The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Advertiser disclosure
The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
How to redeem points with the JetBlue TrueBlue program in 2021
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Related stories
Quick summary
JetBlue TrueBlue points are primarily redeemed for JetBlue-operated flights, with award pricing closely tied to the cash cost of tickets.
Point values typically average around 1.3 cents each per TPG's valuations as of 2021, though this can vary by route and redemption type.
TrueBlue points can also be redeemed for Hawaiian Airlines flights using a region-based chart, and for discounts on JetBlue Vacations packages.
Taxes and fees are minimal for domestic awards but can be higher for international destinations.
What to consider
You can only redeem TrueBlue points on JetBlue flights and select partners, with Hawaiian Airlines as the main partner for award bookings.
Redeeming for JetBlue Vacations provides flexibility but may not always yield the highest value per point.
Some offers mentioned in the article are no longer available.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of redemption values across multiple routes and practical booking tips for maximizing TrueBlue points.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
JetBlue TrueBlue is a relative newcomer to the points and miles world (compared to the legacy carriers, at least). The program was originally launched a year after the New York-based airline debuted in 2001 but received a major overhaul in 2009. Nowadays, the TrueBlue program is largely the same as it was after its 2009 revamp: You'll earn and redeem points based on how expensive a flight is. As of recently though, you can also earn TrueBlue points from flying American Airlines thanks to their new joint venture.
It will be very interesting to watch the reviews come in on their new highly anticipated JetBlue mint suites that debuted in June of 2021. While initial offerings show mint to be incredibly overpriced with points for the few first months of service, we hope to award prices come down in the coming months.
Whether you're enticed by JetBlue's entry into the transatlantic market or more focused on shorter flights within the carrier's current route network, there are still a couple of quirks and features you should be aware of when earning and redeeming with the TrueBlue program. After publishing the complete guide to earning JetBlue TrueBlue points, we'll now shift gears and look at all of the ways to redeem points with the TrueBlue program.
Redeem on JetBlue flights
(Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)
Redeeming JetBlue TrueBlue points for the carrier's flights is simple: the more a flight costs in cash, the more points you have to redeem. This is great on flights within North America but means Jetblue's signature Mint product to London is quite unrealistic at over 200,000 TrueBlue points on most dates.
According to TPG's most recent valuations, you can expect to get roughly 1.3 cents of value per TrueBlue point. This being said, some flights may yield slightly better or worse value. However one thing to keep in mind, while you can purchase American Airlines flights and accrue miles/status on American Airlines operated flights, you can still only redeem your TrueBlue Points on Jetblue and a few other select partners.
To put this into some concrete examples, I priced out five different TrueBlue 'Blue' award tickets on the following routes:
New York-JFK to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) on Aug. 21, 2021
New York-JFK to London (LHR) Oct. 10, 2021
Seattle (SEA) to Boston (BOS) on Jul. 20, 2021
New York-JFK to Los Angeles (LAX) in Mint on Aug. 23, 2021
Las Vegas (LAS) to Hartford (BDL) on Aug. 3, 2021
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Cancun (CUN) on Sept. 17, 2021
For each flight, I compared the price of the cash fare to the points rate and determined the value you'd get on each itinerary. Note that all the economy flights listed are priced based on Blue economy class. Here's a table with that information:
Route
Paid Ticket
Award Ticket
Redemption Value
JFK-LHR
$486
36,200
1.3 cents/point
JFK — ORD
$126
7,800 points + $5.60
1.6 cents/point
SEA — BOS
$209
13,900 points + $5.60
1.5 cents/point
JFK — LAX (Mint)
$798
72,900 points + $5.60
1.1 cents/point
LAS — BDL
$184
12,100 points + $5.60
1.52 cents/point
FLL — CUN
$198
10,500 points + $29.98
1.89 cents/point
As you can see, JetBlue doesn't add any unusual taxes or fees to its domestic award tickets either. You'll only pay the standard $5.60 security fee each way when flying within the U.S. However, as the flight to Mexico shows, taxes and fees to JetBlue's international destinations can vary. Be sure to consider those out-of-pocket costs when searching for award tickets online.
Given the simple redemption scheme, the booking process is quite easy as well. Simply fire up JetBlue.com (or the carrier's mobile app) and enter your search criteria. Be sure to check the "Use TrueBlue Points" box at the top, though you can also easily switch between paid and award flights on the results page.
Select the flight and fare class you want, and then follow the simple on-screen instructions to complete your booking. It is also worth noting by hitting the 'Select New Dates' button, you can see a low fare map so that you can compare prices on different dates.
If you want to extend the value of your points even further, consider opening the JetBlue Plus Card. The card is currently offering a 60,000 point intro bonus after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days. In addition to the intro award bonus points and free checked bag, the card gives you 10% of your points back when you redeem them on a JetBlue-operated flight.
Even just a couple of award flights per year can more than cover the card's $99 annual fee.
(Photo by Isabelle Raphael/The Points Guy)
The information for the JetBlue Plus Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
JetBlue partners with a handful of different airlines, but at the time of writing this article, you can only redeem TrueBlue points on one of them: Hawaiian Airlines. Instead of using a revenue-based redemption model that ties the award rates to the price of an individual itinerary (like it does for JetBlue-operated flights), TrueBlue has a more standard, region-based award chart for these tickets:
(Image courtesy of JetBlue)
Given these rates, JetBlue's Hawaiian Airlines award chart has the potential to be quite lucrative. Business-class flights from the West Coast to Hawaii run just 45,000 TrueBlue points one-way, making it a solid way to fly to the Aloha State in comfort and style. West coast is defined by Jetblue and Hawaiian as California up to Las Vegas (excluding Phoenix).
If you decide to book a Hawaiian Airlines award using your JetBlue points, you'll have to call JetBlue at 1-800-JETBLUE and tell the representative you'd like to book a Hawaiian Airlines award ticket. He or she will ask for your dates and help you find award space on a flight on or around your preferred travel dates.
While you can't redeem TrueBlue points for hotels or rental cars, you can redeem them for discounts on JetBlue Vacations. Simply punch in your dates and destination and JetBlue will combine one of its flight itineraries with a hotel room for a discounted price.
(Photo by Preto Perola / Shutterstock)
While you can't redeem TrueBlue points for an entire JetBlue Vacation package, you can use them to discount one. This may not yield the best value for your TrueBlue points but can help you keep some cash in your pocket.
To check the value of these discounts, I priced out a nine-day trip from New York (JFK) to Punta Cana (PUJ) for Aug. 13-21. The cash price was $2,949.76 for flights for two travelers and an eight-night stay at Melia Caribe Beach All-Inclusive Resort.
On the other hand, Cash + Points bring the package down to 71,000 points +$2,055.76 with up to $700 off your next getaway with promotional discounts at the time of this booking.
In this case, your TrueBlue points are worth 1.2 cents each, which puts it in the same ballpark as a JetBlue flight redemption. So it's worth a look if you need a hotel room and a flight for your next vacation.
TrueBlue points are largely restricted to redemptions on JetBlue-operated flights, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Given the fact that award tickets are tied directly to ticket prices, there's less stress about squeezing value out of your redemptions. You'll typically get at least 1.3 cents of value per TrueBlue point you redeem. With hubs and focus cities across the country along with partnerships with the three major transferable point programs, JetBlue can be a great option for your next getaway.
Additional reporting by Andrew Kunesh.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
