It seems like a ton of airlines and hotels are jumping the bandwagon and offering free status upgrades, matches, and challenges this month. If you have status with a hotel chain or an airline, it might make sense to consider leveraging it with other programs.
I’ve compiled a list of current offers and promotions to help you extend your status.
Airlines
Status Match - Virgin America status match to Elevate Gold (and Silver)
Benefits of Elevate Gold:
- Free access to reserve preferred main cabin seats and get on the shortlist for complimentary, space-available upgrades to Main Cabin Select. Plus, take your pick of First Class seats by purchasing upgrades up to 12 hours before departure for you and your plus one.
- Complimentary lounge access to the Virgin America Loft at LAX.
- Take 25% off* two non-refundable Main Cabin tickets (when you book by December 31 of your benefit year).
- 140% points bonus
- 3 free checked bags
Status Challenge (targeted) -American Airlines
Check your junk mail! Some lucky people are receiving a “Fast Track to Elite” status with American Airlines. You may check to see if your account is eligible for this amazing promotion (mine was not), by going here and entering promo code HVC2Q or HVC2B
American Airlines offering a fast track challenge to Gold, Platinum or Executive Platinum status, provided I register and fly the required 7,000, 12,500 or 35,000 miles (respectively), by September 9, 2016. The promotion code is HVC2Q.
Free Status (targeted) – United
Some (not I) United MileagePlus members are being surprised with an instant status upgrade and/or free EconomyPlus subscriptions. You can check to see if you’re eligible by logging into http://mystatus.united.com.
Additionally, if you’re a Platinum member with Marriott hotels, you can receive free United Airlines Silver status by registering here.
JetBlue Mosaic Status Match & Challenge
JetBlue has been pretty spectacular this year and they’re making it easier and ever to try Mosaic if you have status on another airline.
- Virgin America®: Elevate® Silver, Elevate® Gold
- Alaska Airlines®: Mileage Plan™; MVP® Gold or MVP® Gold 75k
- American Airlines®: AAdvantage Platinum® or Executive Platinum®
- Delta®: SkyMiles Medallion® Gold, Platinum or Diamond
- Southwest Airlines®: Rapid Rewards® A-List Preferred or Companion Pass
- United®: MileagePlus® Premier® Gold, Platinum or Premier1K®
- Emirates: Emirates™; Skywards‎ Silver, Gold or Platinum
The challenge is 3750 base flight points in the next 90 days ($1250 spend). Complete this and you will get Mosaic status until the end of 2017! Registration is open until May 31st, so time it carefully, depending on what your summer travel plans are.
Mosaic Benefits:
In conjunction with The JetBlue Plus Card, Mosaic members can earn 15x points per dollar on JetBlue.com purchases.
The card comes with a $99 annual fee, but that is almost instantly offset with the 5,000-point annual bonus (~$70). The sign-up bonus is 30,000 points (~$420) You’ll also get a free checked bag, $100 off a JetBlue getaways package of $100 or more each year, and 10% back on redeemed awards (full post here).
There’s also a lucrative (targeted) spring promo that allows you to earn 5,000 TrueBlue points per flight (!!), and you can earn triple points on JetBlue flights when you register and book by 5/25/16 for travel 6/1 – 6/30/16
As I wrote about in the past, you can earn additional points in fun ways with “badges”. But still, my favorite perk of the TrueBlue program is the new Family Pooling feature.
Family Pooling is a unique way to earn and collect TrueBlue points with those “nearest and dearest” to you Families consist of up to 2 adults (21+) and up to 5 children (under 21). A “family†is however you define it: immediate/extended family, friends, roommates, or other points and miles fanatics. It’s up to you!
Hotels
Status Match – Hilton DiamondÂ
Hilton will match status with another program valid all the way up until March, 31 2018 (Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott Rewards, IHG Rewards Club, Hyatt Gold Passport, Choice Privileges, or other hotel loyalty program).
I recently matched to Hilton Diamond status a few months ago with my Hyatt Diamond status and was approved rather quickly. Hilton Diamond benefits include: 50% bonus points, late checkout, free breakfasts, room upgrades, etc.
Hilton Diamond status is certainly a valuable status to have and it can help you leverage other status matches and challenges in the future.
Status Match – Best Western Diamond
I recently blogged about Best Western’s on-going status match called “Status Match No Catch“, and it’s a fairly simple process.
While the site suggests filling out the form to request the status match, I just sent an email to StatusMatch@bestwestern.com, asking for a match, with my Best Western Rewards number and proof of my Diamond Status with Hilton.
While Best Western hotels are rarely on my radar these days, it would be nice to get somewhat of a room upgrade and welcome amenity if I ever find myself at one of their properties in the near future.
Status Match – Club Carlson
If you have elite status with Accor Hotels, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG Marriott or Starwood, take a screenshot of your online account statement that shows your status and send an email to goldpointsplus@carlson.com and include your Club Carlson account number. Hilton Diamond gets you Club Carlson Gold status.
Gold Status benefits
- 35% Point Bonus
- Late Check-out (based on availability)
- Early Check-in (based on availability)
- Best Available Room in the category booked
- 72- hour availability guarantee
- Priority full-service Member Services telephone number
Status Match – Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels is now also offering status matches (only up to Platinum, and for US members only).
A status match can be requested by emailing Status_Match@choicehotels.com with the following information: Full name, Choice Privileges member number, & proof of elite status in other hotel program (screenshot/copy of your other program’s loyalty card with expiration date or copy of your other program’s current statement).
Choice Privileges Platinum Benefits Include:
- 20 nights required per calendar year (reward nights count toward elite status)
- 25% elite point bonus
- Extended booking window of 75 days in advance for reward nights
- Exclusive reservations and customer services phone numbers (US and Canada members only)
- Exclusive Elite member offers
- Elite luggage tags (US members only)
- Choose 250 bonus points or a snack and beverage at check-in for stays at U.S. Comfort Suites hotels
Free Status – Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Small Luxury Hotels of the World is offering free and instant “Loved†status. This is always easy and worth having incase you find yourself steering away from your typical hotel rewards programs for a smaller, boutique, luxury property. “Loved†status gets you upgrades and free breakfasts.
Free Status – Leading Hotels of the World
Leading Hotels of the World (lhw.com) is a luxury hotel collect with about 400 hotels in 80 countries. Right now you can get free “Leaders Club†membership through The Biltmore. Simply print and return the form and your membership will be processed within 7 days.
- Earn a complimentary night at any Leading Hotel for every 5 stays you complete
- Free complimentary continental breakfast for two each day
- One-category room upgrade: when available and subject to availability at check-in
- Free Internet access
- Early check-in/out consideration
- Free welcome gift
- Free Sixt platinum
- VIP rates, right now additional 5% off many hotels
The Sixt Platinum status, the free breakfasts, and free night benefit is the most attractive perks for me.
Have you had any success with the above offers? Any other status matches worth adding to the list?
I sent my enrollment form for LHW on May 9 and still waiting for a response. Nice recap. Applied for the Jet Blue Mosaic and got it! Thanks for the recap.
Choice Hotels customer service is “crap”. I sent two requests and no answer for few days. Then I got an answer saying that I need to show proof of 10 night stay with my current elite status hotel.
PSA: ”
“I would be happy to consider upgrading your Choice Privileges account to an elite level based on your current status and elite nights with the Hilton program. Please include a copy of your current statement showing how many elite eligible nights you had in 2015 or 2016 for consideration. We require a minimum of 10 nights to match a status.”
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is one of the few remaining programs that will match your status from another airline outright.
Angelina good news! I have Hilton Gold status from a CC. I status matched to Best Western Diamond, then Status Matched it back to Hilton for Hilton Diamond! All without staying at either hotel. Email me for more info if you’d like.
Hey bud, great stuff. Will be putting together a project to use several credit card reward, hotel, airline, car rental programs to spread as far I can across all hotel, airline, rental car groups/programs.
Have you figured out any other status matching strategies?
I have a Amex Corporate Platinum CC and Amex Gold Personal cc, I have marriott (silver) + The marriott Credit card, the ability to register as SPG gold+ ritz carlton (will match with spg and the ritz highest elite status… which is now very low despite my frequent traveling silver), United Airlines CC (can merge with marriott to possibly get a status update?) , hilton (can get gold status when I register with my Amex Platinum CC) and based on your suggestion as I will try to status match Best Western Diamond to transfer back to Hilton diamond).
what other strategies do you have like the one you suggested above, where I can utilize existing membership status and cc’s to obtain top tier status in all the major hotel groups, airlines, or individual hotel and airline brands?
thanks man. hope to hear from you soon! If you have Skype I would be happy to connect this week to discuss further!
Best,
Mike
Hi mike,
Hilton actually changed the rules to status matching shortly after my post. Its now a status challenge where you can get it after a certain number of stays withing a period of time (ex. 5 stays in 60 days). There are not too many options as of now but things do come up so just be on the lookout.