Coronavirus: These Programs Will Extend Your Status (Update)

Flughafen

Through the worldwide spreading of the Coronavirus, most people will have to reduce the number of trips they’ll be taking in 2020 massively. That will make it difficult for them to retain their status tier in the loyalty programs of airlines, hotel chains, and rental car companies. Nevertheless, some programs are reaching out to customers and offering easier conditions. We’ve compiled an overview:

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We assume that in the near future, many other loyalty programs will extend their customers’ status or at least simplify the (re)qualification. We’re regularly updating this article. If you wish to stay up to date, subscribe to our newsletter:

Accor Live Limitless (ALL)

Accor Live Limitless extends all statuses gained in 2019 up until December 31, 2021. Any qualifying stays or nights after June 1, 2020, will count for the qualifying year 2021.

Until December 15, 2020, all reward points will keep their value. Further, suite upgrades of diamond and platinum members will be extended by 12 months.

Aegean Airlines Miles+Bonus

The Greek Aegean Airlines are not offering to directly extend the Miles+Bonus status, but they are offering the opportunity to buy twice as many status miles as usual with a 25% discount, if the status is to expire between March 11th and April 30th.

Aeroflot Bonus

Every status has been extended until the end of February 2022 by Aeroflot Bonus. Even members that didn’t succeed at requalifying in 2019 and would have been downgraded in March got their status extended until February 2022.

airBaltic

Latvia’s state-owned airline has also reacted to the current situation. airBaltic will extend their Club members’ status by 6 months, so, in total, they’ll now have 18 months to requalify. The extension should happen automatically, without the members having to do anything.

Air Canada Altitude

Air Canada‘s frequent flyer program recently announced that all members will keep their 2020 status through to December 2021.

Further, they introduced an exception that allows gifting a status. If you qualified for status in 2020 despite Corona, you can gift this status to a friend or family member.

Air China PhoenixMiles

Current frequent flyer status will be extended for twelve months.

Air Europa SUMA

The Spanish airline Air Europa is extending the validity of their frequent flyer program’s status by 6 months. That means that you’ll have 18 months instead of 12 months to earn enough miles to requalify.

Air New Zealand Airpoints

Air New Zealand announced its regulations for a status extension. Anyone who obtained a certain status level up to March 20, 2020, will get an additional twelve months on top!

American Airlines AAdvantage

American Airlines has made some adjustments as well:

  • Anyone will keep their status without further requirements until January 31, 2020.
  • Requirements for statuses in 2020 are lowered up to 50%.
  • Cancellation fees for reward flights are lowered.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

Any exisisting statuses will be extended until December 31, 2021.

ANA Mileage Club

ANA will stop miles from expiring between March 31st, 2020 and January 28th, 2021. Instead, they will all expire on March 31st, 2021. Additionally, all flights made between January 1st and June 30th, 2020, will get you double Premium Points (status miles).

Asiana Club

Asiana Airlines and its program Asiana Club grant six additional months for status extension. This period is now 30 instead of 24 months long.

Best Western Rewards

All elite customers of the Best Western Rewards program will retain their status until January 31st, 2022, regardless of how many nights they’ll earn in 2020.

British Airways Executive Club

British Airways is reducing the required number of tier points for members that have their membership periods ending in April, May, or June, by 30%:

  • Bronze: 210 instead of 300 Tier Points
  • Silver: 420 instead of 600 Tier Points
  • Gold: 1.050 instead of 1.500 Tier Points

It is, however, likely, that this reduction will also apply for members that have their membership period ending in June.

Additionally, the validity of Gold Upgrade Vouchers, Companion Vouchers, and Travel Together Tickets will be extended by 6 months.

Cathay Pacific Marco Polo Club

If your status expires between May and December 2020, Cathay Pacific grants you twelve additional months of validity. This applies to lounge passes, upgrades and Gold Companion Card nominations, as well.

Cathay Pacific credits additional Club Points for February, March and April each, depending on your tier level:

  • Diamond: 140 Club Points
  • Gold: 65 Club Points
  • Silver: 30 Club Points
  • Green: 10 Club Points

Further, lounge passes, upgrades and Gold Companion Card nominations expiring between February and April 2020 are extended by six months.

China Airlines Dynasty Flyer

To requalify at China Airlines Dynasty Flyer, this year you’ll only need 80-90% of the regularly required miles.

Copa Connect Miles

All existing Copa Connect member see their current status extended until February 28, 2021.

Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles members will keep their existing medallion status up to January 2022. All status miles (MQM) obtained in 2020 will be valid for 2021, as well. Upgrade-vouchers and monetary vouchers get an extra six months of validity. All Status Challenges can be restarted in the future.

Easyjet Plus

Easyjet Plus is not a loyalty program, but a series of bonuses that can be purchased for £215 per year. Current Easyjet Plus customers haven been informed by e-mail that their current package will expire three months later.

Emirates Skywards

As an Emirates Skywards status holder, you’ll only need 80% of the originally required miles for 2020. Additionally, you’ll get 20% more status miles for flights until June 30th, 2020.

Europcar Privilege

If you currently hold a status at rental-car company Europcar‘s loyalty program, it will now be renewed by 6 months. Should you have canceled a rental and, because of that, missed your requalification or status upgrade, you can also contact Europcar.

Finnair

Finnair Plus will extend your status by 6 months beyond its regular validity.

Upgrade vouchers will also have their validity extended by 6 months.

Flying Blue

Status holders that have their qualification period ending in March, April, or May 2020, will have to earn 25% less XP to retain their status at Flying Blue. This rule could be extended beyond May, depending on the situation.

Additionally, miles will not expire in 2020.

Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles

All existing statuses are now valid until June 2021. Obtained miles are now valid for six additional months.

H-Hotels Hotmiles

H-Hotels is extending all status cards at HotMiles to the end of 2021.

Hilton Honors

Hilton is extending your status by one year. Even if you didn’t manage to requalify in 2019 and would have been downgraded on March 31st, 2020, you’ll be able to keep your status until March 31st, 2021. If you did manage to requalify in 2019 for 2020, your status is extended until March 31st, 2022.

Additionally, points will not expire until December 31st, 2020.

Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club

The loyalty program of the Leading Hotels of the World is called Leaders Club. Until now, they had announced extending their members’ status by one month, if it was to expire before June 2020. As the end of the corona crisis is not in sight, that may be expanded.

As loyal members of our community, we are committed to being as flexible as possible with the program rules during this time. To that end, for members who have accounts expiring before June 30, 2020, we will extend membership to July 31, 2020 at no additional charge. This will be reflected in your dashboard on lhw.com in the coming weeks. We are also exploring additional ways to support our Leaders Club members who are unable to enjoy their membership during this time. We will communicate any updates to you as soon as possible

Email to members (Source: YHBU)

IHG Rewards Club

After initially just Iowering the requirements to reach or retain a status by 25%, IHG Rewards came to decision to extend all current statuses. Everyone that qualified for certain tier level in 2019 may keep it until January 2022.

IHG vereinfacht die Kriterien für das Erreichen eines Status oder zur Requalifikation. Dieses Jahr muss man mind. 25% weniger Nächte oder Punkte sammeln.

tier structure lvp 1440x450 va 1

Korean Air Skypass

Any status that hasn’t expired before March 1, 2020, will be extended by six months.

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott has not yet announced any changes regarding status validity but is thinking about it.

Points expiry, however, has been suspended until August 31st, 2020. Suite Night Awards that expire before December 31st, 2020 will be extended by a year. The same goes for Free Night Awards.

Meliá Rewards

Meliá Rewards is extending all current Platinum, Gold, and Silver status with original requalification between March 1st and December 31st, 2020, by one year.

Miles & More

Miles&More has, for now, only announced that they want to make requalification easier. It is, however, unknown, how that is going to be implemented.

We are aware that opportunities to earn status miles are currently limited. Over the course of this year, we will offer accommodating solutions for maintaining your status.

Email Customer information regarding the current coronavirus crisis from March 20th, 2020

MSC Voyagers Club

The cruise ship industry will probably have tough times ahead. The big companies know this and are trying to go against that trend, so MSC Cruises is offering MSC Voyagers Club members a status extension of min. 12 months.

Preferred Hotels & Resorts I Prefer

All status holders get their status, regardless of their travel plans, until June 30th, 2021. (Source: E-Mail newsletter)

Radisson Rewards

Radisson Rewards will extend your current status until February 2022, if it had expired in February 2021. Earned points will expire 6 months later than usual starting March 1st.

Royal Jordanian Royal Club

Oneworld member Royal Jordanian offers an extension to all status holders in its frequent flyer program Royal Club. Depending on the expiration of your status, it may be extended up to six months.

  • Additional six months for statuses expiring between March 15 and June 30, 2020.
  • Additional three months for statuses expiring between July 1 and December 31, 2020.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club

If your Privilege status is about to expire, Qatar Airways will extend it by another 6 months. This offer is apparently personalized. Affected members will be contacted by email and have to actively agree.

Qantas Club

All frequent flyer statuses will be automitcally extended by 12 months.

SAS Eurobonus

After weeks of hesitation SAS’ frequent flyer program decided to follow other airlines and extend all active statuses by 12 months. You will receive all status points for cancelled bookings in March and April 2020.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines extends the current status of KrisFlyer members expiring between March 2020 and February 2021 by a full year. KrisFlyer miles expiring between April and August 2020 remain valid for six additional months.

Shangri-La Golden Circle

You also won’t have to renew your Shangri-La status this year, as your Golden Circle status will automatically be extended until December 31st, 2021.

TAP Portugal Miles&Go

TAP Portugal is extending your status at Miles&Go by 12 months if you had reached that status with status miles or segments.

Status extension for 12 months*
If you have obtained your status through flown Status Miles or flown segments and you have not reached the minimum enough to renew it, do not worry, as in this situation we will extend your current Gold or Silver status for 12 months.

Extension of miles validity for 12 months
If you have miles to expire in the period from March to May, we will extend the validity of those miles for 12 months, provided that you traveled with TAP at least once in the last year or have a Club TAP Miles&Go subscription.

Extra miles for Club TAP Miles&Go holders
Club TAP Miles&Go Customers until May 31, 2020 will receive additional miles at the time of renewal equivalent to +50% of the 1 month bonus miles in the current plan.

Email to TAP Portugal Miles&Go members

United Mileage Plus

Everyone who is currently doing the United MileagePlus Status Match Challenge will get an additional 30 days to complete it.

World of Hyatt

Hyatt has stopped points from expiring until May 31st, 2020. The planned introduction of season and off-season times for award stays has also been postponed to 2021.

A one-year status extension is currently only available for members living in the Asia-Pacific region. According to Hyatt, it is still too early to make modifications for other regions.

Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham Hotels and its loyalty program Wyndham Rewards have adjusted their requirements. Current statuses are extended until the end of 2021. The expiration of reward points is paused until September 30, 2020.

Further Programs?

Do you know other programs that have lowered the requalification criteria due to the coronavirus? Then please leave a comment, and we’ll expand the list.

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