Crazy …. match your BA status to SAS (SkyTeam) which you can match to Lufthansa (Star)!

This is potentially the most intriguing deal I’ve seen all year. If you have British Airways elite status, you can match it to BOTH SkyTeam and Star Alliance status.

Even better, a British Airways Silver member will get top tier status in SkyTeam and Star Alliance, not mid tier!

In September, you would have status with all three airline alliances:

• oneworld via your existing BA status
• SkyTeam via SAS, as it moves from Star Alliance to SkyTeam on 1st September (SkyTeam status is valid with Virgin Atlantic)
• Star Alliance via Lufthansa, which is currently matching SAS members

It also works with British Airways Bronze status, although the mid-tier benefits you get via Star Alliance and SkyTeam are not great. That said, your Miles & More Frequent Traveller status will get you lounge access when flying Lufthansa, Austrian and SWISS.

EDIT: This scheme now only half works. Lufthansa is no longer matching ‘new’ SAS members (those with a ‘high’ membership number) with no flying activity. It isn’t clear if ‘new’ SAS members with flight activity will be matched.

Match your British Airways status to SAS EuroBonus

SAS is the Stockholm-based airline which is currently a member of Star Alliance and which is in the process of being acquired by Air France KLM.

On 1st September the airline will resign from Star Alliance and immediately join SkyTeam alongside Air France KLM and Virgin Atlantic.

You can match your British Airways Bronze, Silver or Gold status to SAS EuroBonus by filling in the form here.

It is very easy. You don’t even need to send screenshots of your current status although SAS reserves the right to ask for verification. You must open an SAS EuroBonus account before filling in the form.

The following matches are available:

• oneworld Ruby to EuroBonus Silver
• oneworld Sapphire or Emerald to EuroBonus Gold

BA Bronze is oneworld Ruby, BA Silver is oneworld Sapphire and BA Gold in oneworld Emerald.

Interestingly it will also match some other Star Alliance airlines:

• Star Alliance Silver to EuroBonus Silver
• Star Alliance Gold to EuroBonus Gold

How long does my SAS status last?

You will receive status until 31st March 2025. From 1st September 2024, this will be SkyTeam elite status after SAS switches alliances.

You can keep your status for another year by doing the following:

• Silver – take two cash SAS flights by 31st March 2025
• Gold – take five cash SAS flights by 31st March 2025

How do I match my SAS status to Lufthansa (Star Alliance) status?

Lufthansa is keen to keep SAS elite members in the Star Alliance fold after 1st September and will match your SAS EuroBonus status.

The website you need is here.

SAS Silver members (which you get by having Bronze status in British Airways Executive Club) will get Frequent Traveller status in Miles & More. This only offers lounge access with Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian – but of course your British Airways Bronze card doesn’t get you any lounge access at all.

SAS EuroBonus Gold and above will be offered Senator status. This gets you Star Alliance-wide lounge access. Remember that you get SAS Gold by having British Airways Silver or Gold status.

Whichever level of Miles & More status you get, it will stop your existing Miles & More mileage balance from expiring as the 3 year ‘use them or lose them’ rule is suspended for elite members.

Assuming you go for Senator, you will receive status until 28th February 2025.

You can extend Senator to 28th February 2026 very easily via a status challenge. Credit six cash flights to your Miles & More account by 30th November 2024 and your Senator card will be extended by a year. There is an even easier two flight challenge to extend Frequent Traveller status.

Participating airlines for the status challenge are Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Discover Airlines, Eurowings, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lufthansa City, Luxair and SWISS.

The status match runs to 30th September. There is no benefit to delaying your application as your new Miles & More status will run to 28th February 2025 regardless. The quicker you apply, the more time you have to fit in the six cash flights to extend your new status.

Conclusion

This is an amazing opportunity to use your British Airways Executive Club status to get status in all three main airline alliances.

Even better, a Silver member in British Airways Executive Club will end up with top-tier status in SkyTeam and Star Alliance.

Who knows …. there may be an opportunity at some point to match that top-tier status in SkyTeam or Star Alliance to top-tier (BA Gold equivalent) status with a oneworld airline!

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (May 2025)

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

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

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

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

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