TAP Portugal (Star Alliance) Gold status match

(Within just a couple of hours, the promotion’s status has now changed to waitlisted…)

TAP Air Portugal is a name that feels both distant and familiar: during the pandemic years, they ran multiple free or low-cost status matches and ways to “buy” Star Alliance Gold, so many readers probably took advantage. Now, they’re back again!

The offer page is here but there’s currently no details at all, and I suspect it’s not fully live yet. But in any case, applications are open. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

• Create a statusmatch.com account
• Log in and add your loyalty accounts (e.g. British Airways)
• Click Apply for status match on the left; if your status is eligible, an “Apply Now” button will appear next to TAP Air Portugal

You can now proceed, fill out the form and upload an image of your membership card. The match isn’t free, but it’s just $1, which is practically nothing. If all goes well, you’ll receive a Star Alliance Gold card, giving you priority check-in and boarding, extra baggage allowance, fast-track security, and lounge access on airlines like the Lufthansa Group, United, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines and ANA.

The main issue is the lack of official info, so which airlines are eligible can only be determined by trial and error. Currently, I’ve only found eight eligible airlines:

• Delta
• Jetblue
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Iberia
• Finnair
• Air France/KLM
• Lufthansa

And many others confirmed ineligible: Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, ITA, SAS, Royal Jordanian, all Chinese airlines including Cathay Pacific…

If you find other eligible airlines, feel free to share. Interestingly, Lufthansa is listed despite being in the same alliance, probably a manual error. But it doesn’t matter much – our Lufthansa Senator status is valid until February 2027, so there’s no need to match with them now to extend it.