Get a Oneworld Sapphire (from $480) or Emerald (from $740) status through Royal Jordanian’s loyalty program
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Royal Jordanian has long been one of the few airlines in the Oneworld alliance that allowed status to be achieved based on flight segments. Until now, it was necessary to fly a minimum number of segments with Royal Jordanian itself. This requirement, however, appears to have changed.
It seems that Royal Jordanian, without a formal announcement, has modified the status qualification rules. Now, there is no minimum number of Royal Jordanian segments required for attaining Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status.
In recent months, the Royal Club has gained attention by offering status matches from various frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs. This promotion allowed participants to match to Oneworld Sapphire status (Royal Jordanian’s Gold Sparrow tier) for just $149.
Status Requirements for the Royal Club
A notable change has made the program attractive even beyond the status match. While the tier qualification requirements have not changed in terms of mileage or segments, the obligation to fly a minimum number of Royal Jordanian-operated flights has been removed. This update was confirmed in writing by a Royal Club service representative:
“Yes, sir. You can claim only [Oneworld] flights to qualify or maintain your tier.”
— RJ Customer Service
Previously, the segment requirements were as follows:
• Silver Jay (Oneworld Ruby): Minimum 2 Royal Jordanian segments
• Gold Sparrow (Oneworld Sapphire): Minimum 10 Royal Jordanian segments
• Platinum Hawk (Oneworld Emerald): Minimum 20 Royal Jordanian segments
Now, members only need to meet the total segment or mileage requirements, regardless of the number of Royal Jordanian flights.
Status Benefits in the Royal Club
Silver Jay (Oneworld Ruby): Offers basic perks like business class check-in, preferred seating (with exceptions), additional baggage with some airlines (e.g., American Airlines), priority boarding, and mileage retention.
Gold Sparrow (Oneworld Sapphire): Includes all Ruby benefits plus business class lounge access (with one guest), priority boarding, complimentary extra-legroom seat reservations (depending on the airline), additional baggage, priority luggage handling, an annual business class upgrade voucher on Royal Jordanian, fast-track entry in Jordan, and no mileage expiration.
Platinum Hawk (Oneworld Emerald): Provides all Sapphire and Ruby benefits, first-class lounge access with a guest, fast-track lanes, complimentary seat reservations, priority boarding and luggage, a partner Gold Sparrow card, two annual business class upgrade vouchers, guaranteed economy availability on Royal Jordanian, and a dedicated contact with a special hotline.
Oneworld Sapphire from $480 and 2 Years of Emerald Status from $740
The Royal Club’s segment-based qualification is its standout feature, with the lowest segment prices available through Iberia’s domestic flights in Spain. Sample status run costs include:
Gold Sparrow: 30 segments at $16 each = $480
Platinum Hawk: 46 segments at $16 each = $740 for initial qualification and $1,280 for requalification ($640 annually)
While completing 30–40 flights annually within one country might not be practical for everyone, there are other cost-effective ways to accrue segments:
• Domestic flights in the U.S. with Alaska Airlines starting at $35 per segment
• Domestic flights in the U.S. with American Airlines starting at $40 per segment
• Domestic flights in Japan with JAL starting at $48 per segment
• European flights with British Airways or Finnair starting at $51 per segment
These options make it possible to achieve Oneworld status through strategic segment runs, combining award travel and discounted deals to secure Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status while discovering new destinations.
Conclusion
Now, let’s of course talk about the elephant in the room: I doubt, many people will fly the same short-haul flight 20-30 times to get this status. It’s less the cost of paying for the flights, but rather the time investment you’d have to make to get this done. HOWEVER, if you are traveling for work and can choose to fly a OneWorld airline (e.g. you are flying AA domestically a lot), then this could be really interesting for you.
Keep in mind that if you are looking to do a mileage (or rather segment) run just to get the OneWorld status through Jordanian, make sure to check how much each segment will cost you for the flights you have available in your area. I did a quick check for Japan (where I live) and while Tokyo-Haneda (HND) and Osaka International Airport (ITM) are incredibly well connected (JAL flies a plane in each direction every hour!), each segment would cost me around $80, which just drives the total price up significantly.
Your best bet is to find a short-haul cheap flight connection with an overlay.
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