I thought that the time of NFTs was long gone given that many of them already lost their value after the hype. Crypto currencies also sound a bit dubious given their use in financial crime. But for whatever reason AirBaltic is offering their highest elite status for those who are willing to buy their latest NFTs called planies. And of course, payments are accepted in etheriums as well to make the whole thing operate in cryptos.
Getting the status with NFTs
AirBaltic has this offer which they may discontinue in the future. But for now, if you buy 25 of their NFTs, you will automatically get the highest elite status called VIP level. It won’t be cheap though as one NFT costs around 264 euros or 0.075 etheriums.
If you can’t afford to spend the full amount initially, don’t worry, every NFT works for you in the background and earns AirBaltic points. They may not get you to the elite status level, but at least you can spend them on flights.
NFTs are essentially just pointers to pictures, so if you purchase one, you won’t even own the cute plane picture it points to. Putting 6620.25€ on something like that sounds a bit too much.
Benefits of AirBaltic elite status
AirBaltic is not part of any airline alliance, so you will only get benefits for AirBaltic flights. These include the usual priority security, lounge access, additional bags and advance seat reservation. The status you get is AirBaltic Club VIP level.
You will also get two business class upgrade vouchers with your status. Pretty sweet, huh? If you still aren’t convinced, you can get the status without NFTs if you apply for a status match. AirBaltic has traditionally matched Finnair Plus, SAS Eurobonus and Miles&More.
Conclusions
NFTs are an interesting take on getting an airline status. I am just not convinced it’s worth it. 6620.25€ a lot of money that can almost get you a Finnair Plus Gold status as well, which includes oneworld Sapphire perks. If you start from scratch and only fly Finnair, Finnair Gold costs you 7500€ and renewal 5625€ a year. With cheapo British Airways business class deals, you pay even less. And you will get to fly with the money as well, not just buy links to pictures.
