For the JetBlue fan out there, you’ll want to get to know the TrueBlue program.
You’ll be able to use your points on any available seat JetBlue sells. There are no blackout dates or complicated reward charts to worry about.
And if you want to get some sun down in the islands of Hawaii, there’s a great partnership in place with Hawaiian Airlines as well.
Throw in 2 great credit cards for earning points on all your purchases, and the TrueBlue program is the complete package.
So here’s everything you need to know about JetBlue TrueBlue, plus how to get the most out of the program.
JetBlue TrueBlue at a glance
| Value of a TrueBlue point: | High: $0.033 for magazines Low: $0.015 for flights |
|---|---|
| Ways to redeem TrueBlue points: | * Flights – 1.5 cents per points (CPP) * Magazine subscriptions – 3.3 CPP |
| How to earn TrueBlue points: | * Flights * Other partners * 2 credit cards |
| Who these rewards are good for: | * U.S. Travellers |
| Frequently Asked Questions: | * Level of flexibility? Low * Blackout dates? No * Do rewards expire? No * Do rewards cover taxes and fees? No * Can these rewards be transferred? No * Is there a way to earn rewards faster? Yes * Will I lose my points if I cancel an award flight? No * JetBlue customer service |
Calculating the value of a JetBlue TrueBlue point
Compared to other airline programs, there aren’t many ways to redeem your points.
But it does of course offer flight redemptions, which is the key option most people are going to use their points for anyway. Plus you have one other way to get some great value out of your leftover points.
Redeem JetBlue TrueBlue points for flights – 1.5 CPP
Want to redeem your points for flights? You have 2 options: JetBlue or Hawaiian Airlines.
Let’s start with JetBlue.
JetBlue flight redemptions
There’s no set redemption chart – the number of points you need is tied to the actual cost of the flight. The more a flight costs, the more points you need, and vice versa.
Your options are actually pretty open with few restrictions. As long as there’s a seat available on a JetBlue flight, you can book it. And there are no blackout dates either.
We looked at flights leaving from all of JetBlue’s focus cities to both the U.S. and sun destinations. We have an average value of 1.5 cents per point, and there was little variation among the numbers – the majority were 1.5 cents per point, and we had a small range from 1.4 – 1.7 cents per point.
One point to note – all flights booked with TrueBlue points are Blue fares, meaning they can be changed for a fee. If you book with the basic fare, you’re not able to change your booking at all. All of our actual flight costs were Blue fare to allow for proper comparison.
Hawaiian Airlines redemptions
Now for the other airline you can use TrueBlue points with – Hawaiian Airlines.
Flights on Hawaiian work on a fixed points chart, meaning you’ll need a set number of points to book a flight.
Here’s what the chart looks like:
One thing to note – you need to call JetBlue to book award flights on Hawaiian Airlines (the number is 1-800-JETBLUE).
There are award seats available on every flight, but availability may be limited.
Since we don’t have enough points to check the availability of flights, we test booked a few Hawaiian Airlines flights to get an idea of value. All flights mentioned in this section are in our flight research, but not included in our 1.5 CPP valuation.
We looked at 2 flights from popular US cities to popular Hawaiian airports. Assuming our flights could be booked using points, we actually got the best value of all the flights we looked at:
- San Francisco – Kahului: 1.7 CPP
- New York (JFK) – Honolulu: 2.6 CPP
Hawaii also flies to several countries in East Asia as well as Australia. Only needing 50,000 points for these long-haul flights is a steal compared to what other carriers would require. It would come with a stopover in Honolulu, but can still give great value for your points.
During our booking dates, flights from Los Angeles to Tokyo were running around $1,000. Assuming a taxes and fees bill of $112.65, we got a point value of 2 cents, still great value.
So, if East Asia or Australia are potentially calling you, Hawaiian Airlines provides an option to consider with your points for these trips as well.
For more information on redeeming points for Hawaiian Airline flights, you can find it here.
Redeem JetBlue TrueBlue points for magazine subscriptions – 3.3 CPP
The only other way to redeem your points is for magazine subscriptions. If you have some points lying around and wouldn’t mind getting some magazines to read, JetBlue has a mags for points redemption option.
There’s a decent selection available (you can view it here). Here are some of the ones we sampled:
| Magazine, number of issues | Points Required | Cost | Value (cents per point) |
|---|---|---|---|
| People – 54 issues | 2,200 | $89.10 | 4.1 |
| Sports Illustrated – 78 issues | 700 | $40 | 5.7 |
| Travel + Leisure – 24 issues | 500 | $10 | 2 |
| Better Homes & Gardens – 24 issues | 400 | $10 | 2.5 |
| Golf Digest – 11 issues | 900 | $20 | 2.2 |
How to earn JetBlue TrueBlue points
So how do you go about earning TrueBlue points?
Let’s look at each of your options.
Earn through JetBlue flights
Let’s start with earning points on JetBlue flights.
Points are earned based on how much you spend on airfares. Just keep in mind you won’t earn points on taxes and fees.
How much can you earn? Here’s the table with the details:
Blue Basic fares earn 1 point per $1 spent, while all others earn 3 points per $1. And if you book directly with JetBlue either online or using their app, you’ll double the number of points you earn.
So for example, if you book a flight with a base airfare of $500, this is how many points you’d get:
- Blue Basic fares: 500 points
- Blue fares: 1,500 points
- Blue fares through the app or site: 3,000 points
You can view the full details here.
Earn through other travel partners
JetBlue has other travel partners you can also earn TrueBlue points with.
There’s an assortment of hotels, car rental companies, and other airlines you can earn TrueBlue points with.
You can see all the partners, your earn rate for each of them, and how to earn points on this page.
JetBlue credit cards
To earn TrueBlue points on your everyday purchases, you’ll want a JetBlue credit card.
Issued by Barclays, there are 2 different credit cards to choose from.
Related: Best Travel Credit Cards
For a no fee travel card, you can’t beat the
Why? It has high earnings and no annual fee. Here’s what you’ll earn on your everyday purchases:
- 3 points per $1 on JetBlue,
- 2 points per $1 on groceries and restaurants, and
- 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
Based on our value, that’s a return between 1.5% and 2% on your everyday purchases – hard to top for no annual fee.
Plus, you’ll also get no foreign transaction fees and save 50% on eligible in-flight purchases of food and drinks.
To turn up the heat in the perks department, take a look at the
While the earn rates are almost the same (the only difference is you earn 6 points per $1 on JetBlue instead of 3), you’ll get extra savings when you fly on JetBlue:
- 50% in-flight savings on food and drink,
- free first checked bag,
- $100 statement on JetBlue vacation packages, and
- 5,000 bonus points every year on your card’s anniversary.
There’s a lot of extra savings here for a $99 annual fee. Is it worth it? That’s up to you to decide.
Related: Airline Credit Card Face Off – JetBlue Vs Southwest
TrueBlue questions and answers
Here are some common questions and answers about the JetBlue TrueBlue program:
How flexible are these rewards?
These aren’t the most flexible rewards you can get. JetBlue has a limited number of hubs and focus cities, and the only travel redemptions are for flights on JetBlue and Hawaiian Airlines.
Are there blackout dates?
No, there are no blackout dates on flights.
Do these rewards expire?
No, points have no expiry date.
Can you use points to cover taxes & fees?
No, points cannot be used to cover taxes and fees for flights.
Can these rewards be transferred?
No, these rewards cannot be transferred to other programs.
Is there a way to earn rewards faster?
Yes, by earning points by flying with JetBlue and other airline partners, staying at hotel partners, using a JetBlue credit card, and renting cars.
Do you lose your points if you cancel a booking?
No, however a cancellation fee will be charged.
Contact JetBlue customer service
To contact JetBlue, they can be reached at 1-800-JETBLUE (1-800-538-2583) when you’re in the U.S.
The bottom line
For the right person, JetBlue can help you get away to anywhere in the United States. Or, if a trip to Hawaii is what you’re after, there are great options through their partnership with Hawaiian Airlines.
What are your thoughts on TrueBlue?
Any experiences to share?
Let us know in the comments below.
