How to earn bonus points with JetBlue's TrueBlue Shopping portal
Online shopping portals can make it simple to earn bonus points or miles. Although they might initially seem confusing, shopping portals are easy to use, letting travelers earn extra points and miles on everyday purchases.
For example, say you're going to buy a new garbage can from Bed Bath & Beyond. If you click through an airline shopping portal before you make a purchase, you could earn multiple airline miles per dollar spent on your purchase in addition to the points you earn by paying with a rewards-earning credit card. Better yet, you'll pay the same amount for your purchase.
Most major airlines have their own shopping portal — we've covered many in the past. So in this guide, we will talk about one of the most underappreciated shopping portals: JetBlue's TrueBlue Shopping.
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How shopping portals work
To earn miles with a shopping portal, all you need to do is log in to your airline portal of choice. Then, click the store where you want to shop. You will be redirected to the store's website and can shop as normal.
After you make a purchase, you will receive extra points or miles once your purchase is validated by the portal. This timeframe to receive bonus miles or points depends on the store, but you will usually receive your bonus points within 14 days of making a purchase.
That's it. The one extra step of going through an airline's portal can net you thousands of points or miles per year with your everyday spending.
Here's how it works: Merchants pay the airline a commission when you shop through their portal. Then, the airline gives you a cut of the profit in the form of points and miles. It's a win-win-win situation; the merchant gets more business, the airline generates revenue and you get extra rewards.
Related: 7 ways to earn miles for your next vacation without leaving the house
How to get started with the JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping portal
Getting started with JetBlue's TrueBlue Shopping portal is incredibly simple. All you need to do is simply sign up, search for the merchant you want to shop with and click the link provided by the TrueBlue Shopping portal.
1. Sign up for TrueBlue and sign in to your account
First, you need a JetBlue TrueBlue account. If you don't already have one, head to JetBlue's website and sign up for an account. You'll need to provide basic information like your full name, email address and birthdate.
Once you have that, head to TrueBlue Shopping and click the "Sign In" button at the top of the page. You'll be asked for your first name, last name and email address. This should match what's on file with your JetBlue account. Then, click the sign-in button and you're ready to start shopping!
2. Find the merchant you want to shop with
After you’ve signed up, you can browse the thousands of offers available. Use the search box at the top of the website to navigate directly to the merchant you'd like to shop with.
When you find your merchant of choice, read through the page and note any restrictions. For example, Apple only gives points on specific products purchased through the TrueBlue Shopping portal.
Once familiar with the terms, click the "Shop Now" button and you will be redirected to the merchant's website where you can shop as normal.
Related: How to earn points in the JetBlue TrueBlue program
Example
Let's say you need a new iPhone 13 Pro Max and want to earn JetBlue points.
After clicking through the portal to the Apple website and making your iPhone selection, you check out to see that your total is $1,308.41 after tax. Because the JetBlue portal doesn't award points on taxes and shipping, you'd earn TrueBlue points on the cost of the phone, which is $1,199.
According to the TrueBlue Shopping rate for Apple (8 points per $10 spent), you'd earn 959 points on your purchase. TPG values TrueBlue miles at 1.3 cents per point, so the points you earn are worth roughly $12.50 when redeemed for flights.
After you pay with your card of choice, you will receive confirmation that your order was received. The portal will let you know that your order was tracked and that it is waiting for confirmation from Apple.
Related: How to increase the value of your JetBlue TrueBlue points by 10%
Tips and reminders
Shopping portals are incredibly easy to use. However, there are some important things to remember:
- If you go to a merchant's website through the portal and then leave the site, you must go back to the portal to reactivate the portal tracking for the additional points or miles.
- Consider clearing your shopping cart before navigating to the merchant's site. This will ensure the portal is tracking correctly.
- Cookies must be enabled in your browser for the merchant's site. This is what allows the portal to track your purchases accurately. Shopping in "incognito" mode will not earn bonus miles.
- Using promo codes from other sites will invalidate tracking through airline portals. Because of this, you should only use promo codes found on the TrueBlue Shopping portal.
- Consider using shopping portal aggregators like Cashback Monitor. This site lets you quickly see what earning rate other airline portals offer. This will help determine what airline portal is best to use for that specific merchant.
Related: The complete guide to the JetBlue TrueBlue program
In-flight purchases with Amazon
One thing that sets the TrueBlue Shopping portal apart from the competition is its partnership with Amazon. JetBlue flyers earn 3 TrueBlue points per dollar spent when shopping on Amazon on a JetBlue flight. You don't have to pay anything to connect since JetBlue offers free Wi-Fi — dubbed Fly-Fi — on its flights.
To take advantage of this offer, you must first log in to Fly-Fi using your TrueBlue account. Then, click the Amazon banner on the Fly-Fi page and make purchases as normal. Points will be credited to your account within 30 days of making an in-flight purchase.
Note that purchases made through the Amazon mobile app will not earn points. Likewise, certain items are excluded from points earning, like gift card purchases and all purchases made with an Amazon Business Account.
Related: Best credit cards for Amazon purchases
Bottom line
By using shopping portals, such as JetBlue's TrueBlue Shopping portal, you can rack up thousands of extra points by adding one step to your online shopping routine. Plus, JetBlue fliers earn 3 TrueBlue points per dollar on Amazon when shopping onboard a JetBlue flight.
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- Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.
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- 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
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- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
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Rewards Rate
| 6X | 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. |
| 4X | 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping. |
| 2X | 2x points on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.Earn 125,000 points75,000 pointsAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is a stacked card with a rewards rate that will help you earn bonus points on everyday and business-related purchases. You'll earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year, and receive automatic Gold elite status. Finally, the free night award certificate with a redemption level of 35,000 points or less can get you hundreds of dollars in potential value each year.Pros
- 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
- 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. shipping
- 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
- Earn a free-night award each card renewal month (up to 35,000 points)
- Receive 15 elite night credits to jump-start status
- Transfer Marriott points to 40+ airlines
Cons
- Airline points transfer ratios are poor
- Must spend $60,000 in a year for second free-night award
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.
- Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card.
- Terms apply.