The JetBlue Premier Card: Should you get JetBlue's latest premium credit card?

Yahoo

30-01-2025

JetBlue may not be the biggest airline in the U.S., but it has plenty of loyal customers who prefer flying its routes across North and South America (plus some European destinations). If you're a JetBlue fan, you could benefit from the TrueBlue points rewards and flight perks you'll get with a JetBlue credit card.
The new JetBlue Premier Card is the airline's latest co-branded credit card offering — a premium card option with a $499 price tag and up to 6x points on eligible JetBlue purchases.
However, while this card can offer JetBlue savings, there are a few reasons why frequent travelers and JetBlue flyers may want to look elsewhere.With a $499 annual fee, the JetBlue Premier costs more than other JetBlue credit cards.
As a new cardholder, you can earn a solid welcome bonus worth 70,000 bonus points and five tiles toward Mosaic status after spending $5,000 and paying the card's annual fee within 90 days of account opening.
That's a high spending threshold compared to many other rewards cards. But if you have an upcoming vacation you want to book, or a large purchase you've already planned for, it could help you meet the required amount in time.
While the bonus can also put you on a faster path to JetBlue Mosaic status, you'll still have a long way to go. Unlocking Mosaic 1, the first status tier, requires earning 50 tiles within a year.You can earn rewards on JetBlue spending and everyday purchases with the JetBlue Premier Card:
6x points on eligible JetBlue and Paisly purchases
2x points at restaurants and eligible grocery stores
1x points on all other purchases
This is almost exactly the same rewards structure as the $99 annual fee JetBlue Plus Card, with the addition of 6x points on Paisly purchases. Paisly is JetBlue's travel site for booking hotels, rental cars, vacation rentals, and more. With the JetBlue Plus and no annual fee JetBlue Card, Paisly purchases earn one TrueBlue point per dollar.TrueBlue points values are dynamic, so they vary depending on your flights and when you book. However, TrueBlue points can be incredibly valuable for future travel (especially between cities with frequent JetBlue flights).
At the time of publishing, for example, you can find plenty of one-way fares for under 10,000 points between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and New York, as well as between Boston and Orlando, Florida. These low-award flights are available nearly every day throughout the months of March and April 2025.
As a premium credit card (with a premium price tag), we'd expect the JetBlue Premier Card to be packed with valuable benefits. And while the card can offer savings and perks for JetBlue travel, we wish it had more to offer regular travelers. Here's a rundown of the card's benefits:
Priority Pass Select membership grants you and a guest access to hundreds of airport lounges worldwide.
In the future, you'll also get complimentary access (for you and one guest) to JetBlue Lounges when they open. Currently, these lounges are planned for New York's JFK Airport in Terminal 5 and Boston's Logan Airport in Terminal C.
The benefit with perhaps the biggest potential value may also be the most restrictive: Earn up to $300 in annual statement credits when you book travel through JetBlue's Paisly platform.
There's a slight catch, though — you'll only get the credits in $50 increments each time you spend at least $250 on bookings made directly with the platform (up to six statement credits earned). To earn the total $300 annual credit, then, you would need to spend $1,500 each year on eligible hotel stays, rental cars, vacation rentals, or activities booked on Paisly.
There are a few ways you can get bonus TrueBlue points with the JetBlue Premier Card. However, they're the same as the bonuses you can already get with a JetBlue Plus Card.
First, get 5,000 bonus TrueBlue points each year after your JetBlue Premier Card anniversary. You'll also get 10% of your points back when you use them to book award flights with JetBlue. So if you redeem 10,000 points toward a flight, for example, you'll get 1,000 points back into your account after you take the flight.
Get priority boarding in Group A, 50% savings on eligible in-flight food and drink purchases, and a free checked bag for you and three eligible companions on flights operated by JetBlue.
In addition to the above, you'll also get a credit every four years for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fees and pay no foreign transaction fees — both standard perks among travel credit cards with annual fees.
If you often travel with JetBlue, you may get a solid annual value from the JetBlue Premier Card — but this card isn't for everyone.
The welcome offer can go a long way toward future flights and help boost you toward Mosaic status. However, you must meet the $5,000 spending requirement in 90 days. That equals about $1,667 in purchases each month for the first three months.
With 6x points on JetBlue purchases and 2x points at restaurants and eligible grocery stores, there's not much more to gain in rewards over the less costly JetBlue Plus Card. The JetBlue Plus Card also has a few of the same benefits, including the annual bonus points, 10% points back on award bookings, free first checked bag, and in-flight discounts.
For the JetBlue Premier Card's steep $499 annual fee, the major added benefits are Group A priority boarding, airport lounge access, and perks for Paisly travel purchases.
In fact, this card is best for travelers who already use Paisly by JetBlue to book travel. The 6x rewards multiplier and annual statement credits for Paisly bookings make this the best way to earn TrueBlue rewards points and offset the JetBlue Premier Card's annual fee.
Otherwise, you'll probably be better off with one of JetBlue's lower annual fee cards or a premium travel card with more flexible benefits and rewards.
You won't be eligible for the JetBlue Premier Card if you already have a JetBlue Plus Card or you previously had that card. However, you may be eligible for an upgrade option through your card account.
If you like flying with JetBlue and want the option to book flights with TrueBlue points, you don't necessarily need a JetBlue credit card. Here are some of our picks — including other premium credit cards — that are also useful for JetBlue flyers.
Why we like it: The $550 Chase Sapphire Reserve has a slightly higher annual fee than the JetBlue Premier Card, but offers a lot more flexibility for your travel plans. That flexibility includes the card's rewards categories, and its annual credit for up to $300 in travel purchases. The Chase Sapphire Reserve's credit applies to up to $300 spent on any travel purchases you make with your card. You can also get airport lounge access with Priority Pass Select (like the JetBlue Premier Card).
When you're ready to redeem your Chase Sapphire Reserve rewards, you'll get a 50% boost when you use them to book travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, redeeming 10,000 points will get you $150 toward your trip. You can also transfer your points to Chase's airline and hotel partners — including JetBlue TrueBlue — at a 1:1 ratio.Why we like it: If you're not quite willing to spend $500 or more per year on a credit card annual fee, the $95 Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a valuable travel card with plenty of rewards potential. On top of the rewards you can earn on spending, you'll get up to $50 each year in statement credits on hotel stays booked with Chase Travel and an annual points bonus equal to 10% of your total purchases made in the year prior.
Like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, this card is also great for its redemption value. You'll get a 25% boost on the value of your points when you redeem them through Chase Travel (so the same 10,000 points would be worth $125 toward travel) and can also transfer to Chase's partner airlines and hotels, including JetBlue TrueBlue.Why we like it: At $250 annually (see rates & fees), the American Express Gold Card is a great option for travel and at-home spending. In fact, it has among the highest rewards rates available on both restaurants worldwide (4x points on up to $50,000 spent per year) and U.S. supermarkets (4x points on up to $25,000 spent per year) — as well as ongoing rewards on travel spending.
The Amex Gold also shines for its wide range of annual credits. You'll get up to $100 in statement credits ($50 semi-annually, with enrollment) for purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, up to $120 in dining statement credits ($10 per month, with enrollment) with participating partners, up to $84 in statement credits ($7 per month, with enrollment) at U.S. Dunkin locations, $100 credit toward eligible charges when you book with The Hotel Collection through Amex Travel, and more.
Use your American Express Membership Rewards points to book travel through Amex Travel or transfer to Amex's hotel and airline partners, including JetBlue TrueBlue (250 Amex points are equal to 200 TrueBlue points when you transfer).This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken
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