The JetBlue Plus Card offers a variety of valuable rewards for a modest annual fee of $99. A generous welcome bonus, tiered earning levels, and a yearly bonus translates into a plethora of points. The free checked bag perk can be worth more than the cost to own the card.
Introduction
The JetBlue Plus Card offers travel perks and earning opportunities that may be great if you travel frequently on JetBlue or its partner airlines. For JetBlue fans, the 40,000 TrueBlue points welcome bonus (after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee both within the first 90 days) is a great start towards earning free flights. Use the card for your daily spending and watch your points multiply even faster.
Eligible JetBlue spending is worth 6 TrueBlue points per dollar. Purchases at restaurants and eligible grocery stores nets you 2 points for every dollar. You’ll receive 1 point per dollar spent on all other categories.
In addition to earning points, you’ll also get useful benefits including a free first checked bag for free for you and up to three others traveling on the same reservation and a 50% discount on food and beverages purchased while in flight. And every year after your account anniversary, your account is credited with 5,000 points.
JetBlue Plus Card basics
- Annual fee: $99.
- Welcome bonus: 40,000 True Blue points after spending $1,000 and paying annual fee in full within first 90 days.
- Rewards: 6 True Blue points per dollar spent on eligible JetBlue purchases, 2 points at restaurants and eligible grocery stores, 1 point on all other purchases.
- Regular APR: 20.24%, 24.24% or 29.24% (variable).
- Introductory balance transfer APR: 0% APR for 12 months, then 20.24%, 24.24% or 29.24% (variable).
- Balance transfer fee: 5% or $5, whichever is greater.
- Short list of other meaningful perks/benefits: First checked bag free; 50% off food and drinks in flight; 5,000 point bonus after card anniversary; $0 fraud liability; opportunity to attain TrueBlue Mosaic benefits after $50,000 annual spending.
- Does the issuer offer a pre-approval tool? No.
- Recommended credit score: Good to excellent.
JetBlue Plus Card other details
JetBlue Plus Card rewards
The JetBlue Plus Card earns 6 points per dollar on eligible JetBlue purchases, 2 points per dollar at restaurants and eligible grocery stores and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
There’s a first-year welcome bonus of 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
Redeeming your JetBlue points starts with as few as 500 points. You can redeem a combination of points and money to get the tickets you want. You can pool points between family and friends, too.
There are no blackout dates, and you can choose from any available seat at any time. JetBlue points don’t expire as long as your account is open.
JetBlue Plus Card rewards potential
Using government data and other publicly available information, we estimate that a household in the U.S. that would be in the market for this card has an annual income of $84,352 and $25,087 in expenses they are likely to be able to charge to a credit card.
Our sample household spends $1,188 a year on flights, earning 7,128 points. Spending an additional $3,526 on dining and another $4,942 on groceries would earn 16,936 points. The remaining 15,431 in spending would earn an additional 15,431 in points for a total of 39,495 points.
We estimate a JetBlue point is worth about $0.014 cents so the average value of points earned annually on the JetBlue Plus card would be roughly $552.93 in flight value.
JetBlue Plus Card APR
While there is no introductory APR rate on new purchases made with the JetBlue Plus card, there is an introductory 12-month 0% APR offer, after which a standard variable APR of 20.24%, 24.24% or 29.24% will apply. Again, this is based on your creditworthiness. Balance transfers are subject to a fee of $5 or 5% of the amount transferred, whichever is greater.
To avoid paying interest, aim to pay your credit card balance in full and on time each month.
JetBlue Plus Card pros
- Relatively low welcome bonus.
- Free first checked bag for you and up to 3 traveling companions.
- Intro APR offer on balance transfers.
JetBlue Plus Card cons
- Annual fee not waived the first year.
- Limited redemption options.
- Best for JetBlue loyalists.
How to JetBlue Plus card compares to other airline credit cards
JetBlue Plus vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
With a similar annual fee of $95 the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is jam-packed with travel benefits and elevated rewards. With this card you’ll earn 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Redeem your points for cash-back, statement credit, gift cards or get 25% more value when used to book travel through the Ultimate Rewards site. You’ll also get up to $50 in statement credits annually when booking a hotel stay through Ultimate Rewards and each account anniversary you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
JetBlue Plus vs. Discover it® Miles
For those who want travel rewards yet the simplicity of a flat-rate rewards program, the Discover it® Miles card is worth consideration. For a $0 annual fee, you earn an unlimited 1.5 miles on every dollar that you spend. At the end of your first year, Discover automatically matches the miles you’ve earned with a one-time bonus. In other words, if you earn 50,000 miles in your first year, you’ll receive a 50,000 bonus. Redeeming your miles is simple — apply them as a statement credit to pay for eligible purchases or use towards your next travel adventure. The card’s 0% introductory APR for 15 months makes this an attractive card if you have an upcoming large purchase. After that a 16.74% to 27.74% variable APR applies.
JetBlue Plus vs. Citi® Double Cash Card
For simple and generous cash-back rewards, the Citi Double Cash Back card earns a net 2% cash back. You’ll earn 1% when you make your purchase, then another 1% cash back when you pay it off. There are no annual fees, no limits to how many points you can earn, and no categories to track. Additionally, the Citi Double Cash card comes with a 0% intro APR for 18 months on balance transfer that are completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 18.74% – 28.74%. There’s an intro fee balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer ($5 minimum) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum). Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
Should you get the JetBlue Plus Card?
The JetBlue Plus card is an excellent choice if you travel with JetBlue. If you and at least one companion check a bag round-trip once a year, you’ll come out ahead of the annual fee.
For someone seeking more flexible rewards or who prefers to fly a different airline, another card would be a better choice.
JetBlue Plus Card summary
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
You need a good to excellent credit score to be approved for the JetBlue Plus Card. A good FICO score typically ranges from 670 to 739, although having a score in this range is not a guarantee you’ll be approved for the card.
You can redeem your TrueBlue rewards from the JetBlue Plus Card for flights on the JetBlue website or app. When searching for your route, check the box that says “use TrueBlue points” and you’ll see how many points are needed for your desired itinerary. You can use a combination of points and cash towards your redemption. You can also use your points for JetBlue Vacations, and redeem for flights on Hawaiian Airlines or donate them to charitable causes.
For those who travel extensively with JetBlue, the JetBlue Plus Card is useful and the rewards you earn will likely cover the annual fee. In addition, owning the card comes with a free checked bag perk for you and up to three companions traveling on the same ticket.
No, the JetBlue Plus Card doesn’t offer rental car insurance.
No, points do not expire for as long as your JetBlue True Blue account is open.
The JetBlue Plus card is a Mastercard.
There is a $99 annual fee for the JetBlue Plus Card.
