Virgin Atlantic unveils sweetened status match offer for BA elites

Virgin Atlantic is targeting frequent British Airways flyers to switch allegiances. On Monday, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club announced an enhanced status match offer exclusive to elite members of British Airways' Executive Club.

The new status match, which runs through February 28, will enable all British Airways elites to match up to an equivalent Flying Club status with the booking of one Virgin-operated flight. The fare of the Virgin flight a passenger has to take in order to get the status varies.

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The status match breaks down as follows:

• British Airways Bronze ⇒ Flying Club Silver with any Premium or Upper Class booking
• British Airways Silver ⇒ Flying Club Silver with a ticket booked in any cabin
• British Airways Gold ⇒ Flying Club Gold with a ticket booked in any cabin.

The offer is sweeter than usual at the moment because typically, Virgin requires that BA Gold members have a flight booked in Premium or Upper Class, rather than in any cabin.

So, a BA Gold member could match to Virgin Atlantic Gold just by booking a flight in Virgin's no-frills Economy Light cabin. For example, Virgin Atlantic is selling roundtrip flights from London (LHR) to Boston (BOS) or New York (JFK) for $360 (£267), meaning you could lock in Virgin Gold status for a year for just $360.

The match doesn't require a member to make a new booking with the carrier. Instead, it will trigger the status match if you have any existing booking in the required cabin.

To match your British Airways status to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, go to Virgin's dedicated status match page and provide proof of your Executive Club status. Additionally, you'll need to provide the booking reference for your upcoming Virgin Atlantic flight.

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To avoid someone matching their status, booking a flight and then cancelling their booking, Virgin is reserving the right to revoke the matched status.

"Virgin Atlantic reserves the right to revoke the status match if you subsequently cancel the flight that made you eligible for the status match," the airline clarified.

As a reminder, Virgin Atlantic only offers two levels of elite status: Silver and Gold. With Silver, flyers can expect to earn 30% more Virgin Points on flights, a premium check-in experience, free seat assignment in Economy Light and more. It typically requires you to earn 400 Tier Points.

Related: Virgin devaluation early 2021

As part of Monday's announcement, Virgin teased that it will be adding a new benefit to its Silver level of status. Later this year, the carrier will begin offering two Clubhouse lounge passes to Silver members, which would be a great addition to the status.

With Gold status, flyers earn 60% more Virgin Points on flights, Upper Class check-in, access to Virgin's Clubhouses, extra luggage allowance and more. It typically requires you to earn 1,000 Tier Points.

Related: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles get a new name, no longer expire

Overall, this is a nice offering from Virgin. If you're a BA elite who has an upcoming Virgin Atlantic flight, this offer is an absolute no-brainer. You can essentially lock in a year of Flying Club status for taking a flight you were otherwise planning on doing. Keep in mind that you must register by February 28, 2021.