We previously covered the various options to match existing airline status from a range of programs to Royal Jordanian’s Royal Club for one year (at a fee), facilitated by StatusMatch.com.
Members can apply for a status match (subject to residency requirements) to either the Gold Sparrow level which is a Oneworld Sapphire tier or the lower Silver Jay that comes with Oneworld Ruby.
The Royal Club match – access here – is actually a decent program and the processing fee is very low at US$149 for the Gold tier (which I used) and US$49 for the Silver tier.
For the most part, the era of free status matches is over though some are still available. But for these ongoing match programs that are facilitated via a third party (in this case StatusMatch.com) a nominal fee is charged to offset handling costs and to discourage “fun matches” of people who just match their statuses around without any intention of using the program or airline in a way that would make economic sense for the company.
We previously covered these matches as they came and went, including the option to leverage your hotel status to match up to the Silver tier (until January you were also manage to Gold but that offer expired).
Here is the current offer pertaining to both Hotel elite members plus the ongoing offer for competing airlines:
Only Government issued identity document holders for the following countries are eligible for the offer: Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Netherlands, Oman, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey and UAE.
This leaves quite a few countries and nationalities out. The other issue is that you can be a foreign resident of one of these countries but not carry a Passport/Drivers License or National ID. Maybe you can try if you have a card issued to you by immigration authorities, but there are no guarantees. As per the T&C of Statusmatch, if your match is denied, your fee will be refunded.
Royal Club Elite Benefits Matrix:
The benefits of the Ruby tier are rather basic. If you fly Royal Jordanian frequently, you might be able to get more benefits out of it, including a bit higher baggage allowance.
Royal Club Extra Luggage Allowance:
Royal Club Oneworld Tier Matching:
I think benefits-wise, it’s a decent program, especially when you fly Royal Jordanian. I will probably use it for Oneworld flights here in Asia, especially on Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Malaysia Airlines. The RJ Fifth Freedom flights that I used to love are no longer available as they discontinued these BKK routes.
I submitted my Lufthansa credentials on the landing page and then paid the $149 fee for processing:
First I submitted my physical Lufthansa card and they emailed back that they prefer a screenshot. No idea why but whatever, it’s easy enough to take a screenshot in the app.
I then received another email that in order to satisfy the residency requirements of this match an ID verification was required. Statusmatch uses an App for this which scans your Passport/National ID Card/Drivers License and then takes a facial picture. I assume the app uses AI to verify and compare all the details.
It took about 15 minutes to receive an approval email:
I didn’t use my Hyatt status to match to Gold in January because it was $50 more expensive than using my Lufthansa Miles&More Senator status this month, for which I paid US$149:
Another reason to wait was that I still have a couple of days left with my BA Silver before it drops down to Bronze and eventually to nothing. I still have Lifetime Gold, which is Oneworld Ruby, with American AAdvantage, but of course, that doesn’t come with lounge access.
Sadly, after my AA Executive Platinum expired last month, this is the first time in 15 years that I don’t have Oneworld Emerald to use the First Class lounges anymore.
Conclusion
I finally went ahead and signed up for the Royal Jordanian status match which I had my eyes on for quite a while. I’ve had Oneworld status with American Airlines and British Airways for two decades but the changes both of these programs made over the years made it not economical for me to pursue elite status with them anymore, especially since living in Asia.
For my purposes, spending US$149 for this match was a no brainer. I like the Cathay Pacific and JAL Lounge here in Bangkok plus I frequently fly to/from Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo. I’ll definitely get my money’s worth for the 12 months of membership. Do I really want to collect miles with RJ? Maybe not, I could always swap my number again in the app or at the gate before boarding.
I really miss these fifth freedom flights that Royal Jordanian offered between Bangkok and both Hong Kong as well as Kuala Lumpur. Before the pandemic I used them at least once or twice a month but I haven’t flown RJ since these were discontinued. Economy tickets were always dirt cheap and upgrades to Business Class frequently cleared at the minimum $69 bid.
These are the terms & conditions for the status match promotion as of February 2025:
(I) Only 1 status match per person will be permitted under this campaign matching to either Royal Club Gold Sparrow or Silver Jay tiers.
(II) The application fees are USD $149 for Gold Sparrow tier and $49 for the Silver Jay tier, unless otherwise stated.
(III) Only Government issued identity document holders for the following countries are eligible for the offer:Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Netherlands, Oman, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey and UAE.
(IV) If approved, the status match upgrade is valid for 12 months, after which the member must requalify on merit as per the program rules.
(V) Eligible members receive all benefits except for upgrade vouchers – these are only available once the status is qualified for.
(VI) All status match requests are handled by and are the responsibility of StatusMatch.com and not by Royal Jordanian Airlines or any of its affiliates.
(VII) In addition to other eligibility requirements, a status match will only be granted to applicant’s whose name matches the records in the Royal Club program.
(VIII) With the participation in the campaign, participants acknowledge that the data submitted to Statusmatch.com will be shared with Royal Jordanian Airlines for verification purposes.
(IX) Only elite status holders of eligible loyalty programs in the table further below, who pay the relevant application fee, will receive the matched status.
(X) The Status Match offer is limited in number of matches and timeframe at the sole discretion of StatusMatch.com and Royal Jordanian Airlines. It may end at any time.
(XI) Members that are approved for a status match will not be eligible for any potential subsequent status match with Royal Club.
(XII) The awarded Royal Club status may be suspended, revoked or terminated by Royal Jordanian Airlines in accordance with the Royal Club program terms and conditions.
(XIII) Royal Jordanian Airlines reserves the right to deny the status match approval for members who have violated the Royal Club program terms and conditions in the past.
(XIV) Royal Club may take up to 3 business days after approval by StatusMatch.com before the upgraded tier is visible in the member’s Royal Club account.
(XV) Approved members will not receive a physical status card.Note: Members must have qualifying status with an eligible loyalty program and hold an identity document such as a passport or drivers licence for the country listed. Refer to the FAQs for specific mapping of each airline tier to either Silver Jay or Gold Sparrow.
Hotel Status Match: Only RJ Silver Status is available.
