Both British Airways and Iberia are welcoming significant changes to their frequent flyer programs in April, with the former being exceptionally bad and I’ll be really surprised if they don’t lose loads of members.
For competitors however it’s an opportunity to poach, and Air France / KLM has already done so. The other major European airline group, Lufthansa, has launched a status match campaign too.
- €99 fee to participate
- Open to elite members from British Airways and Iberia
- BA Silver / Iberia Plata (Oneworld Sapphire) can match to Lufthansa Frequent Flyer (Star Alliance Silver)
- Higher status cards (Oneworld Emerald) can match to Lufthansa Senator (Star Alliance Gold)
- You cannot match to the top HON Circle status
- Status will be valid until 28/02/2026
They only accept BA and IB members so the intention is crystal clear. Beware that the fee is the same €99 regardless of which tier you match to, so if you only have BA Silver at the moment it might not be worth it.
Lufthansa’s Frequent Flyer status is useful when flying Lufthansa / Swiss / Austrian / Brussels / LOT, as you get an additional check-in baggage and access to their own airline-operated lounges. When travelling with another Star Alliance airline however, it’s pretty much useless.
Senator (Star Alliance Gold) will get you priority check-in, additional baggage allowance, fast lane and lounge access across the whole alliance.
Getting one-year Star Alliance Gold for €99 is a good deal, even if you’d only use the benefits a couple of times. Remember that Lufthansa is going to devaluate their redemption system heavily soon, so think twice before crediting your flights to Miles and More.
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