Star Alliance Status Match with TAP Air Portugal

Star Alliance member TAP Air Portugal’s status match offer is back in 2022! If you currently hold elite status with Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, British Airways, American Airlines or selected other airlines, this could be your ticket to fast-tracked Star Alliance Gold status.

Through the TAP Portugal status match promotion, you could instantly receive Star Alliance Silver or Gold status for one year. You don’t even need to set foot on a TAP Portugal aircraft – instead, you’ll just need to be prepared to spend around $150 on a TAP Miles&Go Club subscription.

A similar promotion previously ran twice during 2020. The offer is now back for 2022, albeit with slightly different terms, and has been extended indefinitely. It’s open to current members of 21 selected partner airlines.

Here is the full list of eligible frequent flyer programs that TAP Air Portugal will status match from:

• American Airlines AAdvantage
• Aeroflot Bonus
• Aerolineas Argentinas Plus
• Air Europa SUMA
• MEA Cedar Miles
• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Etihad Guest
• British Airways Executive Club
• Finnair Plus
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue
• Iberia Plus
• LATAM Pass
• Alitalia MilleMiglia
• Czech Airlines OK Plus
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Royal Jordanian Royal Club
• Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
• Delta SkyMiles
• Emirates Skywards
• GOL Smiles
• Azul TudoAzul

The TAP Miles&Go tier that you’ll be matched to depends on your current status level with the other airline. A full list is available on the TAP website.

It may be possible to request a status match if you currently hold elite status with some other frequent flyer programs, but matches from other Star Alliance airlines will not be approved.

Under the current terms & conditions, TAP Miles&Go Gold members are no longer able to nominate a friend or family member to also receive complimentary Star Alliance Gold status – a normal TAP program benefit – until they have renewed their status the following year. New members that receive a status match will also not be issued with a physical membership card until they renew their status for a further year.

This is an offer for new members of TAP Air Portugal’s frequent flyer program. It’s not available to anyone that was already a member of the TAP Miles&Go frequent flyer program prior to January 2020. It’s also not available to anyone that has previously applied for a TAP status match.

How to get a TAP Portugal Miles&Go status match

If you qualify for a TAP status match, and you’re not already a member of the TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go frequent flyer program, you can request a match when enrolling for free on the airline’s website.

When signing up, you’ll be given the option to submit a digital photograph of your current frequent flyer membership card showing your existing status tier. In this photo, your name, membership number, status level and the card’s expiry date must be clearly visible.

Alternatively, if you are already a TAP Miles&Go member and joined after 1 January 2020, you can complete this simple form on the TAP Air Portugal website. Or, email your status match request along with a complete photo of your current airline membership card to [email protected].

At the airline’s discretion, TAP Air Portugal may also ask for further documentation to prove the legitimacy of your existing status validity. Requested documents could include a new copy of the same card in physical or digit format (e.g. with better resolution) or a copy of your account activity statement.

If your application is validated, you’ll automatically be eligible for the TAP Miles&Go tier upgrade. However, there is one more step…

Buy miles (or a subscription) to complete the process

To receive your status upgrade, you’ll then need to either buy at least 4,000 Miles&Go miles or take out a TAP Miles&Go Club membership within 10 days of being notified that your application has been validated. Once this has been completed, you’ll receive another confirmation – from which point your status benefits should begin to apply. You’ll also receive a digital membership card within 15 days and your status will be valid for at least 12 months from approval.

TAP Miles&Go Club membership comes with various benefits such as bonus miles and priority boarding on TAP Air Portugal flights, depending on the subscription purchased. The cheapest membership costs €99 (~AU$150) per year.

Alternatively, it would cost €140 (~AU$210) to purchase 4,000 Miles&Go miles. That’s not really good value.

Full status match campaign details, terms & conditions are available on the TAP Air Portugal website.

What you get with a TAP Portugal status match

Once your status match has been processed, you’ll get to keep the benefits of your TAP Miles&Go Silver or Gold status for 12 months. This includes all of the usual Star Alliance benefits, with Miles&Go Silver status being equivalent to Star Alliance Silver and Miles&Go Gold getting your Star Alliance Gold.

Star Alliance benefits include priority boarding, additional baggage allowance and lounge access, depending on your status tier. These benefits can be used across the entire Star Alliance network including on Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Air Canada, Turkish Airlines, Air India, Lufthansa and United.

You’ll also receive benefits like bonus miles for TAP flights, and Silver Miles&Go members even receive lounge access when flying on intercontinental TAP flights.

How to extend your TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go status

To renew your TAP Miles&Go status for another year, you would need to earn the regular amount of status miles or sectors by flying on TAP Air Portugal and/or its partner airlines within 12 months of receiving your status match.

These are the usual requirements for earning Miles&Go Silver or Gold status from scratch:

• Silver status – earn 30,000 status miles or fly at least 25 TAP-operated flights within 12 months
• Gold status – earn 70,000 status miles or fly at least 50 TAP-operated flights within 12 months

But once you already hold TAP Miles&Go status (including through a status match), it’s easier to renew in the following year. These are the annual renewal requirements:

• Silver status – earn 20,000 status miles or fly at least 15 TAP-operated flights
• Gold status – earn 50,000 status miles or fly at least 40 TAP-operated flights

If you’re looking for a Star Alliance status match, you could also take advantage of the ongoing Turkish Airlines status match or United’s Premier status match challenge.

Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: TAP Air Portugal *A status match challenge