How to reprice a JetBlue flight when the fare decreases

It's always hard to predict the best time to purchase your flight. You want to get the best fare, but you also don't want to hold out too long and slowly watch the fare rise in price. Without a crystal ball, there is no way of knowing for sure how low the fares will go or if you are booking at the lowest price possible at that exact moment.

Fortunately, with many JetBlue fares, if the price goes down, you aren't necessarily locked into the higher price paid. Whether you booked with JetBlue TrueBlue points or paid for your ticket, you might be able to get the difference back.

How to reprice a flight paid for with cash

When it comes to booking a paid JetBlue flight (which means using cash or JetBlue TrueBlue credits), there are several different fare classes available — some of which allow you to reprice your flight more easily than others. For all nonrefundable Blue, Blue Plus, Blue Extra and Mint fares, you can change your flight for no fee. For these fare types, if you find that your fare has gone down in price, you'll ultimately go through the regular process for changing your JetBlue flight. However, instead of picking a new flight, you'll pick the exact same flight you are already booked on.

When selecting the same flight, you'll see the difference in price displayed. Once you go through "changing" your flight, this difference will then be refunded as a credit to your JetBlue Travel Bank account. This credit is valid for 12 months from the original ticketing date and can be used for a future flight for any passenger.

However, if you booked a Blue Basic fare, the process is slightly different. With a Blue Basic fare, you can't change your flight, so if your flight has decreased in price, you'll need to cancel your flight and rebook. Keep in mind, though, that there's a fee when canceling a Blue Basic fare, so you'll want to ensure that the difference in price outweighs the cancellation fee. For routes in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, the fee is $100 per person; for all other routes, the fee is $200 per person.

It's also good to know that when you initially cancel your flight, you'll get a credit for the full fare minus the change fee. You'll then want to use this credit to rebook your flight at the lower price point. The remaining credit will have the same rules as described above. Remember, though, that if you apply the full credit to your flight, you'll no longer be covered by your credit card travel insurance. Because of this, we recommend charging at least a dollar to your credit card to receive full benefits.

How to reprice a flight paid for with points

Repricing a flight booked with points is an even easier process. This is because there's no option to book a Blue Basic fare when using points for a flight. Because of this, all flights using points can be changed without having to worry about canceling and rebooking.

Similarly, you'll want to "change" your flight for the currently scheduled flight. There's no fee to change your flight booked with points, and as long as the price has gone down, the difference in points will automatically go back to your JetBlue account.

A big caveat

JetBlue runs fare sales quite often, so having a flight go down in price is not unheard of. However, there is one situation when you won't simply be able to change your flight and receive the difference in fare back.

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JetBlue often runs sales where you'll have to apply a coupon code to get the discounted fare. The coupon code can only be applied to new flights, not flights already booked.

This holds true for both points bookings and paid reservations (though you'll find that some promotions only work with certain payment methods). While repricing your flight is still possible, in this situation, you'll have to cancel and rebook instead. This is a slightly longer process overall, but it's still worth it to lock in a lower price.

JetBlue Mosaic status

Regardless of your JetBlue status, the process to reprice a JetBlue fare works exactly the same. While it used to be that having JetBlue Mosaic status would give you special privileges, this is no longer the case. Now, all members can reprice their fare, with the same rules applied.

Bottom line

Travel is expensive, but knowing you have some leeway to get the best possible fare is huge. This allows you to book your flight right away — especially during peak times when the schedule is released — and then keep an eye out for a lower price throughout the year.

All members should be proactive and check their JetBlue flights often since JetBlue will not automatically reprice the fare for you. Try to make it part of your daily routine and, at the bare minimum, check during a JetBlue fare sale.

Related reading:

• When is the best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare?
• The best airline credit cards
• What exactly are airline miles, anyway?
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• What are points and miles worth? TPG's monthly valuations