Start here: Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles — join, earn qualifying and bonus miles, redeem awards and keep your tier

Step 1: What Lotusmiles is and who it suits

You will learn: what the terms govern, how the mile counters are defined, and how Lotusmiles tiers map to SkyTeam.

The terms are written as a basic legal framework that governs how Lotusmiles members and VNA interact, and they apply to the individuals eligible to join, to Vietnam Airlines and to Vietnam Airlines' partners [1]. A mile is a unit of measurement inside Lotusmiles in two categories: the qualifying mile, used to determine the membership tier in each qualifying period, and the bonus mile, which is redeemable for rewards [1]. A qualifying segment is credited to the account and used as the basis for determining the tier, and it cannot be used to fly [1].

The qualifying period is counted from the current month back to the previous 12 months, and an upgrade is considered at any time during that period once the criteria are met [1]. A family account is owned by a family member and holds at least 2 and at most 10 family members [1]. On SkyTeam flights, card holders receive the privileges available to the Elite and Elite Plus tiers prescribed on skyteam.com: Million Miler and Platinum correspond to Elite Plus, Gold and Titanium to Elite, and Silver and Registration to neither [1].

Go deeper: Start here: airline miles.

Step 2: How to join

You will learn: who may enrol, what arrives after enrolment, and the account rules that follow.

Any individual aged 02 or older, regardless of nationality, with citizenship rights and a permanent mailing address not in conflict with the law of their home country may apply [1]. Applications are made through www.vietnamairlines.com or the VNA mobile app, or at Vietnam Airlines branches, with certain partners or through other channels if available; accounts for children between the ages of 2 and under 16 are created from the accounts of their biological parents, adoptive parents or legally recognised guardians [1]. Each person may create only one account, and a welcome email gives the membership card number [1].

The Registration tier is recognised once the registration form is completed, with the card number given immediately; it becomes Silver after the qualifying miles of the first flight are updated to the account, or after the member uses VNA partners' products or services provided that use qualifies for the upgrade [1]. The card is issued electronically for the airline's app and physically on request, at VND 50,000 or 500 miles for delivery within Vietnam, and VND 500,000 or USD 20 (for payment outside Vietnam) or 5,000 miles for delivery outside Vietnam [1]. Membership may be terminated at the member's discretion, on death, or for grounds including misuse of the account, acts detrimental to Lotusmiles, VNA or partners, and forgery or fraud, and remaining miles are removed on termination [1]. A member aged 18 or older who has not joined a family account may invite family members, becoming Head of Household, and an invitee must accept or refuse within 30 days [1].

Go deeper: Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles programme hub, and the official Lotusmiles Membership Terms and Conditions.

Step 3: How earning works

You will learn: the three printed earning formulas, where credit comes from, and what earns nothing.

Three formulas are printed: Qualifying Miles = Flight distance * Accrual rate according to fare group; Qualifying Segments = 1*Accrual rate of the qualifying segment; Bonus Miles = Flight distance * Accrual rate according to fare group * Tier bonus rate [1]. Credit comes from flights operated and marketed by VNA (VN*/VN), flights operated and marketed by SkyTeam carriers (SKT*/SKT), SkyTeam-operated flights marketed by VNA (VN*/SKT), VNA-operated flights marketed by SkyTeam (SKT*/VN), flights of other airlines marketed by VNA (VN*/0V; VN*/BL; VN*/K6), Pacific Airlines flights (BL*/BL), and airlines outside SkyTeam in FFP cooperation with VNA, as well as from partners' products and services and VNA special sales programmes [1]. The tier bonus adds 30% for Titanium, 50% for Gold and 100% for Million Miler and Platinum of the miles flown according to booking class, and does not apply on Garuda Indonesia (GA) flights [1].

New members may claim qualifying miles, qualifying segments and bonus miles for flights or eligible ancillary products completed within 6 months before enrolment; VNA flights and eligible ancillary products may be claimed for the 12 months preceding the claim being received or submitted online; other airlines' flights for 6 or 12 months subject to the FFP cooperation agreements; and non-airline partners within 6 months [1]. Boarding passes and electronic tickets, bank statements for bank partners, and invoices in the member's name for other partners support a claim [1]. Each member has one account and chooses the single programme to which each flight's miles are credited, and credited miles cannot be cancelled in order to move them elsewhere [1]. No miles are earned on banned tickets, expired tickets, Lotusmiles or partner award tickets, other free and discount tickets (AD, CA) or promotional tickets (QCTT-XTTM-TT) [1]. Miles and segments are credited by the original booking class after an upgrade, by the original itinerary and booking class after an involuntary change to a non-qualifying flight, by the class actually flown after an involuntary downgrade, and not at all for unused purchased tickets [1]. Members may not enter another member's card number in their own booking [1].

Go deeper: How to earn miles.

Step 4: How to redeem miles

You will learn: who may claim awards, which award types exist, and how an award ticket is issued and changed.

Awards may be claimed by Million Miler, Platinum, Gold, Titanium, Silver and Registration members, by persons on the Redemption Group nominated by Million Miler, Platinum, Gold and Titanium members, and by persons designated by Million Miler, Platinum and Gold members [1]. The types listed are the Award Ticket, Upgrade Award, Excess Baggage Award, Lotusmiles Lounge Access Award, Awards for Non-Airline Partners, bonus miles used with cash to buy tickets, upgrade booking class or additional baggage, and bonus miles donated to VNA social responsibility activities [1]. Miles first accumulated are deducted first, awards and bonus miles may not be sold, and miles are not re-credited for an award that is unused or partly used except where the award was not used because of VNA's error [1]. An Electronic Award Voucher is valid only within 45 days following its release [1].

Award tickets are valid within 01 year following the departure date of the first flight segment on the ticket, or within 01 year following the date of issuance for itineraries entirely on SkyTeam flights, entirely on airlines with FFP agreements with VNA, or combining VNA with such airlines [1]. Awards may be redeemed online at least 6 hours before the flight, or at a ticket office at least 2 working days before the flight for Million Miler, Platinum and Gold members and 3 days for Titanium, Silver and Registration members [1]. Change of carrier, change of itinerary, extension of validity and transfer to other persons are not allowed on award tickets, while change of flight, flight date and flight time may be made free of charge subject to availability of comparable seats and to the peak-season restrictions published on the Vietnam Airlines website, with applicable fees and any mile difference for changes in peak periods, and with the no-show fee and any additional taxes, fees or surcharges payable [1].

Go deeper: How to redeem miles and the award vs cash calculator.

Step 5: Tiers and keeping your miles

You will learn: the thresholds, how tiers are kept or lost, and when bonus miles expire.

Titanium is recognised after at least 15,000 qualifying miles or 20 qualifying segments in the qualifying period, Gold after 30,000 qualifying miles or 30 qualifying segments, and Platinum after 50,000 qualifying miles or 50 qualifying segments, with partner products or services able to qualify for Titanium and Gold as printed [1]. Million Milers need at least 1 million qualifying miles on VNA-operated flights with VN numbers — counted only in Economy Flex or higher on domestic flights and Economy Classic or higher on international flights, excluding promotional miles — no history of violations of the listed articles, and significant contributions to society, the community, VNA or the programme, with recognition following VNA's evaluation and official confirmation [1]. Within each qualifying period members must keep taking qualifying flights or using partners' products and services; at the end of the period, Titanium, Gold and Platinum members who do not meet their criteria are downgraded to a lower tier corresponding to the qualifying miles or segments accrued, or to Silver [1]. Silver and Million Miler have no expiry date except on termination [1]. Members aged 60 and above are eligible for a 20% reduction in the criteria for Platinum, Gold and Titanium [1]. For childbirth, the terms give this example: "if a female member gives birth on October 15, 2023, and their Gold tier card experiences a downgrade on July 1, 2024, within the period from October 15, 2023, to October 15, 2024, the Gold tier status will be extended to July 31, 2025" [1].

Qualifying miles and qualifying segments are valid in the qualifying period [1]. Bonus miles are valid for 3 years from the month they are credited, and for 5 years when credited from the time a member is officially recognised as a Million Miler; donation miles are valid 3 years and promotional programmes may set their own validity [1]. Miles are deducted at 0:00 of the day adjacent to the effective date, in Vietnamese time: "1,000 bonus miles have a validity period of June 30, 2023, until 0:00 on July 1, 2023, these miles will no longer be valid for use and will be deducted from the Member's account" [1]. Bonus miles about to expire within 6 months from the date of extension may be prolonged in packages of 500 miles with a minimum of one package, and extended miles are valid 12 months from the original expiration date: "On 15 January 2024, a Member extends 1,500 miles of which 1,000 miles will expire on 29 February 2024 and 500 miles will expire on 31 March 2024. After successful prolongation, the new mileage period is: 1,000 miles will expire on 28 February 2025 and 500 miles will expire on 31 March 2025" [1]. Expired miles may be reinstated in packages of 500 miles where they expired 6 months before the processing date, and are then valid for 06 months: "On 15 January 2024, Member reinstates 1,500 miles of which 1,000 miles expired on 31 August 2023, and 500 miles expired on 30 September 2023. After successful transaction, the new term of 1,500 miles is 31 July 2024" [1].

Go deeper: the status calculator and the mileage expiry calculator.

Step 6: Your first concrete action

You will learn: the five things to do in your first week of membership.

1. Join on vietnamairlines.com or the VNA mobile app, one account per person, with children 2 to under 16 enrolled from a parent's or guardian's account, under the Lotusmiles Membership Terms and Conditions [1].
2. Claim the flights you took in the 6 months before you joined [1].
3. Give your card number on every booking and choose one programme per flight [1].
4. Keep your e-tickets, boarding passes and receipts for claims and for account verification [1].
5. Note the month each batch of bonus miles is credited, because it expires 3 years from that month, or 5 years once you are recognised as a Million Miler [1].

Next: the Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles programme hub, how to earn miles and how to redeem miles.