How to Use JetBlue Points – NerdWallet

JetBlue Airways, based primarily out of the Northeast U.S., offers flights to over 100 cities in more than 30 countries. Founded in 2000, it’s now the U.S.’s fifth-largest airline by capacity.

The airline was ranked highest for customer satisfaction in JetBlue Mint (business/first class) two years in a row, according to a 2023 J.D. Power study. JetBlue also scored 4.9 out of 5 in a recent NerdWallet analysis on onboard entertainment.

JetBlue’s loyalty program, TrueBlue, allows members to earn points redeemed for award flights on JetBlue and partner airlines, plus bookings through JetBlue Vacations.

If you have amassed a cache, here are some of the best ways to redeem JetBlue points.

For most TrueBlue members, the easiest JetBlue points redemption is for award travel on the airline. The airline makes this process as simple as searching for a flight on its website. To find out how many points a particular flight will cost, select “Use TrueBlue points” when searching for flights on jetblue.com.

Then, your flight results will display prices in TrueBlue points instead of dollars. However, you’ll notice that Blue Basic fares aren’t available for award flights.

If you forgot to check the box to use points instead of cash or want to compare your options, you can switch between “Dollars” or “Points” in the search results.

Like many other U.S. airlines, JetBlue prices its award tickets dynamically, meaning that the ticket’s price in points will adjust when the cost in dollars moves up or down.

In the search results, you’ll notice that flights from JetBlue and its partners are available. You can use JetBlue points to book flights from any partner and in different classes of service. For example, this flight between New York-JFK and London-Heathrow flies in Qatar Airways economy on the departure and JetBlue Mint on the return.

If your travel dates are flexible, you can use the JetBlue Best Fare Finder to view the best award price available on your selected route in a calendar format through the end of JetBlue’s schedule.

You can use JetBlue points to subsidize the cost of your flight by paying with Cash + Points. This is a good JetBlue points redemption option if you don’t have enough TrueBlue points to pay for your entire flight.

To use Cash + Points, log into your JetBlue account and search for a flight by selecting “Use TrueBlue points.” Initially, you will see the number of points required to pay for 100% of the flight with points.

To see Cash + Points options, select a specific flight and fare. If you have over 500 TrueBlue points in your account, the website will display a slider that allows you to choose which portion of the flight to pay with points and which to pay with cash. You must have a minimum of 500 TrueBlue points to use a Cash + Points redemption.

TrueBlue Cash + Points awards aren’t available for Blue Basic fares.

JetBlue has partnerships with multiple airlines that allow members to earn points, redeem points or both.

You can earn JetBlue points when traveling with the airline’s seven travel partners:

However, you can only redeem points for award flights on Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airways.

Are JetBlue and Hawaiian Airlines partners? Yes.

TrueBlue points can be redeemed for flights on Hawaiian Airlines to any of its more than 30 destinations across eight countries. JetBlue prices award tickets on Hawaiian using an award chart, meaning that it charges a fixed number of points based on the class of service and the trip’s origin and destination.

Award tickets start at 5,000 TrueBlue points for an economy ticket within Hawaii. JetBlue states that award tickets are available on all Hawaiian Airlines flights but that award availability may be limited.

To redeem TrueBlue points for flights on Hawaiian Airlines, search for a flight online or in the mobile app. Choose the desired departure time, then select “Economy” or “Business class.”

Provide your personal information and credit card number to complete the reservation.

The answer to “Can I use JetBlue points on Qatar?” is also “yes.”

As of November 2023, members can redeem JetBlue points on Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways is based in the Middle East, which opens up over 170 destinations worldwide for JetBlue members to redeem points. Members can redeem points for any class of service, including first class, business class and Qsuites.

To book a flight on Qatar Airways using TrueBlue points, search online or through the JetBlue mobile app for participating cities and select an eligible flight. Award availability may be limited, so not all flights are eligible to redeem JetBlue points.

JetBlue has codeshare agreements with other airlines, including Aer Lingus and Turkish Airlines, for cash flights.

Although you can book these flights through JetBlue.com or its mobile app, you can’t earn or redeem points for these trips.

To qualify for Points Payback, purchases must be $25 or more and made within the past 90 days.

Redemptions start at 3,333 points for a $25 statement credit, which is a value of 0.75 cent per point. This is a poor redemption option compared with the expected value (1.5 cents a point, per NerdWallet’s analysis) you would receive when booking an award flight.

There is a limit of $1,000 worth of statement credits per year, and there are no restrictions on the type of transaction eligible for a statement credit.

TrueBlue members can donate points to over 20 charities through their online account. Participating organizations include Make-A-Wish, World Central Kitchen, the American Red Cross and the New York Urban League. There is no limit to the number of points you can donate, but donations must be at least 500 points.

However, donations to JetBlue charities aren’t tax deductible.

In addition to flights, you can redeem JetBlue points to book JetBlue Vacations packages. TrueBlue points can be used to pay for flights, hotels and rentals, but there are some exclusions. Points cannot cover travel insurance, certain taxes and fees, flight and cruise packages or packages that include partner airlines.

To use points for a JetBlue Vacations package, book online or call 844-528-2229. When booking online, select “Use TrueBlue Points” when searching for your itinerary on the JetBlue vacation website.

In the search results, you’ll find cash prices and the cost in points. This helps you know how much it will cost to use one or the other.

After selecting your hotel, room and flights, you’ll have the option to allocate some or all of your TrueBlue points to cover the cost of your trip.

When you redeem JetBlue points this way, the value of your points can vary.

For example, you’ll get less than 0.8 cent per point when paying for the entire trip in points. But you’ll get 0.9 cent per point when redeeming 200,000 JetBlue points toward the cost of the trip.

This JetBlue points redemption option is also significantly lower than NerdWallet’s benchmark value of 1.5 cents per point

To get the maximum value from your points, compare this option versus booking flights using points and paying cash (or using hotel points) for your room.

If you need thousands of JetBlue miles for a dream trip or to pay for multiple award tickets for your family, the fastest way to get a huge chunk of miles is by opening a travel credit card.

It will usually take about three months to earn a sign-up bonus. When you meet the spending requirements, you’ll get a large sum of points.

You can also access JetBlue miles by flying one of the company’s partner airlines, or by staying at one of its two hotel partners.

You can transfer points from these bank programs to your JetBlue account.

If you want to redeem JetBlue Travel Bank credits instead of JetBlue TrueBlue points, you should be aware of some of the fine print. You can use travel credit for:

• Airfare and taxes on JetBlue-operated flights.

• The air portion of a JetBlue Vacations package.

• Change or cancellation fees and any applicable increase in airfare for changes.

You cannot use JetBlue travel credits to cover ancillary fees, like checked bags or Even More Space seats, bookings on partner airlines, upgrades or third-party travel booking websites (like Kayak). You also cannot use JetBlue credit on bookings made with TrueBlue points.

To use your JetBlue travel credit, search for a flight, then select JetBlue travel credits when you get to the payment screen. You’ll need to log in to your JetBlue TrueBlue account or JetBlue Travel Bank to access the funds.