Using a status match program to switch travel providers can be a good way to make the leap from a travel program you’ve been with for a while (and thus have status) to a new one (that you don’t have status with…yet).
Each Tuesday we share a unique or interesting travel tidbit so be sure to read all of the preceding Travel Tip Tuesday’s here. In the month of December we have been focusing on points & miles. In our final post of the year we are talking about how to use a status match to switch providers
Switch Travel Providers with a Status Match – Travel Tip Tuesday #49
Frequent travelers like myself tend to stick with a single airline, hotel provider and rental car company. This is often driven by company policy (e.g. my company only lets us use Avis…ugh!) or by the knowledge of knowing that sticking with a single provider allows you to consolidate your travel with one provider and thus earn status quicker.
With status comes benefits. Benefits are all over the place, but they generally result in a better travel experience. They might include earning extra miles or points, free checked bags, special amenities, discounts on providers (e.g. Clear), upgrades, and so much more.
When you travel a lot (like I do) you come to appreciate those benefits (like free snacks at Hilton). When you have to use a different provider that you don’t have status on it can kinda suck…
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These benefits and status provide stickiness for the provider (by design) which makes it less likely to switch to the competitor’s platform.
But, the competition has a tool in their box to address this program. It’s called the status match.
In simple terms, the status match is nothing more than a competitor’s willingness to acknowledge you have status on a competitor and that they want your business and will temporarily give you status on their platform AS LONG AS you meet some minimum threshold (stays, trips, spend, etc) within a given time frame.
Put in even simpler terms a status match is way to steal you from another provider by giving you status benefits you’ve not year earned.
If you can meet the minimum goals you can keep your status on the new provider and they might have just earned themselves a new customer.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
I did a status match with United this year coming over from the Southwest program. Unfortunately I didn’t meet the minimum usage before it expired (missed it by two days), but while it was in progress is gave me access to a few benefits on United that I’d have not qualified for.
So, as we head into 2020, consider using a status match to make that change you’ve been thinking about. Here’s a few links to status match programs for major providers:
Happy New Year
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