Can I Get A British Airways Status Match?

If you have status with another airline but need or want to start flying with British Airways you maybe wondering if you can get a British Airways Status match. After all, no one wants to start at the bottom of a loyalty programme without any benefits!

Why are status matches useful?

If you’ve spent a lot of your time flying with an airline you are unlikely to want to change. Probably because you have status which gets you free lounge access, priority check-in/boarding and upgrades etc! By status matching, you may be enticed to use another airline as you get your same or similar perks. If you are transitioning to another airline due to flight routes, service, cost etc. this makes it a lot more palatable!

Is a British Airways Status Match possible?

Unfortunately, the likely answer to your question is no. If you ask you are nearly always hit with the same boilerplate email! It mentions how tier status is their way of recognising and rewarding their most loyal & frequent travellers. If they were to upgrade certain members to a higher tier it would be ‘unfair.’

You can check other people’s experiences requesting a status match from British Airways or other companies with Status Matcher. The website is a pooled resource of users’ experiences getting status matches with different companies.

British Status Match exceptions

Whilst the ‘norm’ is a rejection there are certain instances where you may be able to get a status match…

Back in 2017 following the bankruptcy of Air Berlin, German residents could status match with British Airways. (In the hope BA could pick up more German customers.) These offers are very few and time-limited so don’t get your hopes up!

Another example would be if your employer signed a large corporate contract with them. This is again however isn’t a guarantee and down to what your employer negotiates with British Airways.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, if you want status with British Airways you will have to work your way up from the bottom in most cases. If you are interested in getting your status as quickly as possible look at our guide to getting tier points here – https://pointsuncovered.com/british-airways/i-need-x-amount-of-ba-tier-points/

If you are looking to kick-start your Avios with a huge 200,000 haul don’t forget to take a look at our guide to fast track yourself to a rather cool 200,000 Avios points – https://pointsuncovered.com/american-express/fast-track-yourself-to-2000000-avios-points/