Which JetBlue Credit Card Is Right for You?

Both credit cards offer sign-up bonuses, plus the ability to earn extra points on JetBlue, restaurant and grocery store purchases.
Sara Rathner
By Sara Rathner 
Updated
Edited by Kenley Young
Which JetBlue Credit Card Is Right for You?

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Committed JetBlue flyers have two consumer options when looking for a credit card that will earn extra TrueBlue points: the JetBlue Card and the JetBlue Plus Card.

The credit cards, issued by Barclays, both offer sign-up bonuses, plus the ability to earn extra points on JetBlue, restaurant and grocery store purchases. Either card will also snag you discounts when you buy cocktails or food in-flight, and they also both feature 0% intro APR offers.

The TrueBlue points you earn with either card can be redeemed for flights on JetBlue or Hawaiian Airlines, and for packages with JetBlue Vacations. You can also pool points with up to seven other TrueBlue members or transfer points to another TrueBlue member for a fee. As Mastercards with no foreign transaction fees, both cards travel well all over the world, even if you're in a country JetBlue doesn’t serve.

From there, though, the cards go their separate ways. The JetBlue Card sticks to a shorter list of benefits, but its $0 annual fee makes it budget-friendly. The JetBlue Plus Card packs on the perks in exchange for an $99 annual fee.

Here's how to choose between the two:

How the cards compare
Annual fee
$0
$99
Sign-up bonus

Earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days, with the JetBlue Plus Card.

Ongoing rewards
  • 3 points on JetBlue purchases.

  • 2 points at restaurants and grocery stores.

  • 1 point elsewhere.

  • 6 points on JetBlue purchases.

  • 2 points at restaurants and grocery stores.

  • 1 point elsewhere.

Other travel perks

50% in-flight savings on cocktails and food purchases.

  • 50% in-flight savings on cocktails and food purchases.

  • First checked bag free for you and up to three companions on the same reservation.

  • Mosaic benefits after you spend $50,000 in a calendar year.

  • $100 annual statement credit after you buy a JetBlue Vacations package worth $100 or more.

Redemption bonus

None.

10% redemption bonus when you redeem TrueBlue points for flights.

Anniversary bonus

None.

5,000 points bonus each year.

Still not sure?

When to pick the JetBlue Card

Barclays JetBlue Card
NerdWallet rating 

A $0-annual-fee travel card isn’t easy to find, so if you're adamantly opposed to paying for the privilege of holding a card, the JetBlue Card is an option. It can certainly allow you to rack up rewards while keeping costs low, especially since you can earn elevated rewards on more than just direct spending with JetBlue.

The in-flight discounts are also a nice plus for a $0-annual-fee.

However, you won’t get as many extras as you would with a card that charges an annual fee. In the case of the JetBlue Card, new cardholders can get this sign-up bonus: Earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days. That sum of points might cover a round-trip, short-haul flight — like New York to Boston or Washington, D.C., to Charleston, South Carolina — but it's a modest bonus at best and won't take you very far.

Plus, in exchange for no annual fee, there's also no free checked bag benefit, a key perk for many airline travel cards.

If you just want to quickly increase your stash of TrueBlue points without a lot of fuss, the JetBlue Card keeps it simple. But more frequent JetBlue passengers may get enough value out of this card’s higher-end counterpart to make the annual fee worthwhile.

When to pick the JetBlue Plus Card

Barclays JetBlue Plus Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 

The hallmark of the JetBlue Plus Card is its substantially higher sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days, with the JetBlue Plus Card. That could cover one or two longer round-trip flights. You’ll get the same 50% off in-flight purchases, but you'll also earn a higher rewards rate on JetBlue purchases: 6 points per $1, which is double the earning rate of the JetBlue Card. (You’ll earn the same 2 points per $1 at restaurants and grocery stores and 1 point per $1 on everything else.)

Now, this is where the JetBlue Plus Card starts cooking with gas, despite its $99 annual fee:

  • Free checked bags for you and up to three others on your reservation. At $30 per bag each way if you book the lowest Blue fares, this can save you up to $240 on a round-trip vacation.

  • A discount on JetBlue Vacations packages of up to $100 each year for packages costing at least $100. The discount comes in the form of a statement credit.

  • A 5,000-point bonus each account anniversary. NerdWallet values JetBlue points at an average of 1.5 cents cents each for domestic redemptions, so that's up to $75 in value you get back each year automatically — making the effective annual fee $24.

  • Mosaic status if you spend $50,000 per calendar year. That gets you extras like priority boarding, access to an expedited security line, free on-board alcoholic beverages and waived cancellation fees. Ordinarily, you would have to spend $5,000 on JetBlue flights or $4,000 and fly on JetBlue 30 segments in a calendar year to earn Mosaic status.

Light packers, infrequent travelers or lower spenders are less likely to get the full value out of this card. Still, if a longer JetBlue flight or two is in your future, even if it’s not this year, it may be worth considering the JetBlue Plus Card for now, then downgrading to the JetBlue Card later to save on the annual fee. JetBlue points don’t expire, so you can hold on to that bonus for as long as you would like.

Travel Cards from Our Partners
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-5x

5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Points
Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Freedom Unlimited®
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1.5%-6.5%

Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Cashback

Intro offer

$300

Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

on Capital One's website

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
4.7
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

2x-5x

Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

Miles

Intro offer

75,000

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Miles
See more travel cards

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