How to Claim Missing Miles on Air India (Retro Claim Guide)
Flew Air India without your Maharaja Club number? You can still claim those miles up to 12 months later. Here's exactly how it works.
I flew New York to Panama to Barranquilla recently. United for the first leg, Copa for the second. Both Star Alliance. Single PNR. My Air India Maharaja Club number was in the booking from the start since I wanted to use my Gold benefits at the airport.
When I checked my Maharaja Club statement a few days later, only the United flight had credited. The Copa leg was missing despite being on the same PNR with the same frequent flyer number attached.
This happens more often than you'd think. When you fly multiple airlines on one itinerary, each carrier handles mileage credit independently. One might work, another might not.
The fix is a retro claim. And this is your reminder to actually check your statement after every Star Alliance flight, even when you entered your Maharaja Club number correctly.
What is a Retro Claim?
A retro claim lets you add miles for flights you've already taken to your Maharaja Club account. You can use this when:
- You forgot to add your frequent flyer number at booking
- You signed up for Maharaja Club after your flight
- The airline didn't credit your miles automatically (like my Copa situation)
The miles show up in your account just like they would have if everything worked correctly the first time.
Retro Claim Deadlines
You can't claim forever. Each airline has a window after which the miles are gone.
For Air India flights: You have 12 months (365 days) from the date of your flight.
For Star Alliance partner flights crediting to Maharaja Club:
| Deadline | Airlines |
|---|---|
| 180 days | Air New Zealand, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Copa, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways |
| 210 days | ANA |
| 365 days | Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, Asiana, Avianca, EgyptAir, Ethiopian, EVA Air, Lufthansa, Shenzhen Airlines, Swiss, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, United |
If you're sitting on an unclaimed flight from several months ago, submit that claim today.
How to Submit a Retro Claim
Step 1: Create a Maharaja Club Account
If you don't have one yet, sign up first. New members get 1,000 bonus miles when they join, which will credit along with your retro claim.
Step 2: Gather Your Flight Details
You'll need:
- Ticket number: 13-17 digits, found on your booking confirmation or boarding pass
- Flight date and route
- PNR: Your booking reference number
Step 3: Submit the Claim Online
Log into your Maharaja Club account and go to the Retro Claim section. Enter your flight details and submit.
If everything matches, you'll see a success message immediately. Miles typically appear in your account within a few minutes.
When the Online Claim Doesn't Work
The most common reason for failed claims is a name mismatch. Your first name and last name on the ticket must exactly match what's in your Maharaja Club account. Even small differences like "Rob" vs "Robert" or a missing middle name can cause the system to reject your claim.
My Copa claim didn't go through the online system. The form threw an error and the miles never showed up (may be because of United codeshare flight). I raised a ticket through the Maharaja Club portal, attached my boarding pass and flight details. Took a few days but they manually credited the points.
If the online route doesn't work, raise a support ticket and provide documentation. Keep your boarding passes until the miles actually appear in your account.
You Can Only Claim Your Own Flights
One thing to be clear about: you cannot claim someone else's flight to your account. The name on the ticket must match the name on the Maharaja Club account.
This means if your child flies, their miles go to their account, not yours. I'd suggest creating Maharaja Club accounts for your kids as well. Let those miles accumulate over the years. By the time they turn 16, they might have enough for a nice business class trip somewhere. Not a bad gift.
Since Maharaja Club allows family pooling with up to 8 members, you can always combine everyone's miles when it's time to redeem.
Retro Claims Keep Your Points Alive
A retro claim counts as earning activity, which resets your points expiry clock. Maharaja Club points expire after 24 months of inactivity, so getting those missing miles credited does double duty.
Bottomline
Check your Maharaja Club statement after every Air India and Star Alliance flight. Even when you entered your frequent flyer number at booking, partner airline credits don't always come through automatically.
If something's missing, claim it before the deadline passes.
