Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles status match: Get Sky Team Elite & Elite Plus perks

SkyTeam member Vietnam Airlines has launched a status match campaign that’s open to members of 46 different loyalty programmes, including Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and PPS Club.

Through this campaign, you can get matched all the way to Lotusmiles Platinum, the second-highest tier in the programme, and with it SkyTeam Elite Plus benefits like lounge access and extra baggage allowance.

This isn’t a free match though. A fee applies, so you’ll need to crunch the numbers and decide whether it makes sense for you. 

Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles status match

Status Match

From 28 August 2024 onwards, elite members from eligible airlines can apply for an upgrade to Lotusmiles Titanium, Gold or Platinum.

An application fee ranging from US$59 to US$299 must be paid, depending on which country you’re resident in and which tier you’re matching to.

Lotusmiles Tier	Application Fee
Titanium	US$59 (Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand) US$99 (Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA)
Gold	US$159
Platinum	US$299

Once matched, status is granted instantly and valid for 12 months. During this period, you’ll need to requalify via the usual requirements to retain your status beyond the 12 months. 

• Lotusmiles Titanium: 15,000 qualifying miles or 18 flight sectors
• Lotusmiles Gold: 30,000 qualifying miles or 27 flight sectors
• Lotusmiles Platinum: 50,000 qualifying miles or 45 flight sectors

What status will I be matched to?

Vietnam Airlines is matching status from a total of 46 airlines across Star Alliance and oneworld, including the following options:

FFP	Titanium (Elite)	Gold (Elite)	Platinum (Elite Plus)
British Airways	Bronze	Silver	Gold Gold Guest List Premier
Cathay Pacific	Silver	Gold	Diamond Diamond Plus Invitation
Emirates	Silver	Gold	IO Platinum
Malaysia Airlines	Silver	Gold	Platinum
Qantas	Silver	Gold	Chairman’s Lounge Platinum Platinum One
Qatar Airways	Silver	Gold	Platinum
Singapore Airlines	Silver	–	Gold PPS PPS Solitaire
THAI Airways	Silver	–	Gold Platinum
Turkish Airlines	Classic Plus	–	Elite Elite Plus

You can find the full list of programmes that will be matched here. 

I’ve cleaned it up in my table by only showing the highest possible outcome, but do note that on the statusmatch.com website, some programme tiers will appear in two columns.

For example, KrisFlyer Elite Gold appears in both the Gold and Platinum column. What this means is that you can choose which tier you want to match to (and pay the corresponding fee). If you’re a KrisFlyer Elite Gold and feel that Lotusmiles Gold is good enough for you, you can go for that. Otherwise, you can opt for Loutsmiles Platinum.

What are the perks of Lotusmiles status?

Lotusmiles elite members enjoy extra privileges such as priority check-in, priority baggage handling, extra checked baggage, lounge access, and priority boarding on Vietnam Airlines and SkyTeam flights.

Naturally, you’ll want to shoot for Platinum status, as this corresponds to the SkyTeam Elite Plus tier which grants lounge access and extra baggage privileges when travelling on other SkyTeam member airlines (for Gold, these benefits only apply when flying Vietnam Airlines).

However, the Lotusmiles programme is not great for redemptions, and I’d much rather credit my SkyTeam flights to a programme like Flying Blue. If you’re gunning for Lotusmiles status, now would be a good time to read up on FQTV and FQTS- basically a way of using status benefits from one FFP, while crediting miles to a different FFP.

What about ITA Airways?

It’s impossible to talk about SkyTeam status matching without mentioning ITA Airways, the successor to the now-defunct Alitalia.

ITA has been offering an on-again-off-again status match for more than a year now, and the most recent offer ended on 19 August 2024. Reports from the field say that the website is buggy and some people never hear back, but most importantly, the match is free.

ITA will match members of 18 different airlines to its Club Volare frequent flyer programme, and where Singapore Airlines is concerned:

• KrisFlyer Elite Silver > Club Volare Plus (SkyTeam Elite)
• KrisFlyer Elite Gold > Club Volare Premium (SkyTeam Elite Plus)
• Solitaire PPS Club/PPS Club >  Club Volare Executive (SkyTeam Elite Plus)

The offer isn’t running right now, but if you’re willing to wait, you might want to see whether it comes back again before shelling out for a status match.

Conclusion

Vietnam Airlines is currently offering a status match for members of 46 different frequent flyer programmes including KrisFlyer, allowing an instant fast-track all the way to Lotusmiles Platinum and SkyTeam Elite Plus benefits. 

The main barrier is the application fee, so you’ll need to look at your travel plans for the next 12 months and see whether they feature enough SkyTeam carriers to justify the cost.