Jan 11, 2022, 3:40 pm
Last edit by: Long Train Runnin
Status Match Challenge
The Free Spirit Status Match Challenge is an opportunity for you to experience the most valuable benefits of the Free Spirit program. Show your loyalty to Spirit and immediately benefit from your Status levels. If you have elite status with another airline, we will give you the equivalent Free Spirit Status for ninety (90) days complimentary. Plus, you many earn ongoing Free Spirit Silver or Gold status based on our Free Spirit page.
In three simple steps you could be on your way to enjoying Free Spirit Status.
1. Determine your eligibility
Once approved, you will be granted 90-days of Free Spirit Silver or Gold status based on your current elite membership with another airline. If your request is not approved, youll receive an email notifying you of our decision.
Use the Status Comparison chart to see what airline elite levels are qualified for the Free Spirit Status Match Challenge.
1. Determine your eligibility
- Must meet ALL the following criteria to participate in our Status Match Challenge:
- You have not received a Status Match or complimentary Free Spirit Status in the past two years.
- You currently have elite status with a qualifying airline that was earned through that airlines published requirements (complimentary status or status earned through a promotion does not qualify)
- Must present an approved proof of membership document confirming your elite status with an airline listed above.
- Use the Status Comparison chart to see what airline levels are required for the Status Match Challenge.
- If you met all the criteria listed above, call our Contact Center team at 1-833-728-3359, or fill out the form here to be enrolled in the Status Match Challenge.
- Make sure youre ready to begin the challenge before you submit your request as your ninety-day complimentary Status period will begin within 24 hours after you receive the email confirmation of being accepted for a Status Match Challenge.
Once approved, you will be granted 90-days of Free Spirit Silver or Gold status based on your current elite membership with another airline. If your request is not approved, youll receive an email notifying you of our decision.
Use the Status Comparison chart to see what airline elite levels are qualified for the Free Spirit Status Match Challenge.
Enjoying your complimentary Free Spirit Status? Extend it by earning the required amount of Free Spirit SQP's during the 90-day complimentary period.
- Your account will not be credited with Status Qualification Points (SQP's) equivalent to the normal earning requirement.
- Our Guest Relations team will place you at the correct Status level based on your selected challenge level.
- Enjoy full benefits of the Silver or Gold tier during the 90-day challenge period.
- If you don't qualify at the end of the 90-day period under the terms of the Status Match Challenge, your membership level will be returned to the level it was prior to the challenge period.
- If you meet the challenge criteria, you will enjoy the benefits of the Silver or Gold program level for the remainder of that calendar year plus the following calendar year.
- If you do not meet the challenge criteria, the Silver or Gold status will be terminated immediately, and you will be returned to the Free Spirit level held prior to the Status Match Challenge.
- You are allowed one Status Match Challenge every two years.
- An email will be sent confirming the outcome of the Status Match Challenge
Link for info here:
https://customersupport.spirit.com/en-us/category/article/KA-01493
Spirt Airlines Status Challenge Info
Feb 25, 2025 | 5:59 am
#196
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List Preferred, CLEAR+, Covid-19, NK Gold
Posts: 5,272
For someone who's finished the challenge (i.e., completed the required spend before the deadline) when does your "Until" date update? Last week I made (more than) the 1250 SQPs necessary to retain Gold, but my status on the site still says "earned December 29, 2024, Valid through March 27, 2025".
Mar 25, 2025 | 7:14 pm
#197
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Northern New Mexico
Programs: WoH Glob, AS MVPG, etc.
Posts: 2,382
So at what point is it reasonable to give up on the Spirit status match? I submitted everything for the match challenge on 31-Jan and have been contacting customer support every 1-2 weeks after the "5 business days" window that was mentioned in the match challenge details. A communication a month ago even said that I've been approved for the match, but as of today my Free Spirit account still shows the base status. Anyone have any insight into how to reach someone at Spirit who can fix whatever is broken here?
Apr 15, 2025 | 11:44 am
#198
Join Date: Feb 2024
Posts: 90
Started the Gold challenge 12/26. Reached 1250 SQP about 70 days after. I don't believe gold was extended after 90 days automatically. If it was extended, it may have been replaced by Silver when I reached 2000 SQP about 100 days after the challenge. Contacted support via chat, opened a ticket twice, was completely useless twice (gave me generic responses). Contacted Spirit via twitter, took about 24 hours and they fixed it and gave me gold until the end of the year.
Apr 15, 2025 | 11:45 am
#199
Join Date: Feb 2024
Posts: 90
So at what point is it reasonable to give up on the Spirit status match? I submitted everything for the match challenge on 31-Jan and have been contacting customer support every 1-2 weeks after the "5 business days" window that was mentioned in the match challenge details. A communication a month ago even said that I've been approved for the match, but as of today my Free Spirit account still shows the base status. Anyone have any insight into how to reach someone at Spirit who can fix whatever is broken here?
Apr 15, 2025 | 11:49 am
#200
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List Preferred, CLEAR+, Covid-19, NK Gold
Posts: 5,272
FWIW, I, too had to chase down my earned Gold status (I used text chat, which sent me to a "specialist" via E-mail), and it all got sorted 4-5 days later..
Apr 19, 2025 | 9:13 pm
#201
Join Date: Nov 2016
Programs: Nectar Card
Posts: 1,622
Started the Gold challenge 12/26. Reached 1250 SQP about 70 days after. I don't believe gold was extended after 90 days automatically. If it was extended, it may have been replaced by Silver when I reached 2000 SQP about 100 days after the challenge. Contacted support via chat, opened a ticket twice, was completely useless twice (gave me generic responses). Contacted Spirit via twitter, took about 24 hours and they fixed it and gave me gold until the end of the year.
Apr 22, 2025 | 12:07 am
#204
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List Preferred, CLEAR+, Covid-19, NK Gold
Posts: 5,272
I did a couple of Saturday am ~$50 SNA-LAS-SNA SQP runs in the very beginning to test it out once I'd gotten the Status match, but I moved almost all my WN traffic to NK, either SeatBidding to GoBig, getting OpUps or buying it outright- I think I flew once in Savvy and never in Go in some ~20-something segments.
NK isn't the total PITA when you're Gold, it turns out
Now my dilemma is to keep going to Gold for 2026 (I'm halfway there), or keep up my A-List+ on WN, since next year WN's going to be a ishtshow if you don't have status, but NK's limited ex-SNA/SAN NSs and thin route map means I can't switch to them completely.
NK isn't the total PITA when you're Gold, it turns out
Now my dilemma is to keep going to Gold for 2026 (I'm halfway there), or keep up my A-List+ on WN, since next year WN's going to be a ishtshow if you don't have status, but NK's limited ex-SNA/SAN NSs and thin route map means I can't switch to them completely.
Apr 22, 2025 | 1:31 am
#205
Join Date: Nov 2016
Programs: Nectar Card
Posts: 1,622
I did a couple of Saturday am ~$50 SNA-LAS-SNA SQP runs in the very beginning to test it out once I'd gotten the Status match, but I moved almost all my WN traffic to NK, either SeatBidding to GoBig, getting OpUps or buying it outright- I think I flew once in Savvy and never in Go in some ~20-something segments.
NK isn't the total PITA when you're Gold, it turns out
Now my dilemma is to keep going to Gold for 2026 (I'm halfway there), or keep up my A-List+ on WN, since next year WN's going to be a ishtshow if you don't have status, but NK's limited ex-SNA/SAN NSs and thin route map means I can't switch to them completely.
NK isn't the total PITA when you're Gold, it turns out
Now my dilemma is to keep going to Gold for 2026 (I'm halfway there), or keep up my A-List+ on WN, since next year WN's going to be a ishtshow if you don't have status, but NK's limited ex-SNA/SAN NSs and thin route map means I can't switch to them completely.
As for your dilemma, would it be possible to keep both?
In some sense, they can be a bit complementary. WN definitely has the schedule, but surprisingly uncompetitive pricing on a lot of routes, and that's where NK could come in? If not both, it might have to be WN it would seem.
Apr 22, 2025 | 10:56 am
#206
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List Preferred, CLEAR+, Covid-19, NK Gold
Posts: 5,272
As for your dilemma, would it be possible to keep both?
Apr 22, 2025 | 11:29 pm
#207
Join Date: Nov 2016
Programs: Nectar Card
Posts: 1,622
Jan 21, 2026 | 10:27 am
#208
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Wilton Manors, FL
Programs: AA PPro, LA Platinum, CM Silver, NK Silver, F9 Gold, Hyatt Explorist,
Posts: 575
I did the challenge for Silver last year around April (2025) and after achieving it I received an email with this verbiage that I would have Silver until December 2026. However on 1/1/26 my status was changed to regular free spirit member. My two calls, chat, and FB messenger have been unsuccessful in resolving this. No one seems to understand my situation. I've sent screenshots of the email via chats and I forwarded the the email to [email protected] last week with no reply received. Any ideas how to get this fixed?
Jan 21, 2026 | 10:53 am
#209
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List Preferred, CLEAR+, Covid-19, NK Gold
Posts: 5,272
I was in the same boat; I'd completed the 1250 SQPs to keep my gifted Gold, and eventually made ~2600 SQPs so therefore should have been Silver until 12/31/26.
After getting on the text chat ((855) 728-3555) they (finally) referred my case to someone and after a couple of days I got my Silver back (and unless it's yet another Spirit IT glitch, for longer than the airline may even exist).
After getting on the text chat ((855) 728-3555) they (finally) referred my case to someone and after a couple of days I got my Silver back (and unless it's yet another Spirit IT glitch, for longer than the airline may even exist).