Alitalia still offering SkyTeam status match to BA Silver and Gold

Given that it is two months since I first mentioned this, it is worth a reminder.  Alitalia is currently offering a status match to British Airways Executive Club Gold members as well as other top-tier and middle-tier status holders with other airlines.

Full details can be found on the Alitalia website here.

This is, presumably, part of the relaunch of the airline under the pseudo control of Etihad.  Etihad has recently outlined its plans for turning around the struggling carrier and a willingness to match status cards from other airlines – a technique which Etihad Guest has used aggressively – is a way of getting people to try it.

The scheme

The Alitalia frequent flyer scheme is called MilleMiglia.  There are four elite levels which are outlined here.

As a BA Gold, you should expect to be matched to Freccia Alata Plus.  This level is equivalent to SkyTeam Elite Plus which is the equivalent of oneworld Emerald.

As a BA Silver, you should expect to be matched to Freccia Alata.   This is ALSO considered to be SkyTeam Elite Plus.  This means that you would get worldwide lounge access with SkyTeam except on US domestic flights with Delta.

Why you should do this even if you never fly Alitalia

Alitalia is now a member of two airline alliances.

The formal membership is with SkyTeam.  Your Freccia Alata Plus card would get you top tier privileges, including lounge access (except on domestic Delta flights in the US, I think), with the following airlines:

• Aeroflot
• AerolineasArgentinas
• AeroMexico
• AirEuropa
• Air France
• Alitalia
• China Airlines
• China Eastern
• China Southern
• Czech Airlines
• Delta
• Garuda Indonesia
• Kenya Airways
• KLM
• Korean Air
• MEA
• Saudia
• Tarom
• Vietnam Airlines
• Xiamen Air

Alitalia is also a member of Etihad Airways Partners.  This is not yet finalised, but the eventual plan is that a status holder with any of the following airlines – all of which have received equity investment from Etihad – will have reciprocal privileges with the others.

• Etihad
• Jet Airways
• airberlin
• Air Serbia
• Air Seychelles
• Etihad Regional

Alitalia also has partnerships with GOL, Malaysia and Qantas but I’m not sure if they offer any benefits for Alitalia top tier cardholders.

There is another reason to get a match.  You never know when there might be an opportunity to match your Alitalia status to a different Star Alliance or oneworld airline!

How do I get a status match?

You need to email a scan of your British Airways Gold card and your MilleMiglia account number, so you need to open an account first, to statusmatchmillemiglia@alitalia.com.

Here are the rules:

You have until December 2015 to ask for a match

The match will last until March 2016 UNLESS your existing status card shows an expiry date beyond March 2016.  If it does, your matched card will be issued until March 2017.

ANY elite status card from an airline which is not part of the SkyTeam alliance will be accepted

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)