{"id":201520,"date":"2025-03-18T23:59:42","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T23:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=201520\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:11:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:11:18","slug":"american-to-alaska-status-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/news\/airlines\/american-to-alaska-status-match\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons Why I Just Status Matched to Alaska Airlines"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>My American Airlines Executive Platinum status is expiring since I decided to step off the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/creative-ways-to-earn-extra-loyalty-points\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Loyalty Points hamster wheel<\/a> last year. Alaska Airlines, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/news\/alaska-atmos-rewards\/alaska-joins-oneworld\/\" rel=\"noopener\">now a full member of the Oneworld alliance<\/a>, offers interesting status benefits for its members, as well as reciprocal elite benefits with American Airlines.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/alaska-atmos-rewards\/alaska-status-match\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Alaska offers a once-a-lifetime status match<\/a>, and I decided to take advantage while my Executive Platinum status is still active. Here's why I chose now to status match to Alaska Airlines.<\/p>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"toc_light_blue no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Page Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#1_Airline_Status_Isnt_What_It_Used_To_Be\">1. Airline Status Isn\u2019t What It Used To Be<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2_Alaska_Status_Offers_a_Lot_of_Perks_on_American\">2. Alaska Status Offers a Lot of Perks on American<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3_Alaska_Airlines_is_Changing_Fast\">3. Alaska Airlines is Changing Fast<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#4_My_Current_Travel_Plans\">4. My Current Travel Plans<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#5_I_Like_Alaska_Airlines_Miles\">5. I Like Alaska Airlines Miles!<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Final_Thoughts\">Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<h2><span id=\"1_Airline_Status_Isnt_What_It_Used_To_Be\">1. Airline Status Isn\u2019t What It Used To Be<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Mostly gone are the days of earning airline elite status for flying &#8220;butt-in-seat&#8221; miles &#8212; at least with a U.S.-based carrier. A <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/find-a-card\/airlines\/\" rel=\"noopener\">co-branded credit card<\/a> is an ever-helpful tool to attain top-tier status, and it rewards big spenders. However, I'm not one of those people.<\/p>\n<p>I originally received complimentary Executive Platinum status through a limited-time opportunity presented by the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/travel\/hyatt-american-airlines-partnership\/\" rel=\"noopener\">American Airlines partnership with World of Hyatt<\/a>. That status was extended to the mess that was 2020. In 2023, I re-earned Executive Platinum with strategic retail purchases to maximize <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/loyalty-points\/\" rel=\"noopener\">American Airlines Loyalty Points program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But the value I assign to Executive Platinum today isn't what it was even a few years ago. There are fewer upgrades to go around, thanks to the airline aggressively selling cheap upgrades to any flyer that will pay. The status benefits are diminished, like how hard I find it to use <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/systemwide-upgrades\/\" rel=\"noopener\">systemwide upgrades<\/a> with my schedule. I mean, even the seats up front are less comfortable than they once were as American fails to invest in maintaining its seats!<\/p>\n<p>For my personal travels, I'd rather focus on earning hotel status like <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/hotels\/world-of-hyatt\/\" rel=\"noopener\">World of Hyatt<\/a>, which still presents outsized value for my family.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_192582\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"600\/327\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-192582 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/alaska-hawaiian.png\" alt=\"A photo shows two jets at gates, one Alaskan and one Hawaiian airlines\" width=\"600\" height=\"327\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/alaska-hawaiian.png 600w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/alaska-hawaiian-300x164.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><center><em>Credit: Alaska Airlines<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<h2><span id=\"2_Alaska_Status_Offers_a_Lot_of_Perks_on_American\">2. Alaska Status Offers a Lot of Perks on American<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To be honest, I don't plan on flying Alaska too often with my status-matched status. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/news\/alaska-atmos-rewards\/alaska-hawaiian-merger\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Alaska's recent merger with Hawaiian<\/a>, as well as their interesting <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/alaska-atmos-rewards\/alaska-flight-pass\/\" rel=\"noopener\">West Coast route network<\/a>, does offer some opportunities for me. But I'm a Phoenix-based flyer, and American Airlines is the most convenient airline for me most of the time.<\/p>\n<p>Alaska Airlines elites get several perks when flying on American Airlines, including reciprocal upgrades (even companions), extra legroom seats, checked bags, and priority check-in at the airport. You can review all of the benefits <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alaskaair.com\/content\/mileage-plan\/how-to-earn-miles\/airline-partners\/american-airlines\/elite-benefits\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While I'll be prioritized below American's own elites at reciprocal levels, I am betting I'm not going to miss out on many more upgrades that I otherwise would have received.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"3_Alaska_Airlines_is_Changing_Fast\">3. Alaska Airlines is Changing Fast<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With its merger in 2024 with Hawaiian, Alaska added widebodies to their fleet. Immediately, we saw the airline add long-hauls to destinations like Tokyo and Seoul. This better utilizes aircraft across the combined airlines' route networks. I have no doubt that there is more to come on that front.<\/p>\n<p>Alaska also continues to adjust its <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/alaska-atmos-rewards\/best-use-of-alaska-miles\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Mileage Plan<\/a> program, and with all of the recent changes, I'm not sure that this &#8220;once a lifetime&#8221; status match will be around much longer. With my expiring top-tier status on American, it made sense to take the plunge. Little did I know that after requesting a status match in February 2025, Alaska would put an end date to American status match requests for March 31, 2025. My status match had fortuitous timing, for sure.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_201085\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/394\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-201085 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-07-at-11.12.13\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"Elite status match as of March 7, 2025 at Alaska\" width=\"750\" height=\"394\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-07-at-11.12.13\u202fAM.png 1988w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-07-at-11.12.13\u202fAM-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-07-at-11.12.13\u202fAM-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-07-at-11.12.13\u202fAM-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-07-at-11.12.13\u202fAM-1536x807.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><center><em>Credit: Alaska<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<h2><span id=\"4_My_Current_Travel_Plans\">4. My Current Travel Plans<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I'll lose American status on March 31, 2025, but with my status match, I'll be able to enjoy Alaska MVP Gold 75K until early June 2025. Until then, I'll have to fly 20,000 miles on Alaska to keep the status. With a trip planned to Japan between now and then, I'll continue to enjoy one of my favorite frequent flying perks: first class lounge access. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/how-to-book-japan-airlines-new-business-class\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Flying JAL<\/a> is a treat, and JAL's first class <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/oneworld-lounges-access\/\" rel=\"noopener\">lounge<\/a> in Tokyo was a highlight of my honeymoon. I'm excited to visit once again!<\/p>\n<p>Plus, other Oneworld Emerald privileges like extra baggage allowances for my growing family, reserving seats for free on partners like British Airways, and first class check-in at select airports are great perks to have.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"5_I_Like_Alaska_Airlines_Miles\">5. I Like Alaska Airlines Miles!<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Alaska Airlines continues to partner with unique airlines, like Starlux, Singapore, and Hainan, even when joining an alliance like Oneworld. With historically reasonable award rates, and fun benefits like <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/alaska-atmos-rewards\/free-stopover\/\" rel=\"noopener\">free stopovers<\/a>, Alaska has added a few new ways to earn miles, but some of our favorites include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Flying with Alaska Airlines and its <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alaskaair.com\/content\/mileage-plan\/how-to-earn-miles\/airline-partners\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">partners<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Booking travel through one of Alaska Airlines' <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alaskaair.com\/content\/mileage-plan\/how-to-earn-miles\/hotel-partners\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel partners<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Shopping through the\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/alaska-atmos-rewards\/alaska-airlines-shopping\/\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Alaska Airlines shopping portal<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Dining with establishments in the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mileageplan.rewardsnetwork.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Alaska Airlines dining program<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Transferring Marriott Bonvoy or Bilt Rewards points to Alaska Airlines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And of course, you can also earn with an <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/credit-cards\/alaska-atmos-rewards\/alaska-airlines-credit-card\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Alaska Airlines credit card<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"qs-card\" data-id=\"4048132\">\n            <div class=\"qs-data\">\n                <div class=\"qs-view\">\n                    <div class=\"qs-cardname\">Atmos\u2122 Rewards Ascent Visa Signature<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> card<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-image\"><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.nextinsure.com\/imaging\/opt\/3d8bdd26-ff10-49b6-81e1-d6aa0a68e9d6.jpg\" width=\"150\" alt=\"Atmos\u2122 Rewards Ascent Visa Signature\u00ae card\" \/ class=\"lazyload\"><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-apply\"><a class=\"qs-learn-more\" data-ccid=\"4048132\" href=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/credit-cards\/alaska-atmos-rewards\/alaska-airlines-credit-card\/\">Learn More<\/a><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-rates\"><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-offer\"><strong>Limited Time Online Offer:<\/strong>\r\nEarn 80,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare\u2122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $4,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. Additionally, receive a 50% flight discount code for a qualifying future flight after opening your new account.<\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"qs-info\">\n                    <strong class=\"qs-cardname\">Atmos\u2122 Rewards Ascent Visa Signature<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> card<\/strong>\n                    <div class=\"qs-offer\"><strong>Limited Time Online Offer:<\/strong>\r\nEarn 80,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare\u2122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $4,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. Additionally, receive a 50% flight discount code for a qualifying future flight after opening your new account.<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-fee\"><strong>Annual Fee:<\/strong><b>$95<\/b><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-tabs\"><a class=\"qs-more\" href=\"#more\">Show more<\/a><a href=\"\" data-tab=\"wwl\">Why We Like It<\/a><a href=\"\" data-tab=\"er\">Earning Rates<\/a><div class=\"qs-tab-wwl\">The Atmos\u2122 Rewards Ascent Visa Signature<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> card offers cardholders 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases and 2 miles per dollar on everyday purchases like gas, local transit including ride share, cable, and select streaming services. Other benefits include Alaska\u2019s Famous Companion Fare\u2122 annually from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $6K in the previous anniversary year, priority boarding, a free checked bag, a 10% reward bonus on miles for Bank of America account holders, and a $100 discount on Alaska Lounge+ Membership.<\/div><div class=\"qs-tab-er\"><ul>\r\n<li>Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases<\/li>\r\n<li> Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases<\/li>\r\n<li>Earn unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <a class=\"qs-share\" href=\"\/find-a-card\/AlaskaVisa\/\" title=\"copy\"><svg width=\"12\" height=\"16\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 16\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><use href=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/awardwallet\/public\/builds\/icon\/icon-sprite.svg?v2026-4-307b22a62b#share-square\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/use><\/svg><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<h2><span id=\"Final_Thoughts\">Final Thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With so much change happening in the airline industry, it felt like the right move to take advantage of Alaska\u2019s status match while my Executive Platinum status is still active. I\u2019ll still get to enjoy many of the perks of Oneworld Emerald for a few more months \u2014 just as my American status expires.<\/p>\n<p>The timing of my match also turned out to be fortunate, given Alaska\u2019s recent decision to set a deadline for American status matches. While I may still fly American more than Alaska, the reciprocal benefits on American, strong Mileage Plan award options, and continued Oneworld perks make this a worthwhile move for my travel patterns.<\/p>\n<p>Loyalty programs are shifting rapidly, and top-tier airline status isn't what it once was. For now, I\u2019m happy with my choice to lock in Alaska MVP Gold 75K and see where it takes me \u2014 both literally and figuratively.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alaska Airlines status is a great status to have, and my current Executive Platinum status is expiring soon. Here&#8217;s why I decided to take advantage of the once-a-lifetime status match opportunity with Alaska before it was too late!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":97,"featured_media":190587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12054],"tags":[12770,12622],"coauthors":[36469],"class_list":["post-201520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips","tag-alaska-mileage-plan","tag-elite-status"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/97"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201520"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":256861,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201520\/revisions\/256861"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201520"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=201520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}