Air France-KLM Flying Blue Is Offering to Buy Your Way Into Elite Status and This Time, America Gets to Participate

Not all frequent flyer programs offer you the possibility of buying your way to elite status. However, for the latest version of its paid status match promotion, Flying Blue did and now includes new countries such as the United States on its list. In its continued effort to attract more fliers to its program, the Air France-KLM Flying Blue loyalty scheme has rolled out a new paid status match offering that includes the addition of a United States and Canada among the eligible countries. If you belong to the elite tiers of one of the participating airlines, consider this an opportunity you shouldn't miss.

Details of the Promotion

The status match will be executed through statusmatch.com in collaboration with the Flying Blue program and offers you the chance to get the same elite status for 12 months starting from the date of the application. There is no stated expiration date for the promotion but it can be withdrawn anytime, so you might as well make the effort and sign up soon.

Here are the different pricing options based on your country of residency and the desired status:

• United States: $99 USD for Silver, $199 USD for Gold (Platinum not available)
• Canada: $149 CAD for Silver, $299 CAD for Gold (Platinum not available)
• Thailand and Singapore: $99 USD for Silver, $299 USD for Gold, $399 USD for Platinum

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland: €89 for Silver, €199 for Gold, €349 for Platinum. As you may notice, the platinum tier is not included in the offer for both the United States and Canada but gold is a pretty good level to start with especially since it will allow you access to more SkyTeam benefits.

Which Programs Are Eligible?

The list of accepted loyalty programs for this promotion is quite extensive and goes beyond the SkyTeam alliance and its member airlines. In fact, the participating loyalty schemes include the likes of American Advantage, United MileagePlus, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Lufthansa Miles & More, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and many more.

According to the status match chart provided by statusmatch.com, you'll need to have top-tier status (Platinum or equivalent) with your current program to be upgraded to Flying Blue Platinum. Mid-tier status on the other hand corresponds to Flying Blue Gold while entry level elite status upgrades to Flying Blue Silver. With this kind of variety, chances are high that you should be able to find something on that list.

Benefits of Flying Blue Gold Status

For residents of the United States and Canada, gold will be the highest status available but that doesn't necessarily mean that you should skip the opportunity. First of all, the value of gold status in the Flying Blue program cannot be overlooked since it comes with a plethora of travel benefits. Flying Blue Gold gives you full access to the SkyTeam Elite Plus program, allowing you to benefit from priority check-in, priority security lanes, priority boarding, increased baggage allowance, and lounge access with all 18 airlines of the SkyTeam alliance.

As you may imagine, having access to lounges with all airlines of the same alliance beats having it for only one airline hands down. In addition to the SkyTeam elite benefits, Flying Blue Gold also gets you a bonus 7 times points multiplier on airfares and gives you access to a certain premium seating 72 hours prior to departure on Air France and KLM flights.

Benefits Exclusive To Platinum Status

As you may remember, we mentioned that residents of European countries as well as Singapore and Thailand have the chance to match directly to the Platinum tier if their status in their current program falls into that category. If you happen to live in one of these countries, then it's highly recommended that you opt for the Platinum upgrade since this will unlock several exclusive perks.

Platinum members in the Flying Blue program get the option of redeeming their miles for flights in Air France La Première as well as more award seats in the long-haul business classes of SkyTeam airlines. They are also able to access all of the perks listed above along with free premium seating selections when making your bookings and a special Platinum telephone line.

Strategic Value of a Gold Match

Apart from the benefits associated with a higher elite status tier, you can also consider a paid status match towards gold to be an excellent strategic decision. You see, the tier qualification system in Flying Blue is designed in such a way as to reward status members by taking into account their progression through the program.

Here's how it works:

• Silver: 100 XPs in a membership year
• Gold: 180 additional XPs after achieving Silver
• Platinum: 300 additional XPs after achieving Gold

Starting from scratch, you'll need 580 XPs to qualify for Platinum status in Flying Blue. However, if you join the program at the Gold tier through status matching, then you'll only need 300 more XPs in the next year to get Platinum status half as much!

Thus, if you fly on Air France and KLM frequently or plan to do so in the coming months, then opting for the paid status match towards Gold will be the fastest way to Platinum. You can even say that this will save you money.

Value For Your Money

At a price of $199 for gold status, this promotional offer isn't very expensive. In fact, if you calculate how much you are going to spend on priority services when using Air France and KLM services, you are bound to recover your investment pretty soon.

Moreover, flying with SkyTeam airlines allows you to enjoy more flexibility because the benefits extend to the rest of the member airlines. You are also able to accumulate more points with partner airlines in addition to your flights which makes this promotion even more attractive.

Final Thought

Paid status matching has become increasingly popular among airlines recently and although this method doesn't always offer good value, Flying Blue's offer deserves your attention. Adding the United States and Canada to the list of eligible countries was definitely a smart move since the two represent an incredibly big base of potential clients. With the possibility of becoming a Flying Blue Gold member for as little as $199 and subsequently upgrading to platinum (which takes a mere 12 months), this offer seems to be one of the best in recent history.