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?
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 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. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
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 $8,000 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.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.