Hotel Status Matches: Unlock Elite Perks Elsewhere

After leveraging my Virgin Australia Platinum status to match with Hilton Honors Diamond, I had great fun utilising this newfound elite hotel membership to its fullest. For years my husband and I enjoyed executive lounges, upgrades, late checkouts, and free breakfasts. All without having to spend thousands on climbing the loyalty ladder.

But, as with most good things, it couldn’t last forever. When my review date rolled around, I was nowhere near the requirements to renew my Hilton Diamond status. So what could I do?

I knew that some hotel chains offer status match challenges for elite members of other programs. But often those require upcoming stays, and I didn’t have any immediate plans for nights away from home.

Instead, I found that a number of hotel loyalty programs offer instant status matches. Many of which only need a current elite status membership with another hotel chain, a screenshot or two, and a few basic details. No extra stays required.

What you need to do

Before you can request a status match, you’ll first need to join that hotel chain’s loyalty program.

Once you’re enrolled, the process is usually straightforward. You either fill out an online form, or email the hotel’s designated address, with your name, membership number, and proof of your elite status from a competing program.

Some chains may also ask for evidence of recent stays. But in my experience with most of the programs below, a simple screenshot of my status card was enough.

Hotel loyalty programs offer instant status matches

These are the programs that I was able to successfully match my Hilton Diamond status with…

Radisson Rewards

Radisson recognised my Hilton Diamond and instantly matched me to their Premium tier (but not their VIP level). The match was processed quickly after I emailed a screenshot of my Hilton membership card. No stay requirement, no fuss. Now I can get free room upgrades and extra points for stays. And I have 12 months to either complete 5 nights or 3 stays to keep this status tier!

Choice Privileges

With one simple email to their status match email address, I was upgraded to Elite Platinum status in Choice Privileges. This gives me benefits like extra points, as well as early check-in and late checkout during stays. This status expires at the end of the calendar year if I don’t requalify in that time.

Best Western Rewards

Best Western offers their Status Match…No Catch^® program, which matched me to Diamond Select until the end of the next calendar year. As I applied in January 2025, that’s almost two full years of 50% bonus points for qualifying nights, early check-ins and late checkouts!

Ascott Star Rewards

After filling in their online form with a screenshot of my Hilton status and proof of at least one stay in the last 18 months, within a week I was granted Platinum status.

This gives me some really interesting perks. Not only will I get bonus points and 3pm late checkouts on stays, but also free breakfast in Europe and free airport transfers in the Middle East and Türkiye. They also regularly send me various vouchers, like for 25% off Best Flexible Rates or SGD20 off new bookings.

iPrefer Rewards

This boutique-focused loyalty program also accepted my Hilton Diamond for a match to their Titanium tier. I’ll get to keep this status for 12 months.

Before you get too carried away…

Many hotel loyalty programs offer easy status matches, and I was interested to see how many would give me a match when I started this exercise. But you should be aware that many loyalty programs, including iPrefer Rewards and Choice Privileges, will only give you one status match in your lifetime.

So, try not to get too carried away by getting status with loyalty programs you won’t actually use in the foreseeable future. This could limit your ability to get another status match with the same program in the future.

And if you know you won’t requalify for the status tier you’re trying to match into, time it wisely!

One example of how I can use my new status

Over a long weekend in November, I’ll be heading to Bali for a friend’s wedding. I quickly discovered, when I went to book flights, that flying from Australia on the Friday was considerably more expensive than arriving earlier in the week. Luckily, my job gives me the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world – as long as I’ve got a solid Wi-Fi connection! So I had options.

I realised that flying in on Wednesday evening was not only cheaper, but also gave me the chance to set up in Bali and work remotely on Thursday and Friday. The problem was the check-out time. Most hotels in Bali, including the one I’d booked, require you to check out around 11 a.m. on the last day. For someone working Australian hours, that meant I’d either need to scramble for a quiet café or beach club with decent Wi-Fi, or pay for an extra night that I wouldn’t even use to sleep at the hotel. Neither option sounded appealing.

This is exactly where my newly matched hotel status came to the rescue. I booked at a Harris Hotel, which is part of the Ascott Star Rewards program. Thanks to my Titanium status, I’ll be able to request a late check-out of 3 p.m. without any hassle, which lines up perfectly with my work schedule. I’ll be able to finish the day comfortably in my room before heading to Ubud to enjoy the wedding festivities.

Status matches are a smart way to maximise value from hotels you don’t usually stay with, giving you elite perks without the need to earn them from scratch. They can be especially useful if you’ve already built up status in one chain but have upcoming travel where that brand isn’t suitable. Instead of starting at the bottom tier, you can jump straight into enjoying benefits like upgrades, free breakfasts, and late checkouts.

Have you leveraged your status with a hotel chain to match with other loyalty programs? Let us know in the forums!