Nothing gets a certain set of frequent flyers more excited than a status match. For those unfamiliar with the term, a status match is where your elite frequent flyer status level is matched to a comparable level in a competing airlines frequent flyer programme. It means you can gain a high status with another airline without actually doing any flying with them at all.
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- Work your way from up Blue to Gold at British Airways
Certain airlines offer a status match from time to time in the hope that you will defect from your preferred carrier and start spending money with them. I have no information on how successful this is in attracting and more importantly retaining new customers but it must be negligible as status match promotions are never usually common knowledge.
Gaming The System
Frequent flyers want a status match in order not to lose their lounge access and other priority benefits when travelling on a competitor. That is quite a natural desire when you think about it, but it is certainly not in the spirit of a frequent flyer programme.
The whole point of an airline loyalty programme is to reward people for flying frequently! It is not to reward the person who might fly with the airline once or twice a year but who actively chooses to regularly fly with another airline.
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- Gaming the system certainly results in smiles!
Playing the game smart means you can have status with all three major alliances as well as some unaligned airlines at the same time. All you generally need to do is send in a copy of your current elite card and perhaps your statement showing your flight history.
It really can be that simple. Airlines have started to cotton on to the abuse and are now making various stipulations about the matched status. For example, some airlines require the customer to fly a certain number of miles with them over a certain period of time in order to keep their elite tier.
You Don’t Deserve A Status Match!
Thing is, no-one deserves a status match. I once witnessed a Twitter exchange where someone was attempting to get American Airlines to provide complimentary elite level due to their upcoming business travel pattern. The people at American were politely and professionally turning the guy off.
Witnessing the customer throw his toys out of the pram at this was an eye opening experience. He just could not believe the airline refused and his sense of entitlement was galling.
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- Start at Bronze and work your way up at Qantas
Why do people think they deserve something they haven’t earned? This is mind boggling to someone who is a firm believer that you get things once you’ve earned them. I thought frequent flyer programmes were simple – fly a lot and earn your way to a high status. That is how it should be at any rate.
I tend to look down upon airlines that offer status matches for promotional purposes. They must be desperate for customers if they are willing to give their elite level cards away so easily.
Overall Thoughts
Status matching devalues a frequent flyer programme in my eyes and that is probably why it is not loudly advertised by those airlines that do it. Nothing makes me more sad than the thought that I spent thousands of dollars and countless hours in the air to achieve my status while someone else had to just send in their competitors card to receive the same thing.
I think matching should be outlawed completely and I love airlines that just won’t do it at all. What are your thoughts on this matter? I’d love to hear them in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
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Featured image and Miles & Smiles image via oneworld. Other images via the airline featured.
I don’t think a status match is as ridiculous as you think. I status matched away from AA in August 2016 due to a myriad of problems at my home airport. AS matched my AA status and have treated me like a client instead of an ATM, to which I’ve rewarded them with my business exclusively this year. My pet peave is when a particular airline gives away a targeted status off for 90 days, with full value if you fly x miles in x amount of time. That, in my opinion, devalues a frequent flyer program more than a… Read more »
I’m curious as to why you didn’t just fly AS and earn your status with them the normal way – that was more my point. You’ve matched over to get Elite status to keep your benefits rather than earning them. I am delighted it all worked out for you of course! I have warm feelings towards AS after a good flight several years ago now. I do hear you on the rest of your post. It is not the best thing in the world. Thanks for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it!
I status matched mainly to avoid all the darn fees. I mean, I do pay for F wherever I go, mainly because I’m tall and have wide shoulders. I don’t fit very well I’m the back and discount F isn’t available to non-elites. Had I known what was going to transpire with AA last year, I would’ve booked my flying for the year with AS instead. I was based in Tulsa, OK and had to relocate to Seattle in Dec 2015.
Yes, it’s very true – one of the other comments mentioned avoiding fees by status matching which is an excellent reason to do it in my opinion! I’m a big fan of saving money which I do believe most people would be! 🙂
Nice take Trent. I know it stings to see someone else game the system to get what we work had to earn the old fashioned way. But let’s not forget it’s the airline that makes the status rules not a bunch of frequent flyers (thankfully sometimes). If they run the program and make the rules it’s also their decision to try to lure us away from our primary if we might bring them future profits. I’ve status matched once and for the most part I had no plan on flying the matched airline, just needed lounge access. So I’m guilty… Read more »
From a marketing perspective, I can see why an airline would try to lure away customers by danging the carrot of elite status in front of something. That makes total sense for an airline that needs more high yielding business passengers. I also have status matched once, which was when BA bought BMI and Aer Lingus offered a match to catch the old BMI people before they were swallowed up by BA. That was a boon for me as I was flying Aer Lingus with no status up to 24 times a year (by way of explanation, their old programme… Read more »