Many airlines offer the opportunity to match your status from a competitor to their loyalty program. It makes perfect sense since status in a loyal program is designed to make you stick to a single airline. Giving similar perks removes a significant barrier from jumping ship and seeing if the grass is greener on the other side.
Most of the offers consist of giving status for a limited amount of time with the opportunity to earn the status by meeting a challenge during that period. For example, if your status match is to Alaska Airlines, you’ll need to meet the following requirements within 90 days to keep your status.
- MVP status — fly 5,000 miles on Alaska
- MVP Gold status — fly 10,000 miles on Alaska
- MVP Gold 75K status — fly 20,000 miles on Alaska
Another airline offers a limited-time status match offer, which can be lucrative if you meet the requirements and plan to use it.
Until the end of 2021, Frontier Airlines is offering a status match to members from 15 airlines and 15 hotel chains.
The level of Frontier status you’re provided depends on your status with the other programs.
For base members in other programs, Frontier will match Elite 20K. Mid to high-level members will match to Elite 50K and top-level members of other programs will get Frontier’s Elite 100K membership.
Unlike other programs, Frontier’s match has no challenge to keep the status and you’ll keep your status until December 31, 2022. You also do not have to prove how you earned the status (showing that you’ve flown the required miles or stayed at hotels for so many nights). Just proof of status is enough for Frontier.
How are they doing this? It’s because, like all things with Frontier, matching status isn’t free. Frontier charges a $49 Status Match application fee to verify and validate your application. The fee is non-refundable, even if they reject your application (which would most likely only be if you’ve submitted a fraudulent application.)
It is worth it to pay for a Frontier status match?
I’ll use myself as an example. As a Hilton Gold and IHG Platinum, I’d be eligible to match to Elite 50K. With that status, I’d get a free carry-on bag for myself and the free seat assignments for my entire family, including being able to book stretch seats. That’s a pretty good deal. Sure, we’d still have to pay for checked bags and carry-on bags for Sharon.
From past experience, I’m willing to pay for stretch seats as it makes the in-flight experience much like that on other US carriers in economy class. Those seats start at $20 and go up in price from there. A carry-on bag costs $30-$35. That means having Elite 50K status will save you at least $50 per flight, more if you’re flying as a family. Paying $49 is a bargain even if you’re only flying once, not to mention taking multiple Frontier flights.
If you’re able to match to Elite 100K, you and up to 8 family & friends enjoy Family Status and all receive the WORKS bundle if they’re on the same reservation. You’ll also get free Discount Den membership giving you access to the best Frontier fare sales.
If you can only match to Elite 25K, I’m not sure it makes sense to pay the money. The member gets a free carry-on bag and seat assignments (but not stretch seats unless they’re still available at check-in.)
Frontier is expanding rapidly from Orlando Airport. If I thought there would be a chance we’d fly them in 2021, I’d jump at this status match, which is good until the end of the year. We’re still at a point where I have so many points to use for domestic US flights, I’d rather use them than pay to pimp out my flight on Frontier.
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1 comment
Just a remark on the paid challenge thing. It’s actually not that unusual.
AA has been doing for-pay status match challenges for years. TAP Portugal did a paid challenge earlier this year. Etc.
Status match campaigns have to deal with a tremendous amount of fraud as well as not-really-serious applicants. A modest sign-up fee gets rid of a lot of fraudsters not willing to drop $50 or $100 only for them to be denied because their photoshopped elite-status card was detected as such…