Quick Hits: Amex 10X on Air India, BOBCARD Etihad, Qatar Bonus

Updated as of 12 Oct 2026. Four short items, each checked against the airline, bank or card network’s own page.

1. Amex Platinum earns 10X on airindia.com until July 2027

Air India is an Amex RewardXcelerator partner. The Platinum Charge Card earns 10 Membership Rewards points per ₹40 (1 base + 9 bonus) on bookings made on airindia.com or the Air India app, with no cap, from 1 Aug 2026 to 31 Jul 2027. Centurion also earns 10X, Platinum Reserve 5X and Platinum Corporate 2X. Bookings through travel agents, OTAs or airport counters don’t count.

The maths: a ₹50,000 ticket earns 12,500 points, worth about ₹7,250 even as Taj vouchers (₹0.58 a point) and more if you transfer to Marriott (1:1) or Virgin Atlantic (5:4). That’s 14.5% back or better. If you hold the Platinum card, this is the default way to pay for Air India. It also beats Air India’s bank EMI offers; see our EMI offer breakdown.

2. BOBCARD Etihad cards: up to 15,000 welcome miles

BOBCARD’s card pages now show bigger welcome offers for new cardholders. Etihad Guest Premium: 10,000 miles for spending ₹50,000 in the first 65 days (and paying the ₹5,000 + GST fee), plus 5,000 more at ₹1,00,000 total spend. Etihad Guest (base): 5,000 + 2,500 miles on ₹25,000 and ₹50,000. BOBCARD links November offer terms, so expect it to run until mid-November.

Our take: apply only if you want the Premium card’s 0% forex anyway. Full details in our BOBCARD Etihad Guest Premium review.

3. Qatar’s 35% Avios conversion bonus: skip it from India

Qatar Airways Privilege Club is giving 15% to 35% bonus Avios on points converted from partners until 31 Oct 2026: 15% up to 49,999 Avios, 25% for 50,000–99,999 and 35% for 1,00,000+, per single transaction. Bonus Avios arrive by 30 Nov.

The catch for Indians: no Indian bank is on the partner list. HSBC counts only in Qatar and the UAE. The only partners open to us are hotel programmes (ALL Accor, IHG, World of Hyatt and Shangri-La Circle), and converting hotel points to Avios almost always loses value, even with 35% extra. Use those points for hotel nights instead. Our Qatar Privilege Deals post covers better ways to use Avios.

4. Maharaja Club adds Europcar

Air India’s Maharaja Club has added Europcar as a partner. You can earn Maharaja Points on car rentals in 140+ countries when you book through the Air India x Europcar partner page, which also shows member rates based on your Maharaja Club tier. Air India hasn’t published the earn rate in its announcement, so check the partner page before booking. Handy if you rent cars abroad and already collect Maharaja Points.

Chhote deals, par sahi card se bade ho jaate hain. (Small deals get bigger with the right card.)

Sources: Air India Amex offer; BOBCARD Etihad Guest Premium and Etihad Guest card pages; Qatar Airways conversion bonus; Air India Maharaja Club member email, 12 Oct 2026. Checked 12 Oct 2026.