Last year, SBI launched a three-mile card. The miles on these cards can also be transferred to Airlines and hotels. They have also added a few new transfer partners since launch. The good thing is that the transfer ratio is the same. Apart from SBI Miles, you can also transfer SBI Aurum Points to some partners; however, the transfer ratio is different.
SBI Miles Airline Transfer Partner
There are 19 airline transfer partners, including Vietnam Airlines, which was recently added.
| Airlines | Frequent Flyer Program | Airline Alliance | Conversion Ratio [Miles] | Conversion Ratio [Aurum] |
| Air Arabia | AA Rewards | None | 2:1 | NA |
| Air Canada | Aeroplan | Star Alliance | 1:1 | NA |
| Air Asia | AirAsia rewards | None | 1:1 | 4:1 |
| Air France-KLM | Flying Blue | SkyTeam | 1:1 | NA |
| Air India | Maharaja Club | Star Alliance | 1:1 | 5:1 |
| British Airways | Executive Club | OneWorld | 1:1 | NA |
| Cathay Pacific | Cathay | OneWorld | 1:1 | NA |
| Etihad Airways | Etihad Guest | None | 1:1 | NA |
| Emirates | SkyWards | None | 2:1 | NA |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Sheba Miles | Star Alliance | 2:1 | NA |
| Japan Airlines | JAL Mileage Bank | OneWorld | 2:1 | NA |
| Saudia | AlFursan | SkyTeam | 2:1 | NA |
| Spice Jet | SpiceClub | None | 1:1 | NA |
| Thai Airways | Royal Orchid Plus | Star Alliance | 1:1 | NA |
| Turkish Airlines | Miles&Smiles | Star Alliance | 2:1 | NA |
| United Airlines | United MileagePlus | Star Alliance | 2:1 | NA |
| Qantas Airways | Qantas Frequent Flyer | OneWorld | 1:1 | NA |
| Qatar Airways | Privilege Club | OneWorld | 2:1 | 5:1 |
| Vietnam Airlines (New) | Lotus Miles | SkyTeam | 1:1 | NA |
- You should not transfer points to AirAsia, as 100 AirAsia points are worth 1 MYR, which would make each AirAsia point worth approximately ₹ 0.2.
- Also, it is better to transfer miles to British Airways to get Avios rather than to Qatar Airways, since the transfer ratio is 1:1 with British Airways and 2:1 with Qatar Airways.
- Air Arabia’s fixed value is 1 USD per 100 points, making 1 SBI Mile worth ₹ 0.45.
- Both Air Canada and Air France-KLM have many airline partners, making them good options for a 1:1 miles transfer ratio.
- Cathay Pacific is a decent partner. After Amex, we can also transfer SBI Miles to Cathay, which is good.
- Vietnam Airlines has recently been added.
SBI Miles Hotel Transfer Partner
You can also transfer SBI Miles to many hotel transfer partners, some of which are unique to SBI Miles.
| Airlines | Loyalty Program | Conversion Ratio [Miles] | Conversion Ratio [Aurum] |
| Accor | Accor – ALL | 2:1 | NA |
| IHG Hotels & Resorts | IHG One Rewards | 1:1 | NA |
| ITC Hotels | Club ITC | 2:1 | 5:1 |
| Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts | Jumeirah One | 2:1 | NA |
| Orchid Hotels | Orchid Rewards | 1:1 | NA |
| Wyndham Hotels & Resorts | Wyndham Rewards | 1:1 | NA |
| Shangri-La Group | Shangri-La Circle | 6:1 | NA |
| Radisson Hotel | Radisson Rewards | 1:1 | NA |
- Accor has a fixed point value; 2000 Accor points are worth € 40.
- Shangri-La Circle points also have a fixed value of 15 points to 1 USD. That means 1 SBI Mile would be worth ₹ 0.95 if redeemed at Shangri-La. You can also transfer Shangri-La points to Krisflyer; however, it is not recommended to transfer SBI Miles to Krisflyer.
- ITC Green points are worth a minimum of ₹ 1. However, I found them to give slightly more value than this. So, SBI Miles gives ₹ 0.50 per ITC point.
Alternative
SBI Miles Travel Credit can be used for travel booking for ₹ 0.50 per travel credit or ₹ 0.25 per travel credit for Shop & Smile Product Catalogue.
Other Transfer Partner
If you have SBI AURUM Reward Points, you can also transfer them to Adani One points. The transfer ratio of 4:1 applies.
Unique Airline & Hotel Partners
These are SBI’s unique partners to which you can transfer only from SBI, or some of them accept Amex.
- Air Arabia: Fixed Value $ per 100 AA rewards.
- Cathay Pacific (also available from Amex & HSBC): Access to Cathay Pacific Premium Cabin
- Emirates (Amex at 2:1): Top up Emirates Skywards Miles
- Saudia: Decent Mileage requirement for own metal
- Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts
- Shangri-La Group: Fixed value of $ per 15 Shangri-La Circle Points
- Orchid Hotels: This is an interesting redemption option.
Transfer Time
I don’t have the actual transfer time; however, according to SBI, processing transfer requests can take up to 21 days. If you are looking for instant transfers, SBI probably isn’t for you. However, I would still not write off SBI.
Bottomline
Several SBI Miles transfer partners exist. The transfer ratio is decent, especially for some airline partners. Even though SBI Miles’ earnings are low, the transfer ratio can make up for lost opportunities.
