Etihad Guest Gold status match - Australia

I know this is an India-oriented blog, but there's a smattering of users from Down Under, and so I thought I'd thank them a bit with a quick word about an Australia-only offer by Etihad, for a status match to Etihad Guest Gold, which reminds me a lot of the UAE-only status match offer they ran a few months back. If you want to try and take advantage of this offer, you need to act quickly, since this is valid only till 29 July 2014.

Here's the link to the offer, though you should know the following before you apply for this status match. To be eligible for the status match, you need to:

• Enroll into the Etihad Guest programme if you are not yet a member
• Send the following documents to guesttiermatch@etihad.ae: 
• Your Etihad Guest number
• A scanned copy of your existing Gold card from another loyalty programme and your most recent statement (This offer is not valid for members of Velocity Frequent Flyer and KrisFlyer.)
• Documents that prove that you have travelled in Business or First class to Europe or the Middle East at least twice in the past 12 months*. This can include ticket copies, boarding cards or loyalty program statements

Here are the benefits of Etihad Guest Gold status:

• You and a guest can relax with a guest in one of our luxurious Business Class lounges, at a range of destinations across our network; including Abu Dhabi, London, Paris, Dublin, and our brand new lounge at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport. 
• Benefit from 50% bonus Etihad Guest Miles on every flight
• Enjoy Business Class check-in, priority boarding and fast track at immigration
• 15kg additional baggage
• Guaranteed Economy Class seat on the flight of your choice if you book within 24 hours
• And with our partner PointsPay, the ability to convert your miles to cash to spend at over 30 million in-store and online outlets worldwide

Specifically, do note the following T&Cs:

This offer is only valid for individuals residing in Australia. This offer is not valid for members of Velocity Frequent Flyer and KrisFlyer. All applications should be received before 29 July 2014. To be considered for the offer, you should meet the above mentioned eligibility criteria. Only a limited number of Gold cards will be issued and Etihad Guest reserves the right to select the successful applicants. If any of the documents received are not clear, then the same will not be considered. You should be an Etihad Guest member and your membership number should be sent along with other documents to be considered for the promotion. Your current Etihad Guest Miles will be carried forward at the time of upgrade to Etihad Guest Gold. You will receive a confirmation mail informing the status of your application before 30 August 2014. If the airline you have travelled to Middle East and Europe is different from the airline with which you have the gold membership, please send through the ticket copy or boarding card in addition to the documents mentioned above. Etihad Guest reserves the right to withdraw this promotion at any time without any prior notice.

If you are eligible for this, and you have the information required to apply, I suggest that you do apply. There's no downside to it (ie, it won't affect your future chances of a status match under a different offer), and there's certainly no harm in keeping the status, if you do get it. In fact, you could use it as leverage to get another program of your choice to match status with Etihad Guest Gold.

In view of Eithad's 19.9% investment in Virgin Australia, there's likely to be a much closer cooperation between the two, as has happened elsewhere in the world (Jet Airways in India and Alitalia in Italy come to mind readily). So this status certainly won't hurt!

Do share the outcomes of your application for this status match.