It’s raining status matches and as my BA status will drop, I decided to go for them!

Frequent flyers love status matches, don’t they? There’s something attractive about having status with one airline, and then getting the equivalent level with another airline with little to no effort.

I’ve taken advantage of exactly one status match in my life, many years ago when Aer Lingus were trying to pick up some BMI flyers before they folded into BA. Matches have never really interested me, as I am happy with my airline and alliance. Until now.

The Dreaded Drop

Being a British Airways Gold frequent flyer is fun. You get access to the first class lounges (and there are some good ones in the oneworld alliance) as well as other perks, including some less tangible ones.

I last lost the status in 2017, but then I regained it in 2020 and have had it since then. Alas, I have not flown so much in the last year so I will move back down to Silver. Still not a bad thing, but not the lofty heights I’ve enjoyed for the last while.

It’s Raining Status Matches

Since that is happening, I figured I would take advantage of two status matches that are currently running. It will open up the opportunity to try some new airlines, which is never a bad thing. First up is Italy’s ITA, the airline which replaced Alitalia.

You can match from Aegean, Aer Lingus, Air China, American Airlines, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair, Iberia, LATAM, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and WestJet. All you need to do is join and send over your ID and current card and you’ll be matched through to the end of 2025. Details are here.

The other one is being run by Scandinavian Airlines. SAS is allowing you to match into their EuroBonus programme. You will get your status until 31 March 2025. In that time, if you take 2 flights (if you matched to their Silver) or 5 flights (if you matched to Gold), you’ll get to keep it.

The link for that one is here, and you can match from four programmes. Those are Miles and More (Lufthansa Group airlines), Miles and Smiles (Turkish Airlines), Executive Club (British Airways) and Finnair Plus.

Overall Thoughts

Since the Star Alliance airlines are generally a lot cheaper than the oneworld airlines in business class to Australia, I think I will have to go rogue and give them a try. These status matches should mean that when I do push the button, I’ll be treated well on board.

I’ll be curious to see if I happen to fall in love with any of the new airlines, or whether I will stick to my tried and true. Interesting times ahead anyway!

What do you think of these status matches? Has a match ever made you actually switch from your previous frequent flyer programme? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image by Anna Zvereva via Wikimedia Commons.