How to Get SkyTeam Elite Plus Status (No Flights Required)

You can hold SkyTeam Elite Plus status for a full year, with lounge access and priority across Delta, Air France, KLM and more, without flying a single mile to earn it. Here are the routes that are still open right now.

How to Get SkyTeam Elite Plus Status (No Flights Required)

by Julia Portela

August 4, 2026 Reading Time: 5 min read

Airline elite status usually takes a year of flying to earn. But there are a couple of ways to get SkyTeam Elite Plus, one of the most useful mid-tier statuses out there, by turning Bilt or hotel status into airline status. Here is how, and which options are still available today.

In this post:

• What SkyTeam Elite Plus gets you
• The easiest route right now: Bilt Platinum to Flying Blue Gold
• The Kenya Airways route (if you already have Accor status)
• What Kenya Airways Platinum adds
• Outside the US? Your Amex Platinum may include free Accor Gold
• Things to know
• Bottom line

What SkyTeam Elite Plus Gets You

This is the real prize, and it works across Delta, Air France, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Korean Air, SAS, Aeromexico, and most other SkyTeam airlines:

• Priority check-in, bag drop, and boarding
• Priority security and immigration where offered
• Priority transfer desks and baggage handling
• Preferred seating where offered, including exit rows
• One extra checked bag (or an extra 20kg on weight-based routes)
• Business class lounge access with one guest on eligible international SkyTeam flights

One honest note: this is not Delta elite status. It does not give you complimentary Delta upgrades or automatic Comfort+. But for lounge access, free bags, and priority on international trips, it is genuinely useful.

The Easiest Route Right Now: Bilt Platinum to Flying Blue Gold

If you have Bilt Platinum status, this is the cleanest option, and it is available year-round, not just on Rent Day. Transfer 10,000 Bilt points to Air France KLM Flying Blue, and within a few days you get 12 months of Flying Blue Gold, which is SkyTeam Elite Plus.

No match fee, you keep it simple, and you activate it right in the Bilt app under the elite status section. For most Bilt Platinum members, this is the smartest way to the exact same alliance status.

The Kenya Airways Route (If You Already Have Accor Status)

Kenya Airways runs a paid status match, and it now matches Accor Gold, Platinum, or Diamond directly to its top tier, Asante Platinum, which comes with SkyTeam Elite Plus.

• Cost: $299
• Valid: 12 months
• No Kenya Airways flight required

The catch is that you need to already hold Accor status to use it. Here is who does:

• If you grabbed Bilt's August 1 Rent Day Accor status match, you already have Accor Gold or Platinum. Heads up: that specific match was a one-day Rent Day event and is closed now. Bilt runs Rent Day every month, so a similar offer could return, but you cannot do that exact match today.
• If you have Amex Platinum in certain countries, you get Accor Gold for free (more on that below).
• If you earned Accor status from hotel stays, that works too.

If you have qualifying Accor status, you apply on Kenya Airways' status match page.

What Kenya Airways Platinum Adds

On top of the SkyTeam Elite Plus benefits above, Kenya Airways Platinum itself gives you:

• 100% bonus points on Kenya Airways flights
• Complimentary seat selection at booking
• Kenya Airways lounge access with one guest
• SkyPriority
• One additional checked bag
• A 24/7 Platinum customer-service line

Outside the US? Your Amex Platinum May Include Free Accor Gold

Here is a bonus route that skips Bilt entirely. In 12 markets, the Amex Platinum card now includes complimentary ALL Accor Gold status. Those countries are:

Australia, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Austria, and Singapore.

If you hold an Amex Platinum in one of those countries, you can get Accor Gold for free from your card, then use it to match into Kenya Airways Asante Platinum for SkyTeam Elite Plus. No hotel stays and no Bilt transfer needed.

Unfortunately, the US Amex Platinum does not include this benefit, so US readers should use the Bilt route above.

Things to Know Before You Do This

• You get only one Kenya Airways status match per person, and they will not upgrade an old match. If you already matched to Asante Gold, you cannot rematch to get Platinum.
• Status is valid 12 months from approval, so apply shortly before the first trip where you will use it.
• Kenya Airways has not announced an end date for the Accor-to-Platinum offer, so it could go away at any time.

Bottom Line

For $299, or for the cost of a Bilt transfer, or for free if you hold a qualifying Amex Platinum abroad, you can hold SkyTeam Elite Plus for a year. That means lounge access, priority, and free bags across Delta, Air France, KLM, and more, without flying to earn it. Compare the Kenya Airways route with the Flying Blue Gold route, and only do it if you will fly SkyTeam enough to get your money's worth.

More info on Bilt credit cards.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.