EPIC status match to Oneworld

Good morning, and welcome back to Daily Drop, the most jet-lagged newsletter of all time. Seriously, someone please bring me coffee… I need help.

But before I pass out from exhaustion, I’ve got a GREAT newsletter for you (if I do say so myself):

• ✈️ EPIC Oneworld status match opportunity

• 🍪 Tasty Travel Tidbits

• 🔮 Mystery bonus when buying Alaska Airlines miles

✈️ EPIC Oneworld status match opportunity

Status matches are the best… it’s a way to take your hard-earned elite status and multiply it by getting free (usually temporary) status with a different program.

This time around, it’s British Airways offering a status match… and folks, it’s a TASTY one.

Here is the deal:

Until May 7th, British Airways will match your existing airline status to either their Silver Tier or Gold Tier elite status.

Once you are determined to be eligible, you’ll get instant British Airways elite status for six months (which is generous).

If you want to keep that status longer, you’ll need to complete a few tasks… but more on that in a minute.

Here are which programs are eligible for the status match and which level of status you’ll be matched to:

As an Air Canada 75k elite, I will be matching to Gold status, even though I don’t have any plans to fly British Airways ever.

Why would I do this, you ask?

Well, you see, by having British Airways Silver or Gold status, you’ll also have Oneworld alliance status (Sapphire or Emerald status, respectively).

That means that you’ll get perks like lounge access, priority check-in, and more with any of these airlines around the world:

I have flights booked with airlines like Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, and more over the next few months.

I’ll get some added perks when flying with them thanks to this status (even though I have no plans on extending the status past six months).

Speaking of extending status past six months…

In order to do so, you’ll need to book and travel on two qualifying transatlantic flights (one round trip) within six months of being granted status.

To qualify, these flights must:

• Be a British Airways-marketed flight in business (Club World) or First

• Be operated by British Airways, American Airlines, Iberia or Finnair

• Originate from the US, Canada or Mexico

• Fly to the UK and onwards to Europe

• Be eligible for earning Tier Points and collecting Avios

In other words, you need to book a round-trip, business-class ticket on British Airways… with cash. 😬

Still, I know plenty of people who have booked cash business-class tickets with BA in the past year.

An extra year (or more) of elite status could be amazing, especially if you fly with American Airlines often.

For example, British Airways Gold status (Oneworld Emerald status) gets you access to American Airlines Admirals Clubs AND Flagship Lounges, even if you’re on a domestic flight in the U.S.

If you don’t have any Oneworld flights planned in the next month or so, I’d wait until closer to the May 7th deadline to apply so you can maximize your six-month period to enjoy the status.

Applying is simple: go to this page of the BA website, fill out the form, and wait up to five days for approval.

Enjoy the free status, my beautiful, beautiful friends.

🍪 Tasty Travel Tidbits

• 🗡️ SAS is shifting alliances… literally

• 😬 Want to see a crazy plane takeoff from Switzerland?

• ✈️ Breeze Airways revamps its loyalty program

🔮 Mystery bonus when buying Alaska Airlines miles

Speaking of Oneworld…

Who doesn’t love a little mystery—the anticipation of not knowing if you’ll get something good, something GREAT, draws many in.

Well, between now and May 23, 2024, Alaska Airlines is offering its members a little mystery bonus when you purchase miles.

The highest number I’ve seen floating around online is a 60% bonus, which isn’t bad, and is close to being the highest bonus that Alaska has offered, historically.

You’ll need to check your account to see exactly what you’ve been offered. For me, I unlocked up to a 50% bonus.

That’s pretty close to the recorded high for this offer, so not too shabby.

I’m also not someone who regularly flies with Alaska, so perhaps if you’re a loyal customer, Alaska will gift you with a higher bonus 😏

Now buying points, as we always mention, has pros and cons.

You really only want to speculatively buy points if you’re going to come out ahead on a redemption.

But the Alaska Mileage Plan is actually a fantastic program for many reasons. For starters, they do often have sales on their miles (if you were looking to purchase).

Plus, they’re a member of the Oneworld alliance which gives you access to some of the best partners like American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qatar Airways.

Additionally, they’ve got a ton of non-alliance partners like Singapore Airlines, Icelandair, and Aer Lingus.

Double plus, Alaska is one of the only remaining airlines that still awards miles based on physical miles flown—e.g. a distance-based award chart—which is so tasty because it allows you to earn a bunch of miles even with cheap tickets.

So buying points strategically can have significant value, but crunch the numbers, look at redemptions you have in mind, and if it all pans out… pull the trigger 😎

If you’re looking for a travel-forward, supportive community to ask questions and share your wins with, look no further than our Facebook group, the Daily Drop Lounge! 

We got permission to share this lovely lounge member’s photo and travel win to Italy—all thanks to the guidance of our DD community and podcast 🤗

That’s all for this week, friends! I am excited to be back home in Toronto for a few days before jetting off on the next adventure, maybe a little too soon… 😬

I hope that you have a good and restful weekend, my friends.

Until next week ❤️

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