The offer
Air India is paying new Maharaja Club members up to 2,000 bonus points for joining before October 31, 2026. The structure is in two halves: 1,000 points credited when you enroll, and 1,000 more after your first eligible flight on Air India or Air India Express. Live from a Lounge reported the offer on October 13 from an Air India mailer, with enrollments counted from September 22.
One caution before you count on the full amount. Air India's public sign-up page and its special offers page still describe only the standing welcome bonus of 1,000 points. The extra 1,000 appears to be tied to the promotional link in the airline's email campaign rather than to the general sign-up form. If you are joining to get the full 2,000, use the link from the mailer or the one Live from a Lounge routes through, and keep a screenshot of the terms as they appeared when you enrolled.
What 2,000 points buy
Not a lot, but more than it sounds. Maharaja Club awards start at 1,500 points, which Air India uses for short domestic sectors and partner upgrades. Our Maharaja Club calculator puts a point at about 0.6 US cents, so the full bonus is worth around $12. The value is less in the points than in the account: Air India is a Star Alliance member, Maharaja Club points earn and burn on Star partners, and the program has been adding partners and promotions at a pace that makes it worth holding an account if you fly to or within India at all.
The offers that stack
The sign-up bonus runs alongside two others. A targeted 3X Maharaja Points offer, registered by email, pays triple points to members who fly three or more eligible Air India or Air India Express sectors between September 24 and October 31; the terms are on Air India's site. And IHG One Rewards is paying 3X points to Maharaja Club members who credit IHG stays to the program through December 31. A new member who enrolls, takes a first flight before the end of the month and registers for 3X could stack the first-flight bonus with triple base points on the same sector.
Why Air India is pushing enrollment
Air India has had a difficult year. It posted a $2.3 billion loss, changed chief executives this month and is still working through cabin retrofits and a trust problem after the Frankfurt-Delhi hijack alert in mid-October, as we covered in our piece on what is going wrong at Air India. Loyalty enrollments are cheap to buy and give the airline a direct channel to customers; a 2,000-point welcome is the price of one email address.
For a traveler, that is fine. The points are free, the account costs nothing to hold, and Air India's Maharaja Club points do not expire as long as there is activity every 36 months.
How to claim it
Enroll through the promotional link before October 31, enter your membership number on any Air India or Air India Express booking you already hold, and check the account two to three weeks after the flight. If the second 1,000 does not post, write to Maharaja Club with the enrollment date and the flight details. The first 1,000 should appear within a few days of joining.