JetBlue Plus Card Review: A Great Choice for JetBlue Enthusiasts

Overview of the JetBlue Plus Card

The JetBlue Plus Card provides excellent rewards on airfare purchases, featuring a 5,000-point anniversary bonus that nearly offsets the $99 annual fee. Perks like a complimentary checked bag, a 10% rebate on award redemptions, and an annual JetBlue Vacations statement credit make this card appealing, even for those who fly occasionally. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Card Rating reflects the views of TPG's editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

JetBlue's loyalty program, TrueBlue, often goes unnoticed, as redemptions are primarily limited to flights with JetBlue and Hawaiian Airlines. However, this can be advantageous if JetBlue is your preferred airline, known for its customer-friendly service, award-winning Mint business class, and a robust route network across the East Coast and Caribbean.

If you're a JetBlue traveler looking to enhance your TrueBlue points or improve your flying experience, the JetBlue Plus Card is worth considering. With its low spending threshold, this card provides several beneficial perks that help offset its $99 annual fee.

First, it's important to have a "good" credit score (670 or higher) to maximize your chances of approval. Now, let’s explore the details of the card.

The details for the JetBlue Plus Card have been gathered independently by Dinogo. The card information on this page has not been reviewed or endorsed by the card issuer.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the JetBlue Plus

Welcome Offer for JetBlue Plus Card

The JetBlue Plus Card currently provides a welcome bonus of 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases and pay the annual fee in full within the first 90 days. According to our October 2024 valuation of 1.35 cents per point, this amounts to a value of $675. While this isn't the best offer we've seen for this card, it's still quite appealing.

In fact, the welcome bonus holds slightly more value since the card provides a rebate on all award bookings, allowing you to stretch your points even further.

Benefits of the JetBlue Plus Card

Alongside a strong return on JetBlue expenditures, the JetBlue Plus Card delivers significant value through its benefits. Although these perks are primarily focused on JetBlue, even occasional travelers can make the most of them:

• Complimentary first checked bag: Enjoy a free first checked bag for yourself and up to three travel companions on the same reservation when you buy a ticket with your card.
• 5,000-point anniversary bonus: These points are valued at approximately $68 based on our October 2024 valuations, so you can cover over two-thirds of the card's $99 annual fee without ever stepping on a JetBlue flight.
• 50% inflight discounts: Receive 50% back on eligible inflight purchases on JetBlue-operated flights, including alcoholic beverages and Eat Up snack boxes. This discount is automatically applied, typically on the day the charge appears on your card account.
• Accelerated Mosaic status: Achieve automatic Mosaic status after spending $50,000 on the card within a calendar year.
• 10% rebate on award flights: When you redeem TrueBlue points for a JetBlue flight, you'll get back 10% of those points after your journey, which can be applied toward your next redemption.
• Points Payback: Redeem your points for a statement credit of up to $1,000 each year.
• Annual JetBlue Vacations statement credit: Receive a $100 statement credit each year when you purchase a JetBlue Vacations package of $100 or more using your card.
• No foreign transaction fees

In addition to the JetBlue-specific benefits, you also get general travel and purchase protections, plus various everyday perks as a World Elite Mastercard. Here are a few notable ones:

• Trip delay protection: Receive up to $300 per trip if your flight is delayed for more than six hours (maximum of twice within a 12-month period).
• Trip cancellation and interruption coverage: Get reimbursed up to $5,000 for nonrefundable expenses per trip ($10,000 maximum in a 12-month period) if you need to cancel or interrupt a trip for a covered reason.

Earning Rewards with the JetBlue Plus Card

In terms of earning potential, this card surpasses most cobranded cards from other airlines, as well as several cards that earn transferable points. With it, you’ll earn 6 points per dollar on JetBlue purchases, 2 points per dollar at restaurants and grocery stores, and 1 point per dollar on all other transactions. For comparison, the no-annual-fee version of this card offers only half the points on JetBlue purchases.

Additionally, as a TrueBlue member, you’ll earn a minimum of 2 base points per dollar on JetBlue flights booked directly, in addition to the 6 points per dollar provided by the card.

Using points with the JetBlue Plus Card

The TrueBlue loyalty program is based on revenue, making redemptions quite simple. You can use points for any seat, including JetBlue Mint seats, on any JetBlue flight throughout its entire network, and you can expect a fairly consistent value from your points. The higher the cash price of a flight, the more it will cost in points, and vice versa.

For example, former TPG credit card writer Ryan Wilcox took full advantage of JetBlue's frequent flash sales. Often, one-way flights can start at just $20 and be booked for a mere 400 points. The upside is that you don’t have to search for saver award availability. However, this also means there aren’t significant sweet spots for long-haul international first-class travel.

Transferring points with the JetBlue Plus Card

While JetBlue partners with a few other airlines, Hawaiian Airlines is the only one you can book using the TrueBlue loyalty program. Instead of the revenue-based redemption model that links award rates to the price of individual itineraries, TrueBlue utilizes a more traditional, region-based award chart for these tickets.

As a general guideline, one-way flights to Hawaii require 22,000 points from the West Coast and 30,000 points from the East Coast in economy, while first-class tickets cost 45,000 points and 70,000 points, respectively.

What are the competitors of the JetBlue Plus Card?

Here’s a comparative overview of three of the JetBlue Plus Card's mid-tier travel competitors:

• If you want a no-annual-fee option: The JetBlue Card earns 3 points per dollar on JetBlue flights, 2 points on dining and grocery purchases, and 1 point on all other spending. It offers a 50% discount on inflight purchases with no annual fee. For further details, check out our full review of the JetBlue Card.
• If you prefer Capital One: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card gives you 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases for a reasonable $95 annual fee (see rates and fees). For additional details, read our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
• If you favor Chase: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a $95 annual fee and offers 5 points per dollar on travel booked through the Chase Travel portal℠, 3 points on dining, and 2 points on all other travel purchases. For more information, see our full review of the Sapphire Preferred.

The information regarding the JetBlue Card has been independently collected by Dinogo. The card specifics provided on this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the card issuer.

For more choices, take a look at our comprehensive list of the best travel rewards cards.

Is the JetBlue Plus Card a worthwhile investment?

The JetBlue Plus Card stands out among mid-tier cards for its rewards on JetBlue spending and the benefits it offers. However, for those who don't fly JetBlue frequently, the value may not outweigh the annual fee.

Final thoughts

Even if you fly JetBlue only occasionally, the 5,000-point anniversary bonus alone can cover over two-thirds of the JetBlue Plus Card's annual fee. Combined with extra benefits like a free checked bag, points rebate, and savings on inflight purchases, JetBlue travelers are likely to find this card advantageous.

If you don’t see the value in the increased earning potential or benefits like a free checked bag, you may prefer to go with the no-annual-fee JetBlue Card instead.