This is part of a series of posts designed to help you maximize your travel opportunities without spending more than you can afford. Other posts in this series include collecting loyalty points, saving on car rentals, and the ins and outs of AMEX Platinum.
(drum roll, please) The magic words are “STATUS MATCH”. What is a status match, you ask? Well, it’s the secret that will get doors opened for you in tourism with very little effort. All you have to do is earn elite status (which you can do automatically with a Platinum American Express Card with ONE hotel and ONE airline and you’ll be able to leverage that with the others. Airlines and hotels fight for business from each other and are willing to give you the same rewards you have earned with a competing company. All you have to do is call or email the loyalty program of the new company and ask. They will usually ask you to forward a copy of your card in the existing program (or an emailed statement showing your status) and then will grant you status in their program. It can take a few days, but can be expedited if you get an agreeable agent.
Here’s how it worked for me to get six free first class upgraded tickets last year. Deal Dad and I have “Silver” status on Delta, which I got without flying by transferring AMEX points. We have no status on United, but were flying on United planes for our vacation to Guatemala. I called United, told them I wanted to Status Match to Delta, and emailed them a screenshot from Delta showing I was a Silver member. A few days later, I logged on to United.com and sure enough, both Deal Dad and I were “Premier” members on United!
Now that we were United Premier members, we were automatically upgraded on three out of the four flights we had on our vacation, which meant we got six free first class upgrades. So, one parent and Deal Kid took turns sitting in first class! The only downside is that our eight year old has gotten pretty spoiled regarding plane travel and now is expecting to fly in the front of the plane. I have to remind him that most eight year olds have never even BEEN on a plane, much less in first class. He’s going to have to get his own upgrades when he grows up.
I have to give credit to a book that taught me about status match: The Penny Pincher’s Passport to Luxury Travel: The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status (Travelers’ Tales Guides)