JetBlue Card Review: No Annual Fee, but Also Few Key Perks
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3.5
The card may appeal to infrequent JetBlue travelers who refuse to pay an annual fee. But other cards can offer more long-term value.
Pros
High rewards rate in certain categories
Intro APR period
No annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
Discounts on select in-flight purchases
Cons
Low rewards rate on most spending
No travel credits
No redemption bonus (unlike other JetBlue cards)
No anniversary bonus (unlike other JetBlue cards)
Compare to Other Cards
Annual fee$0 | Annual fee$95 | Annual fee$250 |
Regular APR20.49%-27.49% Variable APR | ||
Intro APR0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers | Intro APRN/A | Intro APRN/A |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
Detailed review: JetBlue Card
The JetBlue Card has potential for loyal JetBlue customers who may be true to TrueBlue — the airline's frequent flyer program — but who aren't interested in paying an annual fee. But it lacks the benefits of other airline cards, like free checked bags and a large enough sign-up bonus to cover the cost of a round-trip flight.
Still, the JetBlue Card, issued by Barclays, earns elevated rewards both on JetBlue purchases and in some everyday spending categories. It also offers deep discounts on in-flight purchases. If your main priority is a no-fee airline card and you’re a frequent JetBlue flyer, this card could be a good fit. But if you’re willing to pay a fee in exchange for more premium perks, you have other options.
This card's big sibling is the JetBlue Plus Card. It features more generous rewards, but also an annual fee of $99. For more information about how these two JetBlue cards differ, read our head-to-head comparison.
JetBlue Card: Basics
Card type: Airline.
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
Rewards:
Earn 3 TrueBlue points for every $1 spent on purchases made directly with JetBlue Airways.
Earn 2 TrueBlue points for every $1 spent on restaurant and grocery store purchases.
Earn 1 TrueBlue point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
You can redeem points for flights on JetBlue or on Hawaiian Airlines, a JetBlue partner. You can also redeem for vacation packages through JetBlue Vacations or transfer your points to another TrueBlue member’s account. Otherwise, you can donate points to charity.
APR: 0% introductory APR for the first twelve billing cycles on Balance Transfers, then an ongoing APR of 20.49%, 24.49% or 29.49%, Variable APR.
Balance transfer fee: 5% (minimum $5).
Foreign transaction fee: None.
Other benefits: Save 50% when you use the JetBlue Card to purchase food and cocktails on JetBlue flights.
Benefits and perks
Earning points is easy
Unlike a lot of other co-branded airline cards, this one offers elevated rewards on more than just purchases directly with the airline. Buying food will get you closer to a free flight as well because the card earns double points at grocery stores and restaurants.
Redeeming points is easy, too
You won't be limited by blackout dates when booking award travel on JetBlue. Once you earn enough points, all you need to do is log in to your TrueBlue account and choose the option to search for flights based on points rather than dollars. You can also redeem TrueBlue points with Hawaiian Airlines, a JetBlue partner.
Save on in-flight purchases
A bag of pretzels may not be enough on a long flight. The JetBlue Card gives cardholders 50% off all in-flight food and cocktail purchases when they use their card to pay. So go ahead: Get the wine and the cheese platter.
Get a bonus with no annual fee
Travel cards with no annual fee aren't that common. The JetBlue Card not only has an annual fee of $0, but it also offers a sign-up bonus: Earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
Drawbacks and considerations
No free checked bags
One big advantage that many co-branded airline cards offer is a checked-bag-fee waiver. You won't get that valuable key perk with the JetBlue Card. Be prepared to pay $35 to check your first bag if you selected the Blue Basic, Blue or Blue Extra fare, and $45 to check a second bag on Blue Basic, Blue, Blue Extra and Blue Plus fares (passengers flying on the airline's Mint premium travel service and those who have attained Mosaic status, get two free checked bags). If you fly frequently with JetBlue, consider the JetBlue Plus Card, which does offer a free checked bag for you and up to three travel companions booked on the same reservation. The card's annual fee is $99. But if you and a companion took only one round-trip Blue fare flight per year and you each checked one bag, you would otherwise pay $140 total.
Tied to JetBlue Program
Compared with the JetBlue Card, a general travel rewards card like the Discover it® Miles offers a lot more flexibility. It earns 1.5 miles per $1 spent on all purchases, you can redeem for a statement credit to pay for flights, hotels, cruises, rental cars and more.
Underwhelming sign-up bonus
The JetBlue Card's sign-up bonus is modest and not enough to cover most routes that JetBlue flies. If you're willing to pay the $99 annual fee, the JetBlue Plus Card offers a much more generous sign-up bonus. Or if you're adamantly opposed to any kind of annual fee, you could again consider a general travel card like the Discover it® Miles. Its annual fee is $0, and it offers a nifty sign-up promotion: "UNLIMITED BONUS: Only Discover will automatically match all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match."
Or browse NerdWallet's roundup of the best credit cards to get for a look at other options.
With no annual fee, this card gives you 1.5 miles for every $1 you spend. It comes with a new-cardmember bonus offer, and points are redeemable for statement credit against many kinds of travel expenses — flights on any airline, stays at any hotel and so on.
How to decide if it's right for you
This card could work for infrequent travelers who fly mostly with JetBlue but are adamantly opposed to paying an annual fee. But the lack of free checked bags is a big drawback, and other cards can provide greater long-term value.
