Royal Air Maroc Status Match: Is Paying for Oneworld Status Worth It?

Royal Air Maroc has launched a paid status match opportunity that could give you Oneworld Sapphire or even Emerald status – but it comes with a significant price tag that means this won't be right for everyone.

I've been tracking status match opportunities for a while now, and this one from the Moroccan national carrier is interesting – though not necessarily compelling for most UK-based travellers. Let me walk you through what's on offer and whether it makes sense for your situation.

Through a partnership with StatusMatch.com, Royal Air Maroc is offering elite members of various airline frequent flyer programmes the chance to match their status to the Safar Flyer programme. The matched status is valid until 31 December 2026.

Here's what the fees look like:

Important update: As of 25 November 2025, US airline status holders and hotel elite members are no longer eligible to apply. This change significantly narrows the pool of who can take advantage of this offer.

UK residents can match from a decent range of non-Oneworld programmes. Here's a breakdown of what status you need to achieve each Safar Flyer tier:

For Safar Flyer Gold (Oneworld Sapphire):

For Safar Flyer Platinum (Oneworld Emerald), you'll need top-tier status with Air Canada Aeroplan (Elite 75K or Super Elite), Air France Flying Blue (Platinum or Ultimate), Lufthansa Miles & More (HON Circle), or Turkish Miles&Smiles (Elite Plus).

This is where things get interesting – and where the value proposition becomes clearer.

Safar Flyer Silver maps to Oneworld Ruby, which frankly isn't worth £120. You get priority check-in and waitlist priority, but no lounge access. Skip this tier entirely.

Safar Flyer Gold gives you Oneworld Sapphire status, which includes:

Safar Flyer Platinum unlocks Oneworld Emerald, adding:

For UK travellers, this means access to British Airways lounges when flying BA (even in economy), Cathay Pacific lounges, Qantas lounges, and many more across the Oneworld network. You can find the full list of available lounges using our Airport Lounge List tool.

Here's where this offer falls apart for most people.

Your matched status expires on 31 December 2026. To keep it beyond that, you'll need to requalify through Royal Air Maroc's standard requirements:

Unless you're planning significant travel on Royal Air Maroc or other Oneworld carriers credited to Safar Flyer, this is essentially a one-year deal (or just over, depending on when you apply).

The status match does come with a complimentary 30-day 3x Status Miles Booster for Royal Air Maroc flights in January 2026, which helps slightly – but you'd still need substantial flying to maintain status.

I've written about the Royal Jordanian status match before, and it's worth comparing the two.

Royal Jordanian:

Royal Air Maroc:

For Oneworld Sapphire, Royal Jordanian is clearly better value at less than half the price. The Royal Air Maroc option only makes sense if you want Emerald status – which Royal Jordanian doesn't offer.

I'll be honest – this is a niche offer. Here's when it might be worth considering:

Emerald status seekers: If you desperately want first class lounge access and have top-tier status with Air France, Lufthansa, or Turkish Airlines, paying £600 for 13+ months of Emerald status could make sense. This gets you into lounges like the Cathay Pacific first class lounge in Hong Kong, Qantas first class lounges in Sydney and Los Angeles, and BA Galleries First at Heathrow Terminal 5.

Frequent economy flyers on Oneworld: If you fly Oneworld carriers regularly in economy and would otherwise be buying lounge access, the maths might work out. Multiple lounge visits at £25-50 each add up quickly.

Those planning significant Royal Air Maroc travel: If you're flying to Morocco frequently or using Casablanca as a connecting hub to Africa (Royal Air Maroc has an excellent network to West Africa), you might actually be able to requalify.

For most UK points collectors, I'd suggest looking elsewhere:

You can calculate your tier point earnings using our BA Tier Point Calculator, and read more about The British Airways Club spend-based status programme.

If you've decided this is right for you:

Once approved, it may take up to 3 additional business days for your status to appear in your Safar Flyer account. You won't receive a physical card – only a digital card in the Safar Flyer app.

If you're considering this match because you might actually fly Royal Air Maroc, here's what's available from the UK:

Royal Air Maroc flies from London Heathrow (Terminal 4) and London Gatwick to Casablanca, with connections available to their extensive African and global network. In 2025, they're expanding to serve three London airports including Stansted during summer. Popular connecting destinations via Casablanca include Lagos, Accra, Freetown, and other West African cities.

It's worth noting that Royal Air Maroc joined Oneworld in April 2020, making it the alliance's first full member on the African continent.

As someone with BA Gold status (which gives me Oneworld Emerald benefits anyway), this offer isn't for me. But I can see the appeal for a specific group of travellers.

The Emerald option at £600 is particularly interesting if you've lost (or are about to lose) top-tier status with BA due to the recent programme changes, have equivalent status with a SkyTeam or Star Alliance carrier, and want to maintain first class lounge access while you figure out your next move.

For Sapphire seekers, I'd strongly recommend the Royal Jordanian status match instead – it's less than half the price for the same alliance-wide lounge access.

And remember – no paid status match replaces the value of actually earning status through flying. If you're a regular Oneworld traveller, earning BA tier points for Silver or Gold remains the best long-term strategy.

Are you considering this status match? Let me know in the comments – I'm curious to hear how others are weighing up the value proposition.

Jack