Jan 2, 2016, 8:40 am
Last edit by: CoweyB
Update January 2016: Recent reports indicate the unofficial status match programme is running reasonably smoothly.
TK will only match Star Alliance Gold , Skyteam Elite Plus, Oneworld Emerald members, Emirates and Etihad Gold/Platinum and El Al Platinum/Top Platinum. Other, more exotic, gold card holders are out of luck. Please report your experience in this thread.
It appears that status matches are only granted once per lifetime, so think carefully before requesting if you might not re-qualify.
Please note that the only way to contact TK is now via the website
2/6/2015 new info from TK
We have received your message that you sent to our unit on 20 January 2015. Please be informed that when you claim your first flight with Turkish Airlines or other Star Alliance members to your Miles&Smiles account, your card will be sent to your address automatically.
On the otherhand, we would like to remind you that you can also get your original Miles&Smiles Card from Card Press Desk at Ataturk Airport International Terminal between 07.30 A.M and 09.45 PM. The location of Card Press desk is between A and B Check-in counters.
4/7/2015
Adding this Step-by-Step guide with screenshots to TK Status Match
http://dcta.boardingarea.com/2015/02...-status-match/
26/7/2015 - Jerry
TK asks for Elite card scan AND Account activity within last 2 months, so it's best if you have some activities!!
Timeline can range from few hours to few days, be patient!
21/9/2015 - Neil791
For those reporting successful matches, can you please post your results as follows so others can estimate their wait times, success rates
02/11/2015 - flolee
It looks like TK might also ask you for a scan of your Passport now. So if you are in a hurry better submit it right away in the first place with all the other documents.
Date Requested
Current Airline and Status (i.e. AB TopBonus, AA Plat, etc)
Information submitted (i.e. physical card scan, activity statement, etc)
Any replies received other than confirmation
Date Confirmation Received
03/01/2016 - zap7
Multiple reports from December 16th 2015 onwards state that TK now only grants a match to 4 months "elite trial", requiring 1 international TK flight during the 4 months following the match to extend it to one year and 15000 k TK status miles during that year to extend elite status to 2 years:
04/01/2017 - CoweyB. There appear to be issues with TK automatically extending Elite membership for a second year even if the 15,000 status miles have been accumulated. Some FTers are reporting downgrades to Classic Plus instead
TK will only match
It appears that status matches are only granted once per lifetime, so think carefully before requesting if you might not re-qualify.
Please note that the only way to contact TK is now via the website
2/6/2015 new info from TK
We have received your message that you sent to our unit on 20 January 2015. Please be informed that when you claim your first flight with Turkish Airlines or other Star Alliance members to your Miles&Smiles account, your card will be sent to your address automatically.
On the otherhand, we would like to remind you that you can also get your original Miles&Smiles Card from Card Press Desk at Ataturk Airport International Terminal between 07.30 A.M and 09.45 PM. The location of Card Press desk is between A and B Check-in counters.
4/7/2015
Adding this Step-by-Step guide with screenshots to TK Status Match
http://dcta.boardingarea.com/2015/02...-status-match/
26/7/2015 - Jerry
TK asks for Elite card scan AND Account activity within last 2 months, so it's best if you have some activities!!
Timeline can range from few hours to few days, be patient!
21/9/2015 - Neil791
For those reporting successful matches, can you please post your results as follows so others can estimate their wait times, success rates
02/11/2015 - flolee
It looks like TK might also ask you for a scan of your Passport now. So if you are in a hurry better submit it right away in the first place with all the other documents.
Date Requested
Current Airline and Status (i.e. AB TopBonus, AA Plat, etc)
Information submitted (i.e. physical card scan, activity statement, etc)
Any replies received other than confirmation
Date Confirmation Received
03/01/2016 - zap7
Multiple reports from December 16th 2015 onwards state that TK now only grants a match to 4 months "elite trial", requiring 1 international TK flight during the 4 months following the match to extend it to one year and 15000 k TK status miles during that year to extend elite status to 2 years:
Welcome Miles&Smiles Turkish Airlines' advantageous Frequent Flyer Programme. Elite card trial period will be valid for 4 months. As of start date of elite membership within 4 months trial period one international Turkish Airlines flight should be realised for extending your card validity date to 1 year, if 15.000 status miles accumulate at the end of the first year elite membership will extend 1 year more and the total validity date will be 2 years.
TK status match (2016)
Nov 29, 2016, 2:07 pm
#301
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Jerusalem
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 1,281
Did they specify why the match was not granted?
Nov 30, 2016, 10:14 am
#303
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: MSE
Programs: BA Silver, TK Elite, Marriott Lifetime Platinum, NEXUS/GE
Posts: 466
I wonder if they don't like your last two months of flying activity? I'm a BA Gold in the process of requesting a status match, too, and I haven't done much flying in the last two months. It will be interesting to see if that's a problem for them.
Last edited by PeaSouper; Dec 20, 2016 at 5:02 am
Nov 30, 2016, 10:33 am
#304
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Jerusalem
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 1,281
I can add that I got the match from BA Gold after some busy months of flying, so it might relate to that.
Nov 30, 2016, 1:00 pm
#305
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: UAL Silver
Posts: 35
After 5 emails and 3 months of frustrating responses to TK request for plastic card, 2 months of statements (two times) and most recently a passport, I was finally granted a status match. When I started the process it was September (1 full month before my TA international flight). Because they dicked around so long with their myriad of requests, the October international TA flight will not extent my 4 month membership to 12 months. This really sucks and it's typical of the Turkish attitude toward bureaucracy!
Any suggestions on how to extend other than to fly?....I'm in the US and a mileage run on TA is pretty much out of the question for the next 6 months.
Any suggestions on how to extend other than to fly?....I'm in the US and a mileage run on TA is pretty much out of the question for the next 6 months.
Dec 1, 2016, 4:41 am
#306
Join Date: Aug 2015
Programs: BA
Posts: 233
Quite possibly. Last flight was in July so have been quiet for a while. That said, over the last 12 months there have been maybe 40 sectors on OW.
Dec 1, 2016, 4:49 am
#307
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: MSE
Programs: BA Silver, TK Elite, Marriott Lifetime Platinum, NEXUS/GE
Posts: 466
Dec 1, 2016, 8:52 am
#308
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: DTW
Programs: TK E+, WY, Radisson R
Posts: 2,360
Dec 3, 2016, 3:23 am
#309
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: MSE
Programs: BA Silver, TK Elite, Marriott Lifetime Platinum, NEXUS/GE
Posts: 466
I wonder if they ask for the plastic cards because they're harder to fake? Without too much effort, one could modify their existing online cards or activity statements to show a higher status than they actually have, and I suppose that Turkish have no way of authenticating someone one's stated status with a different airline. You'd have to go to considerable effort to get a fake plastic card, though.
Dec 3, 2016, 4:59 am
#310
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 5,665
I wonder if they ask for the plastic cards because they're harder to fake? Without too much effort, one could modify their existing online cards or activity statements to show a higher status than they actually have, and I suppose that Turkish have no way of authenticating someone one's stated status with a different airline. You'd have to go to considerable effort to get a fake plastic card, though.
You could use photoshop to create a fake plastic card, so it really serves no purpose except for making it a little harder.
Dec 5, 2016, 1:22 pm
#311
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: UAL Silver
Posts: 35
Can anyone advise me what the shortest TA flight would be when I'm based in the US? I assume all TK flights from the US must go through IST? If I fly a United Flight but designate Turkish air as the receipient of the mile, will that qualify as an international flight? I'm trying to extend my status match beyond 4 months. I can tell you that asking Turkish Air any questions is absolutely worthless. They don't understand questions much less the intricacies of Status matches...most didn't even know the 4 month limited status match term. TK is the most frustrating airline to communicate with. I imagine it's similar to the government of Turkey....messed up! Any advice is appreciated.
Dec 5, 2016, 4:06 pm
#312
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: London UK
Programs: BAEC Silver,, Oman Air Gold
Posts: 747
Can anyone advise me what the shortest TA flight would be when I'm based in the US? I assume all TK flights from the US must go through IST? If I fly a United Flight but designate Turkish air as the receipient of the mile, will that qualify as an international flight? I'm trying to extend my status match beyond 4 months. I can tell you that asking Turkish Air any questions is absolutely worthless. They don't understand questions much less the intricacies of Status matches...most didn't even know the 4 month limited status match term. TK is the most frustrating airline to communicate with. I imagine it's similar to the government of Turkey....messed up! Any advice is appreciated.
That means, I think, you have to take an international flight on TK metal - that's certainly what I did during my challenge period - but Istanbul is a terrific city to visit so why not go to IST and enjoy a short holiday there?
Dec 6, 2016, 10:13 am
#313
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 37
BTW - TK Customer care has now requested me to submit a scan of my passport. It seems that every time I fulfill their requirement, they just put up a new one and is dragging it out forever. And everytime I submit whatever document TK is asking for, another week or 2 passes before they come back and say that another document is needed.
Dec 6, 2016, 9:35 pm
#314
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC 50K, Bonvoy PE; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 425
As a data point for those that were/are in my predicament. I originally earned TK Gold status under their old status matching program -- they matched my star alliance gold. That was 4 years ago - after getting the match, I was able to keep my TK Gold through legitimate TK and *A flights.
In the past few years, I haven't flown TK enough to have my TK Gold status renewed. So, 2 months ago I was downgraded to TK Silver automatically.
I decided to see if TK would match my Alitalia Gold status -- I figured it was a remote possibility since I have already been matched before. Well, I just logged in today to see I've been upgraded to TK Gold for 4 months. It worked!
In the past few years, I haven't flown TK enough to have my TK Gold status renewed. So, 2 months ago I was downgraded to TK Silver automatically.
I decided to see if TK would match my Alitalia Gold status -- I figured it was a remote possibility since I have already been matched before. Well, I just logged in today to see I've been upgraded to TK Gold for 4 months. It worked!
Dec 6, 2016, 11:42 pm
#315
Join Date: Aug 2013
Programs: BA CX DL KE OZ*G PR QF QR; SPG IHG MR HH
Posts: 76
Has anyone tried asking TK to status match after the 1st attempt got denied and successfully got matched the 2nd attempt?
Although I have Asiana *G, I would really want to get TK to status match as I have upcoming TK flights and family traveling with me, so I can get my whole family into the IST lounge and also get to enroll in the Family Miles. I also would like to get a physical Batman vs Superman *G elite card, think it's cool.
Although I have Asiana *G, I would really want to get TK to status match as I have upcoming TK flights and family traveling with me, so I can get my whole family into the IST lounge and also get to enroll in the Family Miles. I also would like to get a physical Batman vs Superman *G elite card, think it's cool.