{"id":154867,"date":"2025-03-09T15:00:35","date_gmt":"2025-03-09T15:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/09\/what-is-the-msc-status-match-the-points-guy\/"},"modified":"2025-03-09T15:00:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-09T15:00:35","slug":"what-is-the-msc-status-match-the-points-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/09\/what-is-the-msc-status-match-the-points-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the MSC status match? &#8211; The Points Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>If cruise discounts, priority embarkation, welcome parties and free gifts sound enticing, pay attention. There&#8217;s only one cruise line in the entire industry that will match your status with other travel brands (and not just cruise lines), allowing you to access a variety of perks.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/cruise\/msc\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MSC Cruises<\/a>&#8216; status match can take you from no status (if you&#8217;ve never sailed with the line before) to the highest level in a snap if you&#8217;ve reached the upper echelons of other loyalty programs. In my case, I went from the lowest tier to the second-highest just by asking MSC to match my status with another cruise line. That earned me some nice added benefits, including a free one-hour pass to the thermal suite any time I sail with the line.<\/p>\n<p>Want to learn how to elevate your status and snag valuable extras on your next MSC cruise? Here, I&#8217;ll answer your questions about why you should match your status and what you&#8217;ll be entitled to if you do.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"which-programs-will-msc-consider-for-matching\" class=\"jsx-2362441780 anchor\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">Which programs will MSC consider for matching?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"jsx-1853040249 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-36530878 full-width-auto-height-image\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;padding-top:66.6875%\"\/><noscript><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\" sizes=\"100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2Photo-Dec-05-2022-11-34-55-AM.jpg?width=640 640w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2Photo-Dec-05-2022-11-34-55-AM.jpg?width=750 750w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2Photo-Dec-05-2022-11-34-55-AM.jpg?width=828 828w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2Photo-Dec-05-2022-11-34-55-AM.jpg?width=1080 1080w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2Photo-Dec-05-2022-11-34-55-AM.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2Photo-Dec-05-2022-11-34-55-AM.jpg?width=1920 1920w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2Photo-Dec-05-2022-11-34-55-AM.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2Photo-Dec-05-2022-11-34-55-AM.jpg?width=3840 3840w\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2Photo-Dec-05-2022-11-34-55-AM.jpg?width=3840\"\/><\/noscript><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-1853040249 figcaption\">MSC Seascape docked in New York City. ASHLEY KOSCIOLEK\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For a status match, MSC Cruises will look at loyalty status from more than 70 brands, including its big competitors (<a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/cruise\/carnival\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Carnival Cruise Line<\/a>, Royal Caribbean, <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/cruise\/holland-america\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Holland America Line<\/a>, Celebrity Cruises, <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/cruise\/princess\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Princess Cruises<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/cruise\/norwegian\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Norwegian Cruise Line<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/cruise\/disney-cruise-line\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Disney Cruise Line<\/a>), as well as hotel chains like Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott, and other brands like Expedia, Air China and even Cirque du Soleil.<\/p>\n<p>Note that MSC does not currently match status for any of the major U.S. airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"how-do-i-apply-for-an-msc-status-match\" class=\"jsx-2362441780 anchor\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">How do I apply for an MSC status match?<\/h2>\n<p>It&#8217;s simple. Fill out the information on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msccruisesusa.com\/manage-booking\/msc-voyagers-club\/status-match\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MSC Cruises&#8217; status match page<\/a>, and the cruise line will let you know if you&#8217;ve been approved.<\/p>\n<p>When I went through the process, I submitted my status as a Diamond-level member with <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/guide\/royal-caribbean-cruise-loyalty-program\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Royal Caribbean&#8217;s Crown and Anchor program<\/a> \u2014 the highest status I have. Within a week, I heard back from MSC, telling me that I had earned Voyagers Club Gold status.<\/p>\n<p>However, for one of my coworkers, it wasn&#8217;t so easy. He submitted the form citing his Hyatt Globalist status under the <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/points-program\/hyatt\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">World of Hyatt program<\/a>, but he didn&#8217;t hear back for a few weeks. Even then, he only received an answer after contacting the line to ask whether a decision had been made. Eventually, he was awarded Diamond status \u2014 the highest in MSC&#8217;s program.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"which-status-level-will-i-get\" class=\"jsx-2362441780 anchor\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">Which status level will I get?<\/h2>\n<p>If you hold elite status with multiple brands, you&#8217;ll want to request a match with whichever status will translate to the highest level with MSC Cruises&#8217; program. For example, I&#8217;m Gold with <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/points-program\/hilton\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hilton Honors<\/a> and Gold Elite with <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/points-program\/marriott\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Marriott Bonvoy<\/a>, thanks to <span class=\"jsx-eb69f9b09a3de1d0 jsx-eea0d1f218f5e80b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/apply-now\/the-platinum-card-from-american-express\/?tid=post\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"jsx-eb69f9b09a3de1d0 jsx-eea0d1f218f5e80b applyLink inherit\">The Platinum Card\u00ae from American Express<\/a><\/span> (enrollment required), but neither would have translated as highly as my Royal Caribbean Diamond status.<\/p>\n<div class=\"&#10;        EmailSignUp_container__qYzYT&#10;        undefined&#10;        EmailSignUp_isLoading__i_qm0&#10;      \"><picture class=\"EmailSignUp_graphic__zgpFm\"><source media=\"screen and (max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"\/images\/EmailSignUp\/daily-mob.svg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/images\/EmailSignUp\/daily-dt.svg\"\/><\/picture>\n<div class=\"EmailSignUp_form__C8FWb\">\n<p>Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n<p>Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter<\/p>\n<p>Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG\u2019s experts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Determining how a particular status at another brand correlates with MSC&#8217;s program is not always straightforward, as each line calculates points toward loyalty status differently. MSC tends to value some statuses as lower than the same level within its own program.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Royal Caribbean&#8217;s Diamond status is only equal to MSC&#8217;s Gold. However, that is likely because Royal Caribbean has six tiers while MSC only has four. I found <a href=\"https:\/\/info.msccruises.com\/rs\/271-DJN-199\/images\/Status%20Match_Conversion%20Table.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">this chart<\/a> useful in determining which program&#8217;s match would get me the highest status with MSC.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"what-are-some-of-the-perks\" class=\"jsx-2362441780 anchor\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">What are some of the perks?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"jsx-1853040249 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-36530878 full-width-auto-height-image\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;padding-top:66.6875%\"\/><img alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\"\/><noscript><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\" sizes=\"100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2MSC17013392.jpg?width=640 640w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2MSC17013392.jpg?width=750 750w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2MSC17013392.jpg?width=828 828w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2MSC17013392.jpg?width=1080 1080w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2MSC17013392.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2MSC17013392.jpg?width=1920 1920w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2MSC17013392.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2MSC17013392.jpg?width=3840 3840w\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2MSC17013392.jpg?width=3840\"\/><\/noscript><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-1853040249 figcaption\">Part of the Aurea Spa thermal suite on MSC Seaside. IVAN SARFATTI\/MSC CRUISES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There are four tiers in the MSC Voyagers Club program: Classic, Silver, Gold and Diamond.<\/p>\n<p>Even at the lowest level, which is achieved after just one voyage, passengers receive discounts on cruises and purchases in the onboard shops, a dedicated e-newsletter, invitations to onboard &#8220;welcome back&#8221; cocktail parties and more. When you reach higher tiers, you&#8217;ll be rewarded with extras like thermal spa passes and priority tendering, embarkation and disembarkation.<\/p>\n<p>For more details, check out The Points Guy&#8217;s full article on the <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/guide\/msc-cruises-loyalty-program\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MSC Voyagers Club loyalty program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"whats-the-catch\" class=\"jsx-2362441780 anchor\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">What&#8217;s the catch?<\/h2>\n<p>Overall, MSC&#8217;s status match is a great offering, but there are some caveats to remember. Although you can earn status easily, especially with the match, the line&#8217;s loyalty program is one of the weakest in the industry. (When you reach the top, don&#8217;t expect a free cruise like some other lines offer.)<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, most cruise lines&#8217; loyalty programs award status for life. That means you don&#8217;t have to requalify each year, as you do with hotel and airline programs. However, MSC&#8217;s Voyagers Club status goes up in smoke if you fail to take at least one cruise every 36 months. If that happens, your account will be closed, and you&#8217;ll have to start from the bottom.<\/p>\n<p>You can also only request one match per person. That means if MSC Cruises awards you a match and you achieve higher status with another program in the future, you won&#8217;t be able to submit additional requests to have MSC reevaluate your status level. It also means that if you don&#8217;t take a cruise within three years and your loyalty status expires, you can&#8217;t request another match, even after you create a new account.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"are-status-matches-common-in-cruising\" class=\"jsx-2362441780 anchor\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">Are status matches common in cruising?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"jsx-1853040249 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-36530878 full-width-auto-height-image\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;padding-top:66.6875%\"\/><img alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\"\/><noscript><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\" sizes=\"100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2mscfunnel.jpg?width=640 640w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2mscfunnel.jpg?width=750 750w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2mscfunnel.jpg?width=828 828w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2mscfunnel.jpg?width=1080 1080w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2mscfunnel.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2mscfunnel.jpg?width=1920 1920w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2mscfunnel.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2mscfunnel.jpg?width=3840 3840w\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/12\/2mscfunnel.jpg?width=3840\"\/><\/noscript><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-1853040249 figcaption\">An upper sun deck on MSC Cruises&#8217; MSC Seascape. ASHLEY KOSCIOLEK\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Status matches aren&#8217;t common in the cruise world. In fact, only one other line \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/cruise\/virgin\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Virgin Voyages<\/a> \u2014 will match other travel statuses. Only three cruise lines \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/cruise\/royal-caribbean\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Royal Caribbean International<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/cruise\/celebrity\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Celebrity Cruises<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/cruise\/silversea\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Silversea Cruises<\/a> \u2014 offer reciprocal status with one another, and that&#8217;s only because they&#8217;re sister brands.<\/p>\n<p>Otherwise, you have to earn status in each loyalty program individually. (But, gamblers, take note: Some cruise lines do allow you to <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/guide\/casino-loyalty-program-free-perks\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">earn free sailings and other perks<\/a> with your land-based casino loyalty status.)<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"prices-article\" src=\"https:\/\/cruiseline.com\/widget\/prices?variant=check-prices-horizontal&amp;params=%7B%22containerId%22:%22cruiseline-horizontal-check-prices-widget%22,%22referral%22:%22thepointsguy.com%22,%22key%22:%2204df8436223a593fdec7f9de96cdfcce%22,%22widgetTitle%22:%22Check%20MSC%20cruise%20prices%22,%22horizontal%22:true,%22cruiselineSlug%22:%22msc-cruises%22%7D\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"auto\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"bottom-line\" class=\"jsx-2362441780 anchor\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">Bottom line<\/h2>\n<p>If you thought it would never be possible to earn status with a cruise line, it&#8217;s a great idea to leverage your other status achievements to get yourself there more quickly with MSC Cruises.<\/p>\n<p>Or, if you&#8217;re a traveler who has never tried cruising, a status match is a great way to ensure you have access to a few extra perks that will help enhance your first sailing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/guide\/status-match-msc-cruises\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If cruise discounts, priority embarkation, welcome parties and free gifts sound enticing, pay attention. There&#8217;s only one cruise line in the entire industry that will match your status with other travel brands (and not just cruise lines), allowing you to access a variety of perks. MSC Cruises&#8216; status match can take you from no status [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":154868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-154867","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}