Singapore Airlines is not exactly renowned for generously giving away status matches. It doesn’t run widespread status match promotions, and it doesn’t just offer KrisFlyer Elite Silver or Gold status to anyone who asks. Singapore Airlines sees KrisFlyer status as a valuable perk reserved for frequent flyers who have earned their benefits.

You’d normally need to earn 50,000 Elite Miles to achieve KrisFlyer Gold status with Singapore Airlines. But if you want to make the switch to Singapore Airlines, and you’d like to enjoy the benefits of KrisFlyer and Star Alliance status from the beginning, there are several options to make that transition smoother.

Thanks to KrisFlyer’s new partnership with Marriott Bonvoy, this also includes a brand new shortcut to Singapore Airlines Gold status.

Singapore Airlines may approve status matches on a case-by-case basis

If you already have elite status with another airline – such as Qantas or Virgin Australia – you may be able to request a status match directly from Singapore Airlines.

There is certainly no guarantee that Singapore Airlines will grant your request. But if you have upcoming travel booked with Singapore Airlines, and you make a compelling enough case that you’ll be a valuable long-term customer, there is a possibility of success.

If you are successful in getting a status match from Singapore Airlines, you’ll receive KrisFlyer Elite Gold status valid for 12 months. You’d need to earn at least 50,000 Elite Miles during those 12 months to renew your Singapore Gold status for another year.

Who is eligible for a Singapore Airlines status match?

Singapore Airlines doesn’t publish a specific list of criteria. Instead, they ask for a range of information and then approve (or decline) status match requests on a case-by-case basis. But there are a few regular patterns that can be found by reading recent reports on websites such as StatusMatcher.com or the Australian Frequent Flyer forum.

Firstly, you generally need to currently hold one of the highest status tiers with your current airline. For example, Singapore Airlines may offer you Gold status if you currently have Qantas Platinum or Platinum One, or Virgin Australia Platinum status. A Gold card with another airline is unlikely to suffice. (An exception is a Gold card with British Airways Executive Club, because BA Gold is equivalent to Qantas Platinum).

Secondly, you need to have upcoming flights booked with Singapore Airlines. In general, they want to see that you have at least two confirmed bookings – although one may be enough if it’s in a premium cabin. Bookings in Premium Economy, Business or First are treated more favourably.

Singapore Airlines also wants to see evidence of your recent flight history, and they want to know what position you hold in your company and in the community. If you happen to hold an influential position in a large company, that might help your case.

How to apply

If you think you might be eligible, the first step to request a status match is to contact Singapore Airlines using their online contact form or App. Explain that you want a status match and why you are applying for one.

If the person responding to your message believes you are serious and could be an eligible candidate, they will then send you a “Status Match Request Form” to fill in. This requires you to provide information including:

• Your job
• Your current frequent flyer status level with another airline
• Your past travel history with the other airline
• Your expected future travel profile with Singapore Airlines Group
• Booking reference numbers of upcoming Singapore Airlines Group bookings
• A justification for why you should receive a status match (e.g. you have a new job requiring frequent travel to Singapore, you recently moved to Singapore, or you want to switch your loyalty away from your current airline, etc.)
• Supporting documents

The supporting documents required include:

• A photo or screenshot of your current frequent flyer membership card with the other airline, and
• An account statement from the other frequent flyer program showing how you earned your status.

Basically, Singapore Airlines wants to see that you’re a genuine frequent flyer and earned your existing status from lots of flying. If it came from another status match, a credit card, or a promotion, Singapore Airlines probably won’t approve your status match request.

As you can see, this isn’t a free-for-all status match where you can just send a photo of your current frequent flyer card and get an instant match! You need to prove that you deserve it and that you intend to fly Singapore Airlines going forward.

KrisFlyer status fast-tracks for Marriott Bonvoy & Shangri-La Circle members

If you happen to have elite status with the Marriott Bonvoy or Shangri-La Circle hotel loyalty programs, that could also help you to get KrisFlyer status.

Status shortcut for Marriott Bonvoy elite members

Marriott Bonvoy has just launched a “preferred partnership” with KrisFlyer. This comes with a status fast-track for Marriott Bonvoy members with Gold Elite status or above.

In fact, Marriott Bonvoy Platinum (and higher) members can get instant Singapore Airlines Silver status for a year. They can also upgrade to KrisFlyer Gold status by taking just four eligible Singapore Airlines flights within six months. (Note that award, group and codeshare bookings are ineligible.)

After linking accounts on the Marriott website, Marriott Bonvoy members get access to the following KrisFlyer status fast-tracks:

You could earn Marriott Bonvoy Gold status by staying at least 25 nights per year at Marriott-affiliated hotels, or Platinum status with 50 annual nights. United Airlines MileagePlus status also gets you instant Marriott Bonvoy status at an equivalent tier.

Even if you don’t stay 25 nights per year at Marriott hotels, you could get instant Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status (among many other hotel statuses) with an American Express Platinum card.

Shangri-La Circle Infinite Journeys

There’s also a KrisFlyer status fast-track available through the Shangri-La Circle Infinite Journeys program.

Shangri-La Circle Jade and Diamond members can register for the following benefits:

Get KrisFlyer Elite Gold status with the HSBC Star Alliance credit card

As an alternative to applying for a Singapore Airlines status match, you could fairly easily get KrisFlyer Elite Gold status through the HSBC Star Alliance credit card.

This card has a $450 annual fee and you can get Star Alliance Gold status with your choice of seven airlines – including Singapore Airlines – by spending at least $60,000 per year on the card.

If you just want to dip your toes in the water, this card also has a great sign-up bonus offer. There is no annual fee in the first year, and you can get free Star Alliance Gold status for up to 12 months by spending at least $4,000 within 90 days of opening your card.

The benefits of Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Elite Gold status

Singapore Airlines affords many benefits to its KrisFlyer Elite Gold members. You’ll also get Star Alliance Gold benefits across all Star Alliance carriers.

Key benefits include:

• Lounge access (when flying Singapore Airlines, Star Alliance, Virgin Australia or Virgin Atlantic)
• Priority check-in
• Extra baggage allowance
• Priority boarding
• Priority baggage
• Complimentary Forward Zone seat selection in advance when flying Economy on Singapore Airlines
• Waived or discounted service fees
• Get an extra six months of validity when paying to extend expiring KrisFlyer miles

See the Singapore Airlines website for a full list of benefits.

Access many of the same benefits with Velocity status

If you live in Australia and plan to do a bit of flying on Singapore Airlines, you may wish to consider whether you really need KrisFlyer status. That’s because Singapore Airlines partners with Virgin Australia, and you can already enjoy many of the same benefits when flying Singapore Airlines as a Velocity Gold or Platinum member.

Virgin Australia status is also considerably easier to earn than Singapore Airlines status on an ongoing basis.

However, Velocity status does not get you international lounge access when flying with Singapore Airlines from airports where it uses third-party lounges, such as Adelaide.

Another Star Alliance airline might offer an easier status match

If you’re looking for a Star Alliance Gold status match, this may be easier to obtain with other member airlines. For example, Turkish Airlines offers a status match that is valid for up to a year if you complete a single Turkish Airlines flight.

United MileagePlus also offers a status match challenge that gets you several months of free Star Alliance status and an option to extend the status by flying United Airlines.

Matt Graham

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.