I don’t chase airline or hotel status, but I’ll take it if it’s free!

Last week, I received emails from both Hyatt and American Airlines inviting me to register for an “instant status pass” on American Airlines.

By simply registering through a link on the email, I would receive American Airlines Platinum status for 4 months. During the 4 months, I’d have the opportunity to either continue having the status or earn a higher status:

• Earn 25,000 Loyalty Points to keep Platinum status
• Earn 42,000 Loyal Points to earn Platinum Pro status
• Earn 67,000 Loyalty Points to earn Executive Platinum status

Even if I did nothing during my 4-month trial period, I would still have AA Platinum status for 4 months. This promotion has no fee, and I assume I was targeted since I’m a World of Hyatt Explorist member.

Benefits of AA Status

I’ve mentioned many times on this blog that I don’t really care about airline or hotel status. I’m not going to jump through hoops, go on mileage runs or put tons of money on a credit card to get status. But, that said, AA status does come with a lot of perks, including:

• Complimentary upgrades
• Mileage bonuses
• Priority lines at check-in and security
• Free checked bags
• Priority bag delivery
• Complimentary Preferred Seats and Main Cabin Extra Seats

You can see the benefits of each AA status level here.

What I’m Getting out of this Instant Status Pass

I already have 3 AA flights booked within the next 4 months, and my entire family is booked on AA for a trip to Costa Rica a few months later. The most useful think about having AA Platinum status, in my opinion, is the ability to select Preferred and Main Cabin Extra seats for me and up to 8 traveling companions on my reservation for free. I don’t ever pay extra to sit in these seats towards the front of the cabin. However, on domestic flights when we don’t check bags, it’s nice to get off the plane early and start our vacation. And, on international flights, it’s convenient to get off the plane first to be towards the front of the immigration line.

Leana took advantage of this status match offer earlier this year (see her post here). During her match period, she was able to pick Main Cabin Extra seats for flights beyond her 4-month trial period, and her seat selection was maintained after her status expired.

So, I did register for this promotion, and I changed our seats to Main Cabin Extra seats at the front of the plane. I doubt I will get any upgrades during this period, but that’s ok. And no, I don’t plan to do anything to keep the status longer than 4 months. But, the status match is free, and I will enjoy it while it lasts.

Were you targeted for this instant status match? Check your emails.