MSC Voyagers club, how I became a Diamond in less than 60 minutes
Status matching is a practice that loyalty programs of airlines, casinos and hotel chains implement [...]
The status match is a practice that loyalty programs of airlines, casinos, and hotel chains put in place to steal customers from competitors. The goal is simple: if you have an elite level it means you are a loyal customer, a customer who uses that particular company's services a lot and therefore might be interesting to convince to try an alternative.
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We have seen so many such campaigns in recent months. Virgin Airlines did it. To steal loyal passengers from British Airways, Hilton group hotels do it to convince guests from other hotel chains.
It is less common for this to happen in the cruise world, partly because loyalty programs in this sector do not have comparable dynamics. In Italy, however, there is MSC Crociere, which in its Voyagers Club program has an always-open status match proposition that allows an elite level to be recognized on cruise ships starting not only from competing companies, but also from hotel chains and some airlines.
My Experience with the MSC Status Match
In September together with my large family we decided to take a cruise, so it was the perfect time to apply for status match. I took advantage of my Diamond level in the Hilton Honors program and I filled out the appropriate form on the MSC website.
The procedure is very simple and, registry aside, the only proof that is asked for is a picture of the program card whose status you have. In this case, MSC does not ask anything in particular of the person submitting the request; other times, however, certain challenges must be completed within a specified time period.
Depending on the level possessed you will then obtain the corresponding level in the Voyagers Club loyalty program. To my incredible surprise, I received confirmation of the Status Match less than an hour after the request.
Why ask for status match
Through this practice the passenger gets similar benefits even if they have never traveled or stayed in that specific chain, this means room upgrades, free breakfasts, more loyalty points, etc. depending on the individual program.
In the specific case MSC recognized me with the Diamond level in his program, the highest level. Considering that to reach this level you have to have collected more than 10 thousand points, which means at least a dozen cruises and a lot of spending on board, I would say it is quite a success story.
Among the benefits it will give me will be a privileged treatment on board, a bottle of sparkling wine, a free dinner, and many other little pampering treats that will make my next cruise on the ships of the group that has its home port in Genoa more enjoyable.
In conclusion
Knowing how to exploit
