Link: Apply for a status match with Royal Jordanian Royal Club
Royal Jordanian, a oneworld member airline, has a lucrative status match opportunity, which could be a great way to get oneworld Sapphire benefits. I first covered this yesterday, but would like to provide an update, as I just submitted my own application, so will share my experience.
Here’s what’s exciting — while this promotion has been around for a long time, it’s finally open to those in the United States. This is an easy way to get American Flagship Lounge access on domestic oneworld itineraries, for a very reasonable fee of $149. If you fly American with any frequency and are eligible, taking advantage of this is an obvious decision.
In this post:
Basics of Royal Jordanian’s status match promo
The website statusmatch.com is partnering with Royal Jordanian’s Royal Club program to offer a status match promotion. Royal Jordanian is a oneworld member, and this could be valuable even if you don’t typically fly with the airline. A few basics to be aware of, to start:
- For airline status matches, Royal Jordanian is matching to Silver Jay status (oneworld Ruby) at a cost of $49, or to Gold Sparrow status (oneworld Sapphire) at a cost of $149
- For hotel status matches, Royal Jordanian is matching to Silver Jay status (oneworld Ruby) at a cost of $49, and hotel status matches aren’t available to Gold Sparrow status
- The status match request should take just a minute to complete, though it can take up to five business days for the request to be approved
- There’s no published end date for this promotion, though it can be pulled at any time
- Matched status is valid for a period of 12 months from when the match is approved
- This promotion is only valid for those who reside in the following countries (and you must have ID documents, like a passport or driver’s license): Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Netherlands, Oman, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, UAE, UK, and USA
Which status is Royal Jordanian matching?
Royal Jordanian is matching status from airlines and hotels, and you can find a chart with how status maps over here. Specifically, Royal Jordanian is matching the following airline status:
- Air Canada – Aeroplan
- Air Europa – SUMA
- Air France – Flying Blue
- Delta – SkyMiles
- EgyptAir – Plus
- El Al – Matmid
- Emirates – Skywards
- Etihad – Guest
- Frontier – Frontier Miles
- Gulf Air – Falcon Flyer
- JetBlue – TrueBlue
- Kuwait Airways – Oasis Club
- Lufthansa – Miles & More
- Middle East Airlines – Cedar Miles
- Saudia – Alfursan
- Scandinavian Airlines – EuroBonus
- Southwest – Rapid Rewards
- Spirit – Free Spirit
- TAP Air Portugal – Miles&Go
- Turkish Airlines – Miles&Smiles
- United – MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic – Flying Club
- WestJet – WestJet Rewards
As you can see, this includes many non-oneworld airlines, in particular airlines in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. I’m not sure I understand the logic of Royal Jordanian matching Frontier or Spirit status, not that I’m complaining…
On top of that, Royal Jordanian is also matching the following hotel status (but only to Silver Jay, and not to Gold Sparrow):
- Accor – ALL
- GHA – Discovery
- Hilton – Honors
- Hyatt – World of Hyatt
- IHG – One Rewards
- Langham Hotels – Brilliant
- Marriott – Bonvoy
- Melia – Melia Rewards
- Preferred Hotel Group – Prefer Hotel Rewards
- Radisson – Radisson Rewards
- Shangri-La – Golden Circle
- Wyndham – Wyndham Rewards
Why is this status match opportunity useful?
Obviously this promotion could be useful if you’re someone who has a lot of travel on Royal Jordanian coming up. Beyond that, though, the main reason to consider this promotion is because of the value of oneworld Sapphire status. This status offers perks like priority boarding, priority check-in, and extra baggage allowance, on all oneworld airlines.
If you have oneworld Sapphire status with a non-US frequent flyer program, you could even access American Admirals Clubs or American Flagship Lounges whenever traveling on a oneworld airline, even if you’re traveling domestically.
American AAdvantage and Alaska Mileage Plan elite members only get lounge access on select international itineraries, while oneworld Sapphire members with foreign airlines get lounge access even on entirely domestic itineraries. Getting access to American’s premium lounges even when traveling domestically is awesome.
If you’re an American flyer and are eligible, taking advantage of this opportunity is an absolute no brainer, as it’s one of the best deals you’ll get on premium lounge access. Of course this requires also having status with another airline, but keep in mind that programs like Delta SkyMiles and United MileagePlus offer status challenges for American flyers.
Let me clarify one other point — at least with American, there’s no need to actually credit your flight to a program in order to gain lounge access through it. So you could still credit your flight to American AAdvantage, and then at the entrance to the lounge, you’d just provide your Royal Jordanian Royal Club credentials. Alaska is a bit trickier with this, and generally will only grant lounge access based on the frequent flyer information that’s on your boarding pass.
My Royal Jordanian status match experience
American is the airline I fly most, so I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to earn oneworld Sapphire status with a foreign airline, and upgrade my lounge situation on domestic itineraries. Of course if you’re not yet a member of Royal Jordanian’s Royal Club, the first step is to enroll in the program, which is straightforward.
Then you need to request the status match, which can be done at this link. On the first page, you have to enter your first and last name, Royal Jordanian Royal Club account credentials (email address and membership number), and primary country of residence.
You’ll then be asked which loyalty program you want to match status from.
I used my Air France-KLM Flying Club Platinum status, so I had to enter my account number, and upload proof of my membership. Interestingly, this included taking a picture of the physical membership card, or taking a picture of my computer screen while logged into my account.
The next page confirmed the status I’d be matched to (Royal Club Gold Sparrow), and asked me to pay the $149 application fee.
I then immediately received confirmation that my application had been submitted…
…and 30 minutes later, I received an email confirming that it had been approved.
So yeah, status match applications don’t get much easier or faster than that.
Bottom line
There’s a status match promotion for Royal Jordanian Royal Club status, which can earn you oneworld Sapphire perks. There’s an application fee, but that’s not a lot at all when you consider the potential value of this promotion.
If you’re a oneworld flyer and are eligible, I’d highly recommend taking advantage of this. While this promotion has been around for some time, what’s exciting is that it’s now open to those in the United States, with more airline elite tiers being matched as well. Pathways to oneworld Sapphire don’t get much easier than this.
Do you plan on taking advantage of this oneworld status match opportunity?
Says they’re not receiving any applications from the USA
Ben: "I don't think it'll be pulled within a couple of weeks, though it's anyone's guess how long it lasts beyond that."
Sounds like the last time Ben makes a guess like that, hah.
Status Match Not Available?
Hah, of course they stopped this. It’s against America’s national value of extracting as many dollars as possible from everyone.
It really was hot and way too good to last (especially matching to LCC status). I read about it during lunch yesterday and signing up was literally the first thing I did when I got home (not to mention it was on my mind the whole afternoon). Approved but still waiting for the status to update on the RJ system.
Deal is DEAD!
Deal is dead. At the top of the page - RJ is not accepting US applications.
When I checked the website, it said " RJ is not currently accepting applications from residents of USA."
Sadly, it seems they have already closed this, less than 24 hours later
This is probably a dumb question, but once the status match is approved, how do we utilize the Sapphire status? I currently have award tixs book on both AA and AS, do I replace my membership # with AA & AS with my Royal Jordanian # instead? I also plan on paying for an AA tix, if I use my RJ #, the flight will credit there instead of AA? Is it possible to credit...
This is probably a dumb question, but once the status match is approved, how do we utilize the Sapphire status? I currently have award tixs book on both AA and AS, do I replace my membership # with AA & AS with my Royal Jordanian # instead? I also plan on paying for an AA tix, if I use my RJ #, the flight will credit there instead of AA? Is it possible to credit the flight to AAdvantage but still utilize the RJ Gold status? ie. free checked bag, priority boarding, etc.
same questions for me, i got approved, but how can i use my oneworld saphhire perks when booking an alaska flight in the US domestic?
Dead. No longer open to USA residents and limiting the airline programs they will match.
Looks like it's already dead...tried to sign up and says it is not available for residents in the USA.
No way... I literally just did it at 4:10pm EST and got my approved email 10 mins ago.
I see everyone trying to credit flights to AA but use their RJ status for lounge access. Why? I just jumped over to RJ for all my flying. It has a low threshold for getting OWE based solely off of segments. Do I get upgraded? No. But I also didn’t get upgraded all that much as an AA PP. Instead I get regular lounge access and MCE. Seems like a wash to me.
So now I have status challenge AA platinum pro (OWE) and this RJ ex-US OWS care of my soon to be expiring DL Platinum.
Still not quite as nice as when I had the BA gold status match with ex-US OWE but I guess I can’t complain.
@lucky, what is guest access rules? If we have a spouse and 2 (young) kids flying AA domestically, would only primary get access or do you get any guest access as well with Oneworld shappire
@ Mike -- You're allowed one guest, and any child over the age of two is considered a guest.
I pretty much guarantee those who want to double dip (i.e. enter the lounge using RJ then switch their FFP at gate to AA/AS) will be denied by AA/AS.
I was Finnair Gold last year before moving to the US and thought ok I'm no longer really accruing on AY so might as well credit the miles to AS, entered the Alaska lounge on AY then at the gate tried to switch to AS and the agent said no.
@ Finnair Gold -- This is specific to Alaska, not American. Alaska has a policy that differs from that of all other oneworld airlines.
Oh really didn’t know that. AY is then no FFP changes?
When RJ started the status match last year, hotel elites were eligible for Gold Sparrow as well. Unfortunately the U.S. wasn't included in the eligible countries list.
I wonder how long it will take AA to cut this off once the already crowded Admiral’s Clubs and Flagship Lounges start to look like Skyclubs with $149 RJ “elite” flyers.
Ben, if you are flying on points -- and crediting a revenue flight is not an issue -- after booking with AA points, you can change your loyalty program membership on the booking to your Royal Jordanian membership . . . and obtain lounge access to Alaska lounges as well.
PS - Moreover, when traveling on Alaska booked with your stash of AA points.
After you update your FF# to Royal Jordanian on your AA flight (immediately after booking), you could then use your OW benefits to select seats? Does this work consistently among OW airlines when you book award flights?
Does this also give you free checked bag(s) on American flights?
@ Randy -- Indeed, in most situations. You can find all the oneworld Sapphire perks here:
https://onemileatatime.com/guides/oneworld-sapphire-status/
who will match my AA Platinum Pro with an eligible program to match to RJ
@ Nate -- Delta and United both offer status challenges.
Interesting to see they are trying to poach from Oman Air (a One World Airline Partner).
@ sullyofdoha -- That was a mistake on my part! Oman Air used to be eligible, but that's no longer the case. I tried to update the list to reflect the changes (like addition of US and Canadian airlines), but I missed that point. Thanks!
A big benefit for this that I haven't seen mentioned much is the ability to select your business class seats on BA award flights at the time of booking instead of waiting until checkin. BA charges a fortune for these seat assignments otherwise. I have a bunch of recent/upcoming BA award flights and got the Cardless Qatar card for the same reason.
Companion pass is listed under Sputhwest for the OW Emerald match. Has anyone successfully used their companion pass to match to OWE?
Did it today. Only had the short term promotional one and they approved it already.
Thanks for the data point. Have an AA international flight in PE coming up next week. Will be nice to get flagship lounge access.
@omaat looks like you're using an affiliate link unless I'm mistaken. Can the post be edited to disclose that to readers?
If the match is obtained, how would AA know that you obtained One World Ruby (or Sapphire) status?
Ditto to this. Do you need to update your FF# on your AA ticket to your Royal Jordanian FF#? Can you do this if you book an AA award flight (with AA miles)? Does it work on all OneWorld airlines? I get that you can just show your OneWorld status card to get in a lounge or priority line, but that doesn't help with assigning seats at booking. Thanks!
That helpfully excludes all 3 airlines with which I have Sapphire-equivalent status (and no, they're not oneworld members either). That's not actually a bad thing though as oneworld isn't much use for my travelling patterns and I might've been tempted to spend $149 on a card that would end up getting me few, if any, benefits.
No mention at all that your miles are banked to RJ? Or everyone switches the FF number at the gate to their prefered OW program after they visit the lounge?
If I am AA Executive Platinum, which airlines can I easily status match with that would then allow me to match into RJ?
And if I do get OneWorld Sapphire, can I use the AA lounges on domestic economy tickets as well?
Let's say I use my Delta Gold status to match to Gold Sparrow (Sapphire).
Then I fly AA domestic but credit that flight to my AAdvantage account (to enjoy my AA Platinum benefits).
I can use the AA Flagship lounge by showing what? Does Royal Jordanian issue a status card? Won't the Flagship lounge attendant be expecting to scan a boarding pass for entry?
I just want to be sure I obtain the benefits of the non US airline Sapphire status.
@ Preston -- You can just show a screenshot of your Royal Jordanian account that reflects the status. They can then enter the loyalty number in their system, and verify your status that way.
Thanks! So we can book with Alaska, revenue, and add an Alaska or Admiral's lounge We can just show the screenshot of Royal Jordanian status?
Thank you for sharing this - it's very well timed! We had the Finnair deal that came with status that you wrote about a few years ago and had many many visits to AA Flagship lounge in Chicago. Signed up immediately.
So just to be clear, if you have status with American AIRLINES, then you're basically not eligible for this status match??
Lucky - the way your article is written is a little confusing: "If you're an American flyer and are eligible, taking advantage of this opportunity...." Do you mean if you're an American CITIZEN flyer, or do you mean if you're an American AIRLINES flyer??
@ JS -- That's correct. You do need status with another airline, but you can also match your American status to that of another airline, and then match again. The reason I say it's useful for American flyers is because that's when lounge access would be useful. If you're a SkyTeam flyer, having status with oneworld doesn't get you much value.
Gotcha!! Thanks!
"If you’re an American flyer and are eligible, taking advantage of this opportunity is an absolute no brainer, as it’s one of the best deals you’ll get on premium lounge access."
All of my business travel domestically is on AA because of preferred carrier status. How does this offer affords me ow sapphire status?
This is almost as bad as the complaint made about bad/incorrect online advice
@ justindev -- You need to have status with another airline. But you can match your American status to another airline, and then match again.
"This is almost as bad as the complaint made about bad/incorrect online advice."
Seriously? What part of this information is incorrect? To my knowledge, everything in this post is accurate. Just because it's not useful for everyone doesn't mean it's not a great opportunity.
Justindev seems to think anything that doesn't benefit him personally is fraud, at least judging from his post above.
Indeed. Just look at the pattern of Justindev's comments across multiple articles.
Any sense of how long the match will stay up? I don’t have any AA flights for awhile. Wondering whether I should wait for a bit.
@ Anonymouse -- Absolutely no clue, sadly. The Royal Jordanian status match in general has been available for a long time, but what's new here is that it's open to residents in the United States. I don't think it'll be pulled within a couple of weeks, though it's anyone's guess how long it lasts beyond that.
Marriett Titanium benefit of UA Silver is finally paying off.
Unfortunately it’s not available to BA Gold members. I wonder why that is?
Nor is it available to AA Advantage members.
Pretty simple, because they are also Oneworld :)
Non-poach agreements mean the airlines are not allowed to status match with elites in the same alliance.
Actually last year BA matched my AA EXP status. That’s how I got BA Gold and then qualified for BA Gold again by crediting my AA flights to BA.
Is there any roundabout way to get to Gold Sparrow via hotel status (by matching to some interim program first)?
yes
How?
I'd appreciate knowing how
Are there published redemption rates for Royal Jordanian’s program for awards on other OneWorld carriers? I looked but couldn’t find any info.
Would this also work for getting Alaska Lounge access on domestic itineraries?
@ Eddy -- In theory yes. The quirk is that with Alaska, the airline will often only give you lounge access if you qualify based on the status on your boarding pass. So it could be tricky to credit your flight to one program, and access a lounge with another program.
@Ben, for lounge access, can you share which airlines typically only look at status based on the airline one is crediting to, vs, which ones will consider a wholly separate program?
Is this match once in a lifetime? Or can you keep matching as long as they have a promotion every year?
@ Al -- The only restriction I see in the terms is this: "Only 1 status match per person will be permitted under this campaign matching to either Royal Club Gold Sparrow or Silver Jay tiers."
So it doesn't seem like it's "once in a lifetime," but instead, it's once per campaign.
@Ben,
But as you write, the campaign has been around for a long while. So if they just keep having it as the same campaign, with a a few tweaks to the applicable countries and programs a long the way, it is basically just once for each person.
Once again the relevant departments can't use a map and ignore several markets they serve through airport in another EU states. RJ freaking pays for ad campaigns in my market, but excludes it from offers like this because network people don't talk to loyalty people...
But then you'd have to put your earn on RJ. Is there any value proposition in earning on RJ, or are you just trading lounge access for usable points earning?
@ Nobody — At least with American lounges, there’s no need to actually credit to the program. You can credit to another program and just provide your credentials at the lounge entrance.
I feel like that's possible with other OW carriers too. Matt's Planet (on YouTube) recently did a round the world trip to get OWE on Finnair and his modus operandi was to give his credentials for BA gold on entry as the lounge access system is separate to the mileage earning system.
@ Rain -- For sure, possible with virtually all oneworld airlines. Alaska is the only carrier that's tricky in this regard.
In my experience, BA lounges tend to change the FFP on the booking to the one you use to access the lounge. So be careful checking your record after a lounge visit.
“Tricky”? I thought you stated upthread that Alaska’s rules specifically forbid switching FF#s? (Which has been my experience). So, Tricky, as in maybe you can sneak through if you’re…Lucky?
@ Jm -- To be clear, Alaska's rules prohibit accessing a lounge based on a frequent flyer number not on your boarding pass. There are situations where you could switch around the frequent flyer number on your boarding pass, assuming you're not relying on a complimentary upgrade, or something along those lines.
Wait, so if I bought elite status with Frontier with the recent promotion (for around $60 ish), can I still use that for this status match to RJ?
If so, OMG!!!!
Why would you do that when you can match to RJ Silver (which is what Frontier Gold will match to anyway) for free? Hilton Silver (given out to no fee HH cards) or higher (Gold given to Platinum Card holders) will match to RJ silver anyway and I am guessing you have one of thsoe since you read this site?
@ JB -- Yeah, you can match, though the only issue, as pointed out by DMoney, is that Frontier Gold only matches to oneworld Ruby, which doesn't get you lounge access.
Is there any roundabout way for AA ExecPlat to get Gold Sparrow (OneWorld Sapphire)? Maybe a two-step match that could take me from AA ExecPlat to another program and then to Gold Sparrow?
@ Evan -- It seems to me that you could start a Delta or United status challenge, and then match from there, unless there's something obvious in the terms that I'm missing.
Turkish Airlines might also work
I'm trying a match with JetBlue (United and Delta seem to also want you to actually FLY in order to have the match granted, whereas JetBlue seems to not.) AA EP should get me Mosaic 2 which will get me Gold Sparrow. Lots of jaunts between ORD and LGA or CLT. In LGA, there's usually room in the Centurion Lounge if needed (and only on the way back), but guaranteed access to the Admirals Club...
I'm trying a match with JetBlue (United and Delta seem to also want you to actually FLY in order to have the match granted, whereas JetBlue seems to not.) AA EP should get me Mosaic 2 which will get me Gold Sparrow. Lots of jaunts between ORD and LGA or CLT. In LGA, there's usually room in the Centurion Lounge if needed (and only on the way back), but guaranteed access to the Admirals Club at ORD and elsewhere feels like a small victory amongst all "this" (gestures broadly at the world.) This is fun!