JetBlue Card by Barclaycard USA

Having just covered the Southwest credit cards, it’s time to turn to the next largest low-cost airline in the US: JetBlue.  JetBlue has a great route network and a great product in both economy and business class.  JetBlue’s Mint Business Class product is arguably one of the best in the US, but it can rarely be found on the cheap.  I have yet to fly it, but I hope to one day.  First, let’s look at JetBlue’s free credit card: the JetBlue Card issued by Barclaycard USA.

I provide the information here just to give readers a vague idea if the rewards offered by the card might make sense for them to consider the card.  The information on this page has been collected independently, and all information should be confirmed with the card company before applying.

Welcome Offer

At the time of posting, the JetBlue Card has a welcome offer of 10 000 bonus points after you spend $1 000 in the first 3 months of account opening.  JetBlue’s program is strictly a revenue-based program, and JetBlue points are pretty consistently worth 1.3 ¢/pt.  That makes this welcome offer worth $130, which is not particularly good, even for a free card. 

Earnings

The JetBlue Card has a standard 3/2/1 points earning structure.  The card earns 3x points/$ on JetBlue purchases, 2x points/$ on restaurants and (eligible) grocery stores, and 1x point/$ on everything else.  These returns correspond to 3.9%, 2.6%, and 1.3%, which are decent for a no annual-fee card, but not amazing.

Benefits

Since the card has no annual fee, the benefits list is relatively short: the card offers 50% off on eligible inflight purchases on JetBlue-operated flights.  However, JetBlue recently revamped its loyalty program and introduced new status tiers and a new way to earn status. Status is now earned using ‘tiles’, and tiles are earned at a rate of 1 tile/$100 spent on JetBlue and 1 tile/$1 000 spent on a JetBlue credit card.  If you are chasing JetBlue status, this credit card can provide you a big boost.

How to use the points

The main use for JetBlue points is to redeem them for JetBlue flights.  JetBlue’s points are pegged to consistently be worth around 1.3 ¢/pt.  JetBlue is also a transfer partner of Chase, and its flights can be booked through the Chase portal.

Examples of using the card

These examples assume you spend all your airfare budget at JetBlue.

Spend per month

	Example A		Example B		Example C		Example D
Groceries (2x)	$300	600	$200	400	$600	1 200	$400	800
Gas (1x)	$0	0	$100	100	$200	200	$100	100
Airfare (3x)	$700	2 100	$200	600	$0	0	$400	1 200
Hotels (1x)	$1 000	1 000	$200	200	$0	0	$300	300
Gen Travel (1x)	$400	400	$0	0	$300	300	$100	100
Dining (2x)	$600	1 200	$300	600	$300	600	$0	0
General (1x)	$1 000	1 000	$500	500	$500	500	$400	400
Total	$4 000	6 300	$1 500	2 400	$1 700	2 800	$1 700	2 900
Average points/$		1.58		1.6		1.65		1.71

The 3/2/1 earning structure means that a fair number of points can be earned on this card, but the relatively narrow bonus categories means that the range is relatively small at 1.58 – 1.71 points/$, which is worth 2.05 – 2.22 ¢/$.  That’s actually a really good return for an airline co-branded credit card with no annual fee.  That being said, Chase offers better earning opportunities on its non-co-branded cards.

Specific examples

These examples include the bonus points earned from getting IHG Elite Platinum status from the card.

Card	JetBlue Blue fare ($750)  (% return)	Marriott Hotel night ($230/night)	Points values (WT/Hotel)
No rewards card	2 100 JBP (3.9%)	2 200 MP (7.3%)	$27.30 / $11.00
General 2% cashback card ($0)	2 100 + $15.00 (5.9%)	2 200 MP + $4.60 (9.3%)	$42.30 / $15.60
Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95)	2 100 + 1 500 UR (6.9%)	2 200 MP + 460 UR (10.3%)	$49.80 / $17.90
Amex Green Card ($150)	2 100 + 2 250 MR (8.4%)	2 200 MP + 690 MR (11.5%)	$61.05 / $21.35
JetBlue Card ($0)	4 200 JBP (7.8%)	2 200 MP + 230 JBP (8.6%)	$54.60 / $14.45

Is this credit card right for you?

If you travel with JetBlue frequently, this card could definitely make sense.  The benefits to earning tiles and getting 50% off on-board food is pretty good.  The points earnings on this card are somewhat limited but are decent for a free co-branded airline credit card.  However, the sign-up bonus on this card is pretty weak.