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UPDATE: Offer ends December 31 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.
Do you have elite status with an airline – or even a hotel chain? Or even a cruise line? You might even have this just from having a credit card. Frontier Airlines wants to match your status and depending on your current elite level will even give you top tier in their program.
Frontier offers super cheap airfare with a lot of add-on fees. But Frontier’s top level waives all fees and even makes tickets refundable. Basically their incredible 2020 offer is back but they’re willing to match against a lot more programs this time.
Base-level status comes with a free carry on bag and seat assignment, and extra legroom seats if available at check-in as some of its benefits. Mid-tier status adds bonus miles. And top tier status offers checked bags and makes all tickets refundable, for everyone on the member’s booking.
They’ll match against 16 different airlines, 15 different hotel programs, and 15 different cruise lines. Southwest Airlines Companion Pass earned via credit card is good for top tier Frontier status. Hotel and cruise programs only match up to mid-tier (50k) but those who do this match may be offered a buy up to top tier. And you may also be offered a discounted All You Can Fly pass.
Key things to know:
- The offer runs through December 31, 2023
- Matched status lasts through December 31, 2024
- There is a fee to apply for the match. This is a fee-based airline after all! It’s on-brand! They’re giving you status, you may never use it, and they’re outsourcing processing of the match request so there are costs.
It’s $99 match to the 20k and 50k elite levels and $149 to match to top tier 100K status.
- If you did the 2020 or 2021 status match offers you can do it again for an additional $50.
You do have to enroll in the Early Returns program if you aren’t already a member. Requests are processed within 72 hours, often sooner.
To give you a sense, the 75K tier (e.g. Platinum at a major legacy airline) generally matches to Frontier’s 100K level. However if you’ve matched status through StatusMatch.com and you’re using that matched status to get this one you’re probably going to be ineligible. I love that Hilton Gold which is pretty much a credit card giveaway will match to the mid-tier 50K level.
I really like Frontier’s credit card, if you like the status you match to at Frontier it’s easy to keep because they were the first to offer qualifying miles for card spend. You can earn 100,000 mile top tier status and make all tickets refundable through credit card spend alone. (Of course redeeming my miles on Frontier isn’t as aspirational as I might prefer.)
This offer certainly may get pulled early, or modified to limit matches to top tier, so you’ll want to jump on it quickly. We’ve seen the most generous components of similar offers pulled after just a few days. Also bear in mind that if you do not have status with any airline or hotel, they have a separate status offer for that. But surely you have a credit card that gives you hotel status or some such, right?
I’d apply for the match, but I’m too lazy…
According to the big fat boss of Frontier Airlines, customers are lazy.
Perhaps, too lazy to apply?
Why would anyone want to fly Frontier Airlines? They are almost as useless as Delta.
@ Alan – flew them for the first time earlier this year, DFW-SFO. Was surprisingly ok, no worse than the others, and at half the price for a last minute booking. Use of int A at SFO was another bonus.
@ Gary — Frontier is the worst airline in America. Remind me why one would fly on them? For those saying Spirit is just as bad, you are wrong. Spriit has the youngest fleet, the fastest wi-fi and (most importantly) the BFS. There is no comparison.
Great article and just their status match in 2020 and will be jumping on this offer again! With $15 fares from ISP to MCO, and free carry on and stretch seating up front, what’s not to love about Frontier?!!! Not for everyone, but works superb for me and cheaper to fly from Long Island to Orlando than take the train to New York City!!!
@Gene – This is an amazing deal for someone that might fly Frontier. Frontier does not work for me because they lack inflight internet and I’m going to work when I’m airborne. They are cheap!
They don’t match my statuses to 100k and I’m not sure if 50k is worth getting. I’ve never flown Frontier before and would only do it if I got status.
Ritchie, you don’t want to do it regardless of status. I’ve explained many times on this site about how terrible this airline is but Gary keeps pushing it. Go ahead, waste your money. NOW and in the future you will pay thru the nose trying to keep up with the never ending schedule changes and cancellations. They have no customer service and getting reimbursements are virtually impossible. Not commenting again, and Gary, you should be ashamed.
I saving $$$ my using the bridge time between qualifying for EXP on AA and the start next qualification period. Frontier matched me to 100k, no seat fees or bag fees. My first flight was across the country last week and my exit row seat was just a roomy as AA and the the seat was more supportive/comfortable than Oasis coach. YMMV
I just matched to elite 50k from IHG platinum (via united club card). Was processed within a few hours. I bought discount den for $50. (half off). I booked TTN-PBI next weekend for $38 each way. Total costs are under $300, which is less than it would have cost just for flights on any other airline
Even though I am based in DEN, I wouldn’t consider Frontier even if they promised me a scantily clad Margot Robbie as my seat mate. They are a dreadful airline. I’d fly WN before F9 and thats saying something.
@Mike S I use F9 to regularly fly from ISP to Florida on the weekends. The status helps being able to reserve a seat in the front of the plane and being able to bring a carryon. Yes schedule changes are annoying and often. However, if you book 3-4weeks out, the schedule is pretty locked.
I can only fly WN and F9 out of ISP so satisfied with Frontier. At $38 a flight, you can put up with alot and deal with the occasional issues. Its not Delta, but it is not priced like Delta.