Garuda SkyTeam Status Match for Qantas & Virgin Flyers

Sydney, Australia - October 9, 2013: Garuda Indonesia Airlines Airbus A330 airliner taking off from Sydney Airport.
A Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330 at Sydney Airport. Photo: Adobe Stock.

Garuda Indonesia has launched a limited-time status match promotion for Platinum frequent flyers with both Qantas and Virgin Australia. If you currently hold Platinum status with Qantas or Velocity Frequent Flyer, you could enjoy up to a year’s worth of GarudaMiles status!

The Indonesian flag carrier is one of 19 airlines making up the SkyTeam alliance, alongside other international airlines including Delta, Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines, China Airlines, KLM, Air France and Virgin Atlantic. With Garuda Indonesia status, you can enjoy benefits when flying Garuda or any of the other SkyTeam member airlines:

SkyTeam member airlines as of 2024: Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Air France, China Airlines, China Eastern, Czech Airlines, Delta, Garuda Indonesia, ITA Airways, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, MEA, Saudia, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Xiamen Air.
SkyTeam member airlines as of 2024.

This promotion is running until 30 June 2024.

From 1 January until 29 February 2024, Garuda Indonesia was offering a different status match to Qantas Frequent Flyer Gold and Platinum members. This new offer is not available to Qantas Gold members, but is available to frequent flyers holding Virgin Australia Platinum status. Garuda said it has extended its status match promotion “due to popular demand”.

Who is eligible for the GarudaMiles status match

If you currently hold Platinum status in either the Qantas or Virgin Australia frequent flyer programs, you can get your status matched for free to the Platinum tier of the GarudaMiles program. Although Qantas Platinum One status isn’t specifically listed as being eligible for this match, we assume it would also map to GarudaMiles Platinum.

According to the offer terms & conditions, Qantas status obtained through means other than flying (e.g. if your status was a gift or from another status match) is not eligible.

How the status match works

You’ll initially get three months of status with GarudaMiles. To extend your status for a further nine months (bringing it to a year in total), you just need to take at least one Garuda flight from Australia to Indonesia within the three-month trial period.

This flight can be a one-way or return flight, and can be an itinerary from Australia to a third country via Indonesia. It can also be in any class of travel.

Garuda Indonesia flies the following routes between Australia and Indonesia:

  • Sydney-Denpasar (Bali)
  • Sydney-Jakarta
  • Melbourne-Denpasar (Bali)
  • Melbourne-Jakarta
Garuda Indonesia A330-300 Super Diamond Business Class seats
Garuda Indonesia A330-300 Business Class. Image: Garuda.

If you don’t take at least one eligible Garuda Indonesia flight within three months of receiving a status match, your status will drop back to your original GarudaMiles tier.

How to apply for the Garuda status match

If you’re interested in this offer, you can send an “expression of interest” email to [email protected].

In your email, you’ll need to include the following:

  • A copy of your Qantas Frequent Flyer or Velocity Frequent Flyer membership card (with name and expiry date clearly visible)
  • A copy of your recent Qantas or Velocity activity statement/s
  • A copy of your GarudaMiles card (or if you’re not already a GarudaMiles member, a completed registration form)

The benefits of Garuda Indonesia & SkyTeam status

GarudaMiles Platinum is equivalent to SkyTeam Elite Plus status, the top level within the SkyTeam alliance. It comes with the following benefits on Garuda and SkyTeam flights:

  • Priority check-in
  • Airport lounge access (for international flights only)
  • Priority baggage
  • Extra baggage allowance
  • Priority boarding
  • Preferred seating
  • Birthday bonus gift
  • Tier bonus miles (Garuda flights only)
  • Priority reservation waitlist
Entrance to the SkyTeam Lounge in Sydney
GarudaMiles Platinum status gets you lounge access on international itineraries. Photo: SkyTeam.

Learn more about airline status matches & challenges

Want to learn more about how you can leverage your existing airline status to attain instant status with another airline?

Our AFF Training includes a helpful course explaining the shortcuts to status called “The Road to Platinum Status”. Learn more about the AFF Training here.

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.
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Community Comments

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Seems like a reasonable status match but all that valuable. Many of will already have top tier Sky Team status through the ITA Airways status match a couple of years ago. We can even extend our status by gifting it to someone else (yourself with another account).

Reply 1 Like

Seems like a reasonable status match but all that valuable. Many of will already have top tier Sky Team status through the ITA Airways status match a couple of years ago. We can even extend our status by gifting it to someone else (yourself with another account).

I have gifted status to my brother - yet the offer is still showing up on my account.
Have you tried to give it to a second person ?
I'd like to 'gift it' to myself again!

I already have Gold with KQ Asante but AZ is now finally integrated with almost all ST airlines - only AF/KL for Asante.

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I have gifted status to my brother - yet the offer is still showing up on my account.
Have you tried to give it to a second person ?
I'd like to 'gift it' to myself again!

I already have Gold with KQ Asante but AZ is now finally integrated with almost all ST airlines - only AF/KL for Asante.

Not yet, but I do plan to do so.

I'm pretty sure this is simply a matter of creating another ITA account with your own details without duplicating unique identifiers so that the accounts don't overlap (eg. email address/contact number etc).

Reply 1 Like

I wonder if it's worthwhile to SM this as well given i already have a completed DL Gold status match for skyteam.

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I wonder if it's worthwhile to SM this as well given i already have a completed DL Gold status match for skyteam.

Probably not much point getting both, unless your Delta status is due to expire soon?

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Got a status match to Platinum. Took all of 3 working days.

Reply 2 Likes

I'm QF Plat and requested the status match on 19th January, but yet to receive the status match or any further correspondence.

Anyone else in the same boat?

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Received mine after prompting them, they said Jakarta office had to make the decision, so flew syd-dps to extend it once received. Strang situation at check in, they would not give me a forward seat in the first Y cabin but on the plane it was emty as they put all pax to back of the aircraft, said something about balancing the aircraft at check in, but they let us move forward - only 1/3 full two hours late.

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thinking of doing the plat status match
how do they treat plat any elite upgrades ever??
not sure if worth doing the syd DPS in Y to keep it

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