About Airline Elite Status

Airline elite status is still pretty valuable. Common perks include earning extra miles on flights, complimentary upgrades to premium cabins, free checked bags, priority boarding, and more.

However, airline elite status is much harder to earn than hotel elite status. It requires real flight activity and ticket spending. For example, United Airlines elite status requires PQF (Premier Qualifying Flights) and PQP (Premier Qualifying Points from ticket spending). For example, the lowest Silver tier requires 12 segments and $4,000 in ticket spending, or $5,000 in ticket spending. The top-tier 1K requires 54 segments and $18,000 in spending. On average, that means flying 4-5 times per month, which is pretty hard to achieve unless you travel for work.

And that’s just for one airline’s elite status. If you want a great travel experience everywhere, it’s best to have elite status with every airline, which is even harder.

Fast Track

Actually, besides honestly flying enough segments and meeting each airline’s spending requirements, there is a much faster way: status challenges. A challenge usually means flying the required number of segments or miles within a specified period, and you can bypass the normal qualification requirements to earn elite status. However, the challenge only applies to the first year of elite status. If you want to keep elite status in the second year, you still need to meet the requirements. Also, in general, one account can only do a challenge once, so you can’t do it every year.

But status matches and challenges are usually linked together. You need elite status with another airline (or a hotel) to participate in an airline challenge. The usual steps are:

  • Find the matching page for airline A
  • Upload proof of elite status with another airline B, such as a screenshot
  • Wait for the match
  • After a successful match, you immediately receive airline A elite status for a period of time (usually a few months)
  • Meet certain flight requirements to retain status; this requirement is usually lower than earning airline A elite status directly through flying
  • In the second year, determine your status level according to the normal requalification requirements

In addition to status matches and challenges, some airlines’ co-branded credit cards can also contribute to elite status, for example:

  • You can directly earn airline elite status by meeting an annual spend requirement (ac)
  • You can use everyday spending to help meet United’s PQP requirement
  • You can use annual spending to help meet Delta’s PQM requirement

So below, we’ll go airline by airline and introduce how to quickly earn airline elite status through these three paths.

Alaska Airlines

Status Match and Challenge

Alaska Airlines is probably the most generous when it comes to status matches and challenges, with very detailed charts and requirements. After matching, you can keep elite status for 30 days.

The matching process is also simple.

If you want to keep the status after 90 days, you need to fly a certain number of miles on Alaska Airlines. If you match before the end of June, you can extend the status through the end of the year. If you match from July to December, you can extend it directly to the end of the following year. So the best time is early July!

California-Only Challenge

Alaska Airlines also has a special challenge for California residents. If you fly two coast-to-coast nonstop flights between January 1, 2023 and March 31, 2023, you can earn MVP status; fly four times and you can earn MVP Gold.

Eligible routes are as follows:

  • Los Angeles (LAX) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Newark (EWR), Washington-Dulles (IAD), or Washington-Reagan (DCA)
  • San Diego (SAN) and Boston (BOS), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK) or Orlando (MCO)
  • San Francisco (SFO) and Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Orlando (MCO), Tampa (TPA), Washington-Dulles (IAD), or Washington-Reagan (DCA)

Credit Cards

United Airlines

Status Match and Challenge

In 2023, United Airlines relaunched its status match and challenge, and the matching form must be submitted by June 30.

This chart shows some airlines that can match United status at various levels; the full list is in the application form.

After submission, you will automatically receive the corresponding United elite status for 120 days. If you want to keep that status in 2023, you need to meet the requirements below based on your tier. PQF refers to flight segments, and PQP is the amount spent on United. You must meet both requirements. According to United, if you meet the requirements before June 30, your status can be extended to 2024; if you complete them after July 1, it can be extended to 2025. So the best approach is to time it carefully, submit the application in April or May, and finish the requirements after July.

The application requires you to enter the corresponding airline, status tier, membership number, and upload a screenshot of your status.

Credit Cards

United credit cards can earn PQP through spending, which counts toward United’s spending requirement. Every $12,000 in spending earns 500 PQP. However, each card has a different cap.

If you spend enough, you really can earn elite status, but you need to choose the right card.

American Airlines

Status Match and Challenge

AA now uses Loyalty Points (LP) to determine status, and there are currently no new status match or challenge offers. There used to be an AA and Hyatt partnership status match challenge, but it has now expired.

Rumor has it that AA can be challenged directly by phone, and you don’t need elite status with another airline. You only need to earn a certain number of Loyalty Points within the specified time. If you're interested, give it a try

  • 888-697-5636 or 800-882-8880

Credit Cards and Airline Portal

Since AA uses only LP to determine elite status, and LP can be earned directly through credit card spending and airline shopping portals. In theory, you can stay home and still get AA elite status. The LP requirements for 2023 are as follows

  • Gold: 30,000 Loyalty Points
  • Platinum: 75,000 Loyalty Points
  • Platinum Pro: 125,000 Loyalty Points
  • Executive Platinum: 200,000 Loyalty Points

For credit cards, the base miles earned per $1 spent (excluding category bonus multipliers) can be converted 1:1 into LP. In addition, some credit cards can earn extra LP after spending a certain amount. So if your card spending is high enough, you can get elite status just by swiping your cards.

Besides credit cards, AA's airline portal can also earn a large number of LP. It also earns 1 LP per $1 spent, so if you do reselling or place orders for others, you can quickly rack up a lot of LP. In addition, there is reportedly a bug where refunds or canceled orders still earn LP normally.

Delta

These are Delta's 2023 elite status requirements

Status Match and Challenge

Delta also has a full status match page; you also need to provide elite status from another airline to match directly into Delta status

Some of the chart is shown below (official match chart)

If the match is successful, you can directly get the corresponding tier for 3 months. To extend it after that, you need to complete flight requirements and MQD requirements. MQM are Medallion Qualification Miles, related to flight distance, cabin, and bonus miles. MQS are flight segments. MQD is the amount you spend on Delta. The MQD waiver means that if you spend $25,000 per year on an AMEX Delta credit card, this Delta spending requirement can be waived.

Credit Cards

Delta credit card welcome offers and annual spending can provide a lot of MQM and MQD Waiver support for elite status, summarized as follows

So in theory you can get Delta elite status purely by spending. As long as your spending power is high enough~!

Other Airlines

Southwest

They also have a detailed status match and challenge page

To keep A-list status, you need to complete 3 round trips or 6 one-way Southwest flights within 90 days.

On the credit card side, every $1,000 spent can earn 1,500 Tie Points

Air Canada

Their status match challenge: Air Canada status match challenge link

With the Chase Aeroplan Credit Card, you can get Air Canada 25K status just by holding the card. If you spend $15k per year, you can keep the status for the second year. And if you spend $50k per year, you can upgrade to 35K status.

Virgin Atlantic

The corresponding tiers are as follows

The requirements are

  • You need cash-fare flights to match the corresponding tier. To match Gold, you need to fly premium economy or business class; to match Silver, any flight will do
  • Gold needs 1000 tie points to maintain, while Silver needs 400. Once successful, elite status is automatically extended for 12 months.

Conclusion

If you fly and travel for business often, try to choose one airline, earn elite status, and then use status matches and challenges to get elite status with other airlines.

If you fly less often but still want elite status, you can consider using credit cards and similar methods to earn elite status through spending. Then you can use status matches one by one to get elite status with other airlines, without worrying about requalification.