JetBlue Devalues Mint Award Tickets by up to 30%
JetBlue's Mint business class product is a favorite here at TPG. It even won the inaugural TPG Award for best domestic premium class product thanks to its spacious seats and terrific in-flight offerings. The carrier has continued to add routes on which Mint is offered, adding Palm Springs service earlier this year and expanding Caribbean coverage last year. It's even been possible to redeem your TrueBlue points for Mint award tickets at a comparable rate to normal economy fares.
At least, until now. TPG reader Jonathan recently emailed us with an unfortunate discovery he made while searching for JetBlue flights. It appears that award tickets in Mint business class are now pricing at a significantly lower value than others. It's unclear when this took effect, but as recently as a February deal alert from TPG Senior Writer JT Genter, Mint redemptions would offer roughly 1.3-1.4 cents in value for each TrueBlue point you redeemed.
Here was one of JT's examples from Boston (BOS) to Aruba (AUA):
When you removed the taxes and fees on this ticket, your 20,400 points would have covered $285.10 worth of airfare, giving you a redemption value of just under 1.4 cents per TrueBlue point.
That exact same flight has now jumped in price, but compare the current paid rate ...
... to the award rate:
Let's again remove the $15.60 in taxes and fees; you're now getting $435.10 worth of flights for 41,200 points, a value of just 1.06 cents per point. This example alone represents more than a 30% increase in the number of points you'd need to redeem compared to previous levels.
It's worth noting that this appears to only affect Mint awards at this point, as the carrier's other award tickets on this specific flight are much more in line with TPG's most recent valuations, which peg JetBlue points at 1.3 cents apiece:
- Blue: $208.70 or 13,100 points + $15.60 (1.47 cents per point)
- Blue Plus: $236.70 or 15,300 points + $15.60 (1.45 cents per point)
- Blue Flex: $288.70 or 19,300 points + $15.60 (1.42 cents per point)
Unfortunately, this appears to extend to all Mint-operated flights. I search across a variety of dates for a number of routes, and I'm finding the same overall values.
New York-JFK to Los Angeles (LAX) on August 16, 2019 for ~1 cent per point
Boston (BOS) to San Francisco (SFO) on October 11, 2019 for ~1 cent per point
In these examples, the other three classes of award tickets continue to offer consistent value of 1.3-1.4 cents per point, but the Mint award tickets offer significantly less value.
This is a very significant change from JetBlue that makes its top-notch, premium class product harder to book using points. It's completely understandable that the carrier wants to sell these seats rather than making them available for awards, but it's not like these redemptions were bargains before. At the previous value of 1.3 cents per point, a $699 one-way flight would still have required over 50,000 points to book. Boosting the number of points required by 30% is a big change and may alienate loyal customers.
It's also interesting that these changes coincide with long-running speculation that JetBlue will be starting service to Europe at some point this year. Could this be a precursor to launching transatlantic flights with inexpensive introductory rates? Only time will tell, but for now, it's a definitive devaluation for one of the best domestic in-flight products out there.
We've reached out to JetBlue for a statement on what's led to these changes and whether they reflect a new, permanent pricing structure for Mint, but we haven't received a response at the time of publication. We'll be sure to update this story if we get any additional information.
Bottom Line
JetBlue Mint is one of the most comfortable ways to fly in North America, so it's disheartening to see award tickets devalued so significantly. If you've been saving up your TrueBlue points for a Mint redemption, I'd strongly encourage you to reach out to JetBlue and express your dissatisfaction with these changes. While it's great to still have access to these awards, it's frustrating that they now represent a suboptimal use of your TrueBlue points.
What do you make of these changes to JetBlue Mint awards?
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.