brand and transfer-partner cards (covered in our co-brand cards guide) can accelerate status meaningfully if you put routine spending through them.
The honest caveat: redemption value swings with dynamic award pricing, so treat any 'value per point' figure as indicative. Before you book a paid Air India ticket purely to chase a tier, compare the cash cost of the same trip across airlines in the FlightGPT chat — sometimes the status isn't worth the fare premium.
Is chasing Maharaja Club status worth it for Indians?
For high-frequency flyers — consultants, sales teams, anyone doing 20+ sectors a year — Gold pays for itself in lounge access, free extra baggage and priority during the inevitable delay. For someone flying 4–6 times a year, the points are a nice rebate but the status tiers are out of reach, and you're better off optimising your credit-card lounge access instead.
The lower April-2026 thresholds genuinely move the needle: 20 flights for Silver is achievable for a regular Delhi–Bengaluru or Mumbai–Delhi commuter. If you already fly Air India by default on the Delhi to Bengaluru corridor, registering for Maharaja Club is free and you may as well bank the points.
Maharaja Club vs IndiGo and the Gulf carriers' programmes
If you're deciding which airline to give your loyalty, it's worth seeing how Maharaja Club stacks up. IndiGo's 6E Rewards is simpler and points-led but lacks Maharaja Club's Star Alliance tie-up and global partner reach. The Gulf carriers' programmes (Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Qatar Privilege Club) are richer for international long-haul flyers from India, with generous premium-cabin redemptions — but you have to actually fly those carriers.
For a India-based flyer doing mostly domestic plus the occasional Star Alliance international trip, Maharaja Club is now the strongest home-carrier programme after the merger consolidated Air India's and Vistara's memberships and added Air India Express earning. The honest caveat remains: dynamic award pricing means redemption value swings, so don't over-credit a tier's 'worth'. Compare the cash cost of any flight you're tempted to book for status in the FlightGPT chat. See our IndiGo vs Air India loyalty comparison.
Key takeaways
The short version for Indian flyers: Maharaja Club has four tiers — Red (free), Silver, Gold, Platinum — and after the April 2026 update, status is more reachable (Silver ~20 flights, Gold ~45, Platinum ~60).
- Realistic target: Gold for the lounge access, extra baggage and priority, if you fly ~20–25 sectors a year.
- Free to join: Red costs nothing — register and bank points even as an occasional flyer.
- Post-merger: Flying Returns and Club Vistara are unified here, with Star Alliance status at the upper tiers and Air India Express earning added in May 2026.
Treat point 'value' as indicative given dynamic award pricing, and never book a pricier fare purely for status without comparing the cash cost in the FlightGPT chat. Confirm current thresholds on airindia.com.
Frequently asked questions
How many flights do I need for Air India Maharaja Club Silver in 2026?
As of June 2026, after an April 2026 update, Silver typically requires around 20 qualifying flights including a minimum of 4 on Air India, or an equivalent tier-points threshold. Confirm the exact current requirement on airindia.com, as thresholds change annually.
What are the Maharaja Club tiers?
There are four: Red (free base tier on sign-up), Silver, Gold and Platinum. Silver, Gold and Platinum also carry Star Alliance status, giving benefits across 20-plus partner airlines worldwide.
Did my Flying Returns or Club Vistara status carry over to Maharaja Club?
Yes. After the Air India–Vistara merger, both Flying Returns and Club Vistara were unified into Maharaja Club. Members generally retained the higher of their two tiers and balances were consolidated into Maharaja Points.
Does Maharaja Club give lounge access?
Gold and Platinum members get lounge access at qualifying airports, plus Star Alliance Gold partner-lounge access. Red and Silver members generally do not get complimentary Air India lounge access — for that, most flyers rely on a credit card.
Can I earn Maharaja Points on Air India Express?
Yes. From May 2026, Air India expanded Maharaja Club to allow points earning and redemption on Air India Express flights, bringing the low-cost arm into the unified programme. Check the current earn rates on airindia.com.