JetBlue Airlines is popularly considered to offer one of the finest economy class experiences of any domestic airline for the average spending customer. JetBlue serves the United States, the Caribbean, and Central America, offering flights to 90+ destinations. They offer free perks like in-flight entertainment, brand-name snacks and drinks, lots of legroom, and award-winning service.
One of the benefits of being a frequent flyer with JetBlue is the opportunity to accumulate a ton of bonus points or rewards.
This is where the JetBlue credit card offerings come in.
JetBlue offers three credit card options: the JetBlue Card, the JetBlue Plus Card and the JetBlue Business Card.
In this article, we will answer some of the must-know questions about these cards and understand the benefits it offers to customers.
- What is the JetBlue Credit Card?
- What are the Benefits of Getting a JetBlue Credit Card?
- What are the Disadvantages of Getting a JetBlue credit card?
- Card Charges and Interest Rates
- What Credit Score do You Need to Get a JetBlue Credit Card?
- How do I Use my JetBlue Credit?
- Wrap Up – Is This Card Right for You?
- You Should Apply if …
- You Should Not Apply if …
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What is the JetBlue Credit Card?
JetBlue had been a partner with American Express for 10 years and has now switched over to Barclays and Mastercard. Barclays took over the JetBlue relationship from American Express in 2016 and it is, by all assessments, an improvement over the old Amex card.
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Benefits of Getting a JetBlue Credit Card
Reward Points and Reward System:
Offering a no-fee co-branded credit card is uncommon for airlines. If they do offer such a card, the benefits are stripped down so much that it doesn’t even make sense to use the card. This isn’t the case with the JetBlue Card. JetBlue travel offers TrueBlue points and perks to help elevate the JetBlue flyers’ experience.
Here’s a look at the benefits in a snapshot:
Bonus Points | 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after card opening |
Earned Points | 3x points per $1 spent on eligible JetBlue purchases
2x points per $1 spent at restaurants and grocery stores 1x points per $1 spent on all other purchases |
Points Expiry | Points never expire |
Points Sharing | Share points with Family Pooling |
Points for Seat Booking | Points can be used to book any available seat |
Inflight Savings | Get 50% off on eligible inflight purchases |
Blackout dates | No blackout dates on reward flights |
Chip Technology | Chip enabled technology |
Credit Needed | Excellent/Good |
First Checked Bag Free Benefit | No |
Anniversary Points | No |
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Disadvantages of Getting a JetBlue Credit Card
- Above-average regular APR – If you get approved for the JetBlue Credit Card, you will be assigned a regular Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 15.99% – 24.99% (variable), based on your overall creditworthiness.
- 3% balance transfer fee – The JetBlue Card offers 0% financing on transferred balances for the first 12 months, which could still save you money, but is made less appealing by a 3% balance transfer fee.
- Miles cannot be redeemed for flights with layovers – The airline does not allow rewards to be redeemed for flights that include layovers. This significantly limits redemption flexibility and forces you into accepting more expensive fares.
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Card Charges and Interest Rates
Annual Fee | No annual fee |
Foreing Transaction Fees | No Foreign Transaction Fees |
Balance Transfer Fee | Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. |
APR for Purchases | 15.99%, 19.99%, or 24.99% based on your creditworthiness.
This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. |
APR for Balance Transfers | 0% introductory APR for the first twelve billing cycles following each balance transfer that posts to your account within 45 days of account opening.
After that (and for balance transfers that do not post within 45 days of account opening) your APR will be 15.99%, 19.99%, or 24.99% based on your creditworthiness. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. |
APR for cash advances | 25.24%
This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. |
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What Credit Score do you Need to Get a JetBlue Credit Card?
You will need to have a good to excellent credit score to qualify for a JetBlue Credit Card. That means you’ll need a score of at least 700 for the standard JetBlue credit card. A credit score of 750+ will give you a good chance of being approved for the JetBlue Plus card and a score of 800+ for the JetBlue Business card.
A good to excellent credit score doesn’t guarantee approval for either card, but it is an important part of the application. Other factors that will be considered include:
- Income
- Employment status
- Payment history
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How do I Use my JetBlue Credit?
Your JetBlue Credit Card points can be redeemed for one-way flights beginning at 3,500 points and round-trip flights starting at 7,000 points. This is done through the TrueBlue member website. Points can generally be redeemed for awards like:
- Flying in the Luxurious Premium Cabin With JetBlue Mint
- Flights to Exotic Islands like Caribbean and Cuba
- Flights to South America, Central America, Alaska, etc
- Getaways Vacation Packages
- Extra legroom
- Magazine subscriptions
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Wrap Up
JetBlue hosts an extensive East Coast and Caribbean route network and it also allows you to use TrueBlue points on Hawaiian Airlines. It offers a variety of interesting benefits for travelers, all at no annual fees or foreign transaction fees. Moreover, you also receive awesome points/dollar spent at a higher rate than most airline cards. The only downsides is the regular APR of 15.99% – 24.99% you will be assigned and a 3% balance transfer fee.
Our Recommendations
You should apply if:
- JetBlue is your airline of choice
- You travel at least once per year with the JetBlue airline
- You have a balance to transfer from a card with a high APR
- You want to earn badges to get additional points
You should not apply if:
- JetBlue is not your preference of travel partner
- You are looking for a high sign-up bonus and lesser APR
- You don’t fly enough to get much out of the card
- You are looking for an advanced version of the card (JetBlue Plus or JetBlue Business) and it makes sense for you to spend the $99 annual fee
Uma Rajagopal has been managing the posting of content for multiple platforms since 2021, including Global Banking & Finance Review, Asset Digest, Biz Dispatch, Blockchain Tribune, Business Express, Brands Journal, Companies Digest, Economy Standard, Entrepreneur Tribune, Finance Digest, Fintech Herald, Global Islamic Finance Magazine, International Releases, Online World News, Luxury Adviser, Palmbay Herald, Startup Observer, Technology Dispatch, Trading Herald, and Wealth Tribune. Her role ensures that content is published accurately and efficiently across these diverse publications.