JetBlue has made an update to its TrueBlue loyalty program, allowing members to spend points with greater flexibility. Whereas before, someone could only book a ticket purely with miles, or purely with cash, members can now use a bit of both to cover the cost of a ticket, perhaps turning a costly ticket into one more palatable. The new offering isn’t without its quirks, so here’s everything you need to know…
JetBlue’s New Cash + Points Option
JetBlue now allows travelers with at least 500 TrueBlue Points to cash in some, or all of their points toward any ticket. This means you could take a ticket that costs $200 and pay a portion of that total with points, and the same goes for basically any amount.
For those that care about elite frequent flyer status with JetBlue, any cash you spend on the ticket will count towards earning future points you can redeem, and also toward base points for earning Mosaic elite status. The only exception is if you plan to book through JetBlue Vacations, in which case neither will count.
Paxex.Aero notes these new cash + points combination fares won’t count for qualifying flight segments flown to earn elite status, nor will they could for promotions like Take 3, Go Long or Lucky Seven. If none of those things ring a bell to you, don’t worry about it, because it makes whether or not you should use these new fare options even easier.
What Your Points Are Worth With JetBlue Cash + Points
JetBlue TrueBlue Points typically are worth 1.5 cents each, when used for a booking made entirely with points. Basically, a $450 fare would be covered entirely by 30,000 points at a rate of 30,000 x 1.5 cents. With us still? The sentence you just read applies only if you’re making a full on redemption of your points, and not hoping to just cover part of the cost of a cash ticket.
If you plan to take advantage of JetBlue’s new cash + points option, you’ll get a lower value for your points, but that’s not necessarily awful since you can still earn some back, which you wouldn’t when redeeming points only. JetBlue specifically suggests booking one way tickets at a time, even on round trips.
Under JetBlue’s new cash + points options, you’ll get circa 0.9 cents per point, which means 10,000 points would cover $90 of any ticket. You can apply this to JetBlue Mint, as well as all Economy fares. For travelers that have smaller balances of JetBlue Points, or won’t ever earn huge balances, this is a great way to consistently cash out small balances and get something for them, rather than have points collect dust.
Even if you only have 5,000 points, it’ll cover part of the cost of a new trip, and that’s better than nothing. Some people just won’t ever earn hundreds of thousands, and that’s absolutely fine. Though it’s not often a great way to use points, keep in mind that you can almost instantly create JetBlue TrueBlue Points by transferring credit card points from American Express, Capital One, Chase or Citi rewards credit cards.
If you’re one of those that is looking to save a little bit, or won’t ever have a huge points balance, this could be an attractive way to curb the cost of a future trip, while clearing through a stash of points. Just be mindful that you could get better value if you redeem your miles to cover an entire JetBlue ticket, rather than just part.
