Frequent-flyer and hotel loyalty programmes have traditionally followed a simple formula: spend more, stay more, or fly more to eventually earn elite status. Elite status offers perks such as lounge access, free breakfast (at hotels), and more. But increasingly, there is another route to get there. If you already have elite status with one airline or hotel chain, another programme may recognise it and grant you comparable status. This is known as ‘status matching’, and for frequent travellers in India, it can be a particularly powerful loyalty strategy, since major airlines are eyeing India due to our growing spend on premium travel.
A status match essentially allows one loyalty programme to recognise your credentials from another. Instead of spending 50 nights at a hotel chain or flying dozens of sectors with an airline to reach elite status, you show that another company already considers you a valuable customer. The new programme may then grant you equivalent status, usually for a limited period. The aim is to ease you in, and then you could switch your business to the new airline or hotel chain after experiencing the programme’s perks.
