Royal Jordanian hotel status match

[Whatsthepoint]

I Can’t find the answers to the following question on Rob’s article or BA’s website. As I am IHG Platinum Elite it looks like I can match to the Royal Jordanian equivalent of BA Silver. Will that give both me and my wife free seat selection on an existing Avios redemption booking if we’re both on the same booking reference? I assume I can retrospectively change the BA Exec number for the Royal Jordanian number?

[pelicanicecoffeeolaf]

I just did something similar. It seems to have worked? I matched to the equivalent of BA Bronze then changed the BA Exec number to the Royal Jordanian number on the Royal Jordanian website. Not completely clear if it’ll work though, have to see if I can select a seat for free 7 days before the flight.

[strickers]

Yes, 7 days before departure if you are on the ball and book at exactly that point. Well worth the $49. I was Oneworld Ruby through Qatar for a while and always managed to get decent seats at the point.

[EvilGazebo]

Doable but the trick (from the article comments) seems to be that the only way to change the FFP number is via the Finnair website. Then back to MMB on ba.com and 10 minutes or so later you should have free seat selection. Strange but true.

[ekposh]

Do you pay the fee before or after getting accepted?

[stevenhp1987]

ekposh wrote:

Do you pay the fee before or after getting accepted?

Before. You pay the fee when you apply.

[YC]

Anyone seen when this offer expires?

[Scottydogg]

I have applied for this today , any idea how long it takes to heard back from Royal Jordanian ?
We fly on Sunday with American Airlines , would be good to use priority check in

[ekposh]

On Bronze, is 7 days before for seat assignment –

actually 7 x 24 hours before departure? Or 7 calendar days? And if you have a connection, is it from the first flight?

Cheers

[strickers]

Exactly 7 days before, 7×24.

[ttstest]

I still find this confusing…

– I have an existing BA holiday booking. Does it mean I have to change my BAEC number into the Royal Jordan number in the BA system? In that way, I can qualify for free seat selection?

– if I want to earn avios and tier points, I change it back to BAEC after seat selection and priority check in? I guess I’m confused at which point should I swap the number. If I swap that after the boarding pass is issued, I’m screwed. If I swap that before the boarding pass is issued, I won’t have priority boarding at the gate?

[Ladyshopper]

Deleted as figured it out!

[DBrassy]

Can anyone confirm that the free seat selection (7 with BA bronze, or at time of booking with BA gold), means any seat on the flight, other than exit row seats?

Having had to pay for my own seat selection in the past, there is a difference in price on which seat I could select. E.g. on a 777, middle seats at the back are around £26 each, middle further to the front of economy are around £50 and the pair of seats at the back are about £60 each.

Would such status mean I can select any free seat on the flight (e.g the pair at the back and save around £120) OR is it only the cheap ones

thanks!

[John]

DBrassy wrote:

Can anyone confirm that the free seat selection (7 with BA bronze, or at time of booking with BA gold), means any seat on the flight, other than exit row seats?

Having had to pay for my own seat selection in the past, there is a difference in price on which seat I could select. E.g. on a 777, middle seats at the back are around £26 each, middle further to the front of economy are around £50 and the pair of seats at the back are about £60 each.

Would such status mean I can select any free seat on the flight (e.g the pair at the back and save around £120) OR is it only the cheap ones

You will be able to select any available seat, however particularly on short-haul a few seats may be blocked and only golds can choose them, e.g. row 1

[ekposh]

There are some comments on the article but I’ll go on forum. My match to Silver got approved (RJ) and I got an email to say I was indeed silver and therefore Oneworld Ruby.

Been to Finnair MMB, changed the FF number and when I log in to BA MMB, it shows my RJ number.

This makes me BA Bronze effectively (seat privilege wise). Yet my seats still stay “select for free 24 hours before at check in”. It seems the message should change to “7 days before”.

Anyone else having this?
1- could it just be that Oneworld status needs updating and going through to BA? Been approx 24 hours
2 – is the message irrelevant and will seats open up 7 days before anyway?
3 – is there a problem? 🙁

Cheers

[strickers]

@ekposh I’m sure I’ve had that before when I was Ruby through Qatar status, I was able to select seats at 7 days free of charge.

[executiveclubber]

I can’t believe they killed the best part of the deal already (Silver equivalent) – more popular than they thought perhaps? It pays to move fast!

[JDB]

executiveclubber wrote:

I can’t believe they killed the best part of the deal already (Silver equivalent) – more popular than they thought perhaps? It pays to move fast!

The only thing that’s unbelievable is that it lasted quite so long before they drowned in faux status matches. Perhaps someone will soon launch a match Clubcard to Silver and Clubcard+ to Gold. Barmy.

[strickers]

I wonder how oversubscribed it was?

[JDB]

If I were BA, I would be so livid with my supposed partner airline for this stunt. Giving away status in this manner for peanuts, no flights required in one of the best alliances is very destructive.

Matching a hotel status to an airline status is daft anyway when hotel status is so widespread, so easily earned, often without staying or spending a $, isn’t monitored so that status eg from Amex Plat apparently lingers long after cancellation etc. That said it’s not surprising hotel status is so easy to get when hotels routinely and readily give away all the supposed benefits to aliens (non loyalty members) often on better terms.

Well done those who were quick off the mark (the waverers lose again) as I suspect it’s not an offer we will see again in a hurry.

[executiveclubber]

I’m with you on that JDB, I can’t see how their marketing team could possibly justify how this would benefit Royal Jordanian, and I’m surprised oneworld rules allow them to sneak people through the back door for £300. Some tier point runners (and genuine frequent flyers) are perhaps feeling more than a bit short changed!

[omicron]

I signed up for this when they were doing airline status matches earlier in the year.

Sometimes it can take a few hours before the FF number is reflected on the BA website after adding via Finnair, but have never had any issues. I have even used it on BA reward bookings to get instant seat selection.

Just a couple of visits to the Cathay lounge for me and my wife before some cheap euro traveller flights have more than covered the cost of the application fee 🙂

[Ladyshopper]

Couple of random questions:

I have an economy avios flight booked in Qantas later in the year. Don’t need the seat selection aspect of the status, as already have seats (assistance passenger). I do however most definitely want the extra 15kg luggage, and lounge entry too.

Is it worth changing my frequent flyer number on the booking to the RJ one, or is it fine to just flash my RJ membership card showing Gold Sparrow for lounge entry and extra luggage allowance?

[berneslai]

Are Oneworld benefits set at the time of booking or flying? My Gold Sparrow will unlikely be renewed after Aug 2025 and I’ll be booking for Sep 2025 shortly.

I appreciate that I’ll have no chance with lounges but will seat selection/baggage be fixed at the time of booking?

[Swiss Jim]

When this happened to me (downgrade from silver to bronze) my seats choices (made when silver) were simply cancelled. Seemed odd to me their system did this. Might have just been unlucky.