Hotel Points to Airline Miles: When Converting Pays Off
📅 Updated as of 4 Oct 2026. Ratios are from each programme’s conversion page; values use DealUni’s point values (checked 26 Sep 2026).
Almost every hotel programme lets you turn points into airline miles. Most of the time, that’s like exchanging rupees at an airport forex counter: it works, and you lose a lot in the process. But there are a few situations where it’s exactly the right move. Here’s how each programme works, with the rupee maths.
TL;DR
- ✅ Marriott Bonvoy is the only hotel programme that converts well: 3:1, plus 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points. 60,000 points become 25,000 miles at 39 airlines.
- ❌ Accor, IHG, Hilton and Hyatt lose 50–70% of the value, even though Accor (30+ airlines), IHG (34) and Hilton (26) have long partner lists. Accor points are worth a fixed ₹2 on a hotel bill, so converting them almost never makes sense.
- 🎯 Convert only to top up a specific award you’ve already found, or to rescue points about to expire.
- ⏳ Transfers are one-way and slow: from a day (some Marriott partners) to 6–10 weeks (Accor, IHG, Club ITC). Award seats can disappear while you wait.
Hotel to airline conversion rates
| Hotel programme | Standard rate | Best rate | India-relevant partners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy(35+ airlines) | 3 points = 1 mile | 60,000 = 25,000 miles (5,000 bonus); United: 60,000 = 30,000 | KrisFlyer, Qatar, Emirates, Etihad, Turkish, Aeroplan, Flying Blue (no Air India) |
| Accor ALL (30+ airlines) | 4,000 = 2,000 miles | 1:1 to Iberia, Flying Blue, Air Europa and Virgin Australia; Qantas 2,000 = 2,500; Qatar 4,000 = 3,000 | KrisFlyer, Qatar, Emirates, Etihad, IndiGo BluChip (no Air India) |
| IHG One Rewards(34 airlines) | 5,000 = 1,000 miles (minimum 10,000) | Air India: 1,000 = 200 Maharaja Points | Air India, BA, Emirates, Singapore and more (by phone) |
| Hilton Honors (26 airlines) | 10,000 = 1,000 miles | KrisFlyer 8,000 = 1,000; Qantas and Virgin Atlantic 10,000 = 1,500 | KrisFlyer, Qatar, Emirates, Etihad, Turkish, InterMiles |
| World of Hyatt (25 airlines + Aeroplan) | 5,000 = 2,000 miles | Aeroplan 2:1 (new, July 2026); 5,000 bonus miles per 50,000 converted | Aeroplan, KrisFlyer, Qatar, Emirates, Etihad |
| Club ITC | 2 Green Points = 3 Marriott Bonvoy points (hotel to hotel). Max 5,000 Green Points a quarter from 1 May 2026; minimum 2,000. | Via Marriott, then to any Marriott airline | |
Taj NeuPass NeuCoins and GHA DISCOVERY D$ don’t convert to airline miles. Ratios change often, so check the programme’s conversion page before converting.
The rupee maths: what you give up
A conversion only makes sense if the miles you get are worth more than the hotel nights you give up. Here’s what that looks like using our midpoint values:
| You convert | Hotel value | You get | Miles value | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy | ₹42,000 | 25,000 KrisFlyer | ₹40,000 | 🟡 –5%, about break-even |
| 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy | ₹42,000 | 30,000 United | ₹33,000 | 🔴 –21% |
| 10,000 Accor ALL | ₹20,000 | 10,000 Iberia Avios | ₹10,000 | 🔴 –50% |
| 10,000 Accor ALL | ₹20,000 | 5,000 KrisFlyer | ₹8,000 | 🔴 –60% |
| 50,000 IHG | ₹26,250 | 10,000 Maharaja Points | ₹11,000 | 🔴 –58% |
| 100,000 Hilton | ₹40,000 | 10,000 miles | ₹11,000–16,000 | 🔴 –60% to –70% |
| 50,000 Hyatt | ₹75,000 | 25,000 miles | ₹30,000–40,000 | 🔴 about –50% |
| 5,000 Club ITC Green Points | ₹4,500 | 7,500 Marriott Bonvoy | ₹5,250 | 🟢 +17% |
Point values per point: Bonvoy ₹0.70, Accor ₹2 (fixed €0.02 at about ₹100/€), IHG ₹0.525, Hilton ₹0.40, Hyatt ₹1.50, Club ITC ₹0.90, KrisFlyer ₹1.60, United ₹1.10, Avios ₹1.00, Maharaja ₹1.10. Your value depends on what you book.
The pattern is clear: only Marriott comes close to break-even, and only to the higher-value airlines. Accor is the worst offender, because its points already work like cash: 2,000 points take €40 off any Accor bill. Turning ₹2 of hotel value into ₹1 of miles is a straight loss.
Programme by programme
Marriott Bonvoy: the one worth knowing
- Advantages: 39 airlines, including KrisFlyer, Qatar, Emirates, Turkish and Aeroplan. The 60,000-point bonus makes the effective rate 2.4:1 (2:1 for United). Easy to earn in India through the HDFC Marriott Bonvoy card, Amex (1:1) and Club ITC. Many transfers post within a few days.
- Disadvantages: No Air India. American, Delta and Avianca get no 60,000 bonus. Below 60,000 points, the rate is a poor 3:1.
- Use it when: you’re a few thousand miles short of a Singapore, Qatar or Star Alliance award. Watch for airline bonuses too: Aeroplan gave 15% on Marriott conversions in October 2026.
Accor ALL: keep them for hotels
- Advantages: 30+ airlines, including IndiGo BluChip. Iberia, Flying Blue, Air Europa and Virgin Australia convert 1:1, and Qatar improved to 4,000 = 3,000 Avios. (Air India is no longer a partner.)
- Disadvantages: Points are worth a fixed €0.02 at any Accor hotel, so every conversion loses at least half the value. Transfers take up to 6 weeks.
- Use it when: almost never. The exception is when you’ll never stay at an Accor hotel and need a small top-up.
IHG One Rewards: now with Air India
- Advantages: Air India’s new IHG partnership lets you convert 1,000 IHG points into 200 Maharaja Points, and earn 2 Maharaja Points per US$1 on IHG stays instead of IHG points (3x until 31 Dec 2026).
- Disadvantages: 5:1 is a poor rate, with a 10,000-point minimum. Conversions are by phone only: usually 14–21 days, and up to 60 business days for Air India.
- Use it when: you have leftover IHG points you can’t use for a night. For future stays, it’s better to choose Maharaja Points as your earning currency.
Hilton: don’t
At 10:1, 100,000 Hilton points (enough for a free night or two at a good Hilton) become just 10,000 miles. KrisFlyer is slightly better at 8:1, and Qantas and Virgin Atlantic at 10:1.5, but all of them lose most of the value. Use it only to rescue points about to expire.
World of Hyatt: keep them, but note the Aeroplan link
- Advantages: The new Aeroplan partnership (from 15 July 2026) converts Hyatt points at 2:1, better than Hyatt’s usual 5:2. Aeroplan books Air India, Singapore, Lufthansa, Turkish and the rest of Star Alliance. You can also choose 500 Aeroplan points per Hyatt stay instead of Hyatt points.
- Disadvantages: Hyatt points are among the most valuable hotel points (often ₹1.50 or more), so any conversion throws value away. Other airlines take 6–8 weeks.
- The maths: 10,000 Hyatt points become 5,000 Aeroplan points (2:1) instead of 4,000 miles elsewhere. At 50,000 points, both routes give 25,000, because the standard route adds a 5,000-mile bonus.
- Use it when: you need a small Aeroplan top-up for a Star Alliance award. Otherwise, book a Hyatt night.
Club ITC: the hidden gem
- Advantages: 2 Green Points become 3 Bonvoy points, a 50% uplift, and the only hotel conversion here that gains value.
- Disadvantages: Capped at 5,000 Green Points a quarter (20,000 a year) from 1 May 2026. One-way, and takes 8–10 weeks.
- Use it when: you earn Green Points but want Marriott stays abroad, or you’re building up to a 60,000 Bonvoy block for an airline.
Full airline partner lists
| Programme | Airline partners |
|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy(3:1) | Aegean, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air China, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Air New Zealand (200:1), Alaska, ANA, American*, Avianca LifeMiles*, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Southern, Copa, Delta*, Emirates, Etihad, Frontier, Hainan, Iberia, JAL, LATAM, Qantas, Qatar, Saudia, Singapore KrisFlyer, Southwest, TAP, Thai, Turkish, United (10,000 bonus), Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia, Vueling |
| Accor ALL(mostly 2:1) | Aegean, Aeromexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air China, Air Europa (1:1), Air New Zealand, Avianca LifeMiles, Azul, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair (2,000 = 1,300), Flying Blue (1:1), GOL Smiles, Gulf Air, Iberia (1:1), IndiGo BluChip (3:2), JAL, Juneyao, Kenya Airways, Korean Air, LATAM, Qantas (4:5), Qatar (4:3), Singapore KrisFlyer, TAP, Thai, United, Vietnam Airlines (3:2), Virgin Australia (1:1) |
| IHG One Rewards(5:1) | 34 airlines including Air India, American, Delta, United, Alaska, British Airways, Emirates, Singapore and other major carriers |
| Hilton Honors(10:1) | Aeromexico, Aeroplan, AirAsia (10:2), ANA, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, Delta, Emirates, Ethiopian, Etihad, EVA Air, Flying Blue, Hainan, InterMiles, JAL, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas (10:1.5), Qatar, Saudia, Singapore KrisFlyer (8:1), Turkish, United, Virgin Atlantic (10:1.5), Virgin Australia (10:1.5) |
| World of Hyatt (5:2) | Aeroplan (2:1), Aeromexico (5:4), Air China, ANA, American, Asiana, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Flying Blue, JAL, Korean Air, LATAM, Qantas, Qatar, Royal Brunei, Singapore KrisFlyer, Southwest, Thai, United, Virgin Atlantic (5:3) |
* No 60,000-point bonus on Marriott transfers to American, Delta and Avianca. Ratios are hotel points : airline miles. Partner lists change often, so check each programme’s page before converting.
Worked example: the KrisFlyer top-up
You’ve found a Singapore Airlines Saver award and you’re 20,000 KrisFlyer miles short. You have 60,000 Marriott points and no Marriott stay planned.
| Option | Cost | Miles | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convert 60,000 Bonvoy | ₹42,000 of hotel value | 25,000 (5,000 spare) | ✅ Best if no stay planned |
| Convert 45,000 Bonvoy | ₹31,500 | 15,000 (still 5,000 short) | ❌ Misses the bonus and the target |
| Transfer from Axis or HDFC card points | Depends on your card | Up to 20,000 | ✅ Often better, if you have the points |
Always convert Marriott in 60,000 blocks. Check the seat is still available before converting: once points leave Marriott, they can’t come back.
What to do
| You are… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Short of a specific award and holding Marriott points | ✅ Convert in 60,000 blocks to a partner with good award prices |
| Holding Accor, Hilton or Hyatt points | ❌ Use them on hotels; converting loses half the value or more |
| Holding IHG points you can’t use | 🤔 Convert to Air India at 5:1 only if the alternative is losing them |
| Earning Club ITC Green Points | ✅ Move up to 5,000 a quarter to Marriott if you’ll use Bonvoy |
| Points expiring next month | ✅ Any conversion beats zero. Pick the airline you’ll actually fly. |
FAQ
Do my names need to match? Yes. The name on the hotel account and the airline account must match exactly, or the transfer fails and the points can take weeks to come back.
Can I convert to a family member’s airline account? Usually not. Most programmes only allow transfers to an account in your own name.
DealUni take
Hotel points are best used on hotels. Marriott is the one exception worth keeping in your back pocket, as a top-up for a specific award, in 60,000 blocks. For everything else, convert only to rescue points that would otherwise expire.
Hotel ke points hotel mein hi chamakte hain. (Hotel points shine brightest at hotels.)
See which of your points go furthest with the DealUni Rewards Toolkit. Going the other way? Read Airline Miles to Hotel Points: Is Converting Ever Worth It?
Sources: Marriott Bonvoy points to miles; ALL Accor airline partner conditions; IHG and Air India Maharaja Club partnership terms (Sep 2026); Club ITC conversion rules effective 1 May 2026. Hilton, Hyatt and IHG partner lists and rates from their points-to-miles pages; Aeroplan and World of Hyatt partnership from 15 July 2026. Point values from DealUni’s data (26 Sep 2026); EUR at about ₹100.
