Your Guide To The JetBlue TrueBlue Program

If you frequently fly to the U.S. or internationally, you’ve probably come across a flight serviced by JetBlue. Although the low-cost airline is based out of New York and offers flights to hundreds of global destinations, Vancouver (YVR) is the airline’s only Canadian hub.

We’ll walk you through JetBlue’s TrueBlue loyalty program to see if it’s a good fit for your travel habits.

Key Takeaways

• Earn TrueBlue points by flying with JetBlue and its airline partners and booking travel like cruises, vacation packages, and rental cars.
• TrueBlue points can be redeemed on flights, travel, and merchandise, and are worth up to 3.96 cents CAD each.
• Pool TrueBlue points with friends or family to earn rewards and benefits faster.
• Collect Tiles on eligible travel purchases to reach Mosaic membership status and enjoy personalized perks.

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What is JetBlue TrueBlue?

TrueBlue is JetBlue’s free loyalty rewards program. JetBlue is a major American airline serving over 100 domestic and international airports, with its biggest hub in New York City (JFK). In Canada, you can only catch a JetBlue flight to or from Vancouver (YVR).

Like most frequent flyer programs, members earn TrueBlue points for flying with JetBlue and its partners, booking travel, and pooling points. TrueBlue points can be exchanged for future flights and travel. Members can also collect Tiles to level up their membership to Mosaic status and select personalized perks.

Overview

Currency: TrueBlue points

Redemption options: Cash + Points, Charity, JetBlue flights, JetBlue Vacations, and Partner flights

Pros:

• 10 partner airlines awarding TrueBlue points
• 5 ways to earn points
• 5 ways to spend points
• 4 advanced membership tiers with exclusive perks
• Points worth up to 3.96 cents CAD each
• Points can be bought, gifted, pooled, and transferred
• Points never expire

Cons:

• Points worth as little as 0.7 cents CAD each
• Only 1 Canadian destination
• No TrueBlue credit cards available in Canada

How much are TrueBlue points worth?

TrueBlue points take their value from what you spend them on, but on average, they’re worth about 1.98 CA cents Per Point (CPP).

Value of reward in CAD / cost of reward in points = value in cents per point (CPP)

You can reap anywhere from 0.7–3.96 CPP by choosing one of 5 redemption options (more on that later):

^{* 1 USD = 1.43 CAD at time of writing}

TrueBlue membership tiers

The TrueBlue rewards program has 4 advanced membership tiers called "Mosaics." Members can achieve higher Mosaic status by collecting Tiles (get it?) on qualifying JetBlue and partner flights, flight upgrades and fees, and JetBlue vacation packages.

You’ll earn 1 Tile per $100 USD spent on travel and 1 Tile per $1,000 USD spent with a US-issued JetBlue credit card. You can also buy Tiles in up to 3 transactions per year, starting at 1 Tile for $115.03 USD – 250 Tiles for $24,187.50 USD.

All Mosaic members receive a comprehensive set of "Signature Perks", including:

• 3 TrueBlue points per $1 USD spent on JetBlue flights
• 3 bonus points per $1 USD spent for booking directly on the JetBlue website
• 3 complimentary drinks per flight
• 2 complimentary checked bags
• Complimentary Heathrow Express Upgrade
• Complimentary same-day changes up to 24 hours before departure
• Dedicated check-in and Mosaic phone support
• Priority boarding, security, and seating

Moving up the membership ladder grants special benefits, like EvenMore upgrades (which provide perks such as extra legroom, early boarding, complimentary drinks, and more) and Move to Mint certificates. Move to Mint certificates can be exchanged for a complimentary upgrade to Mint, an award-winning, luxury cabin aboard select JetBlue flights.

The catch is that you must collect a certain number of Tiles to qualify for (or maintain) Mosaic status within a single calendar year:

As an extra reward, whenever you achieve Mosaic 1 status or level up your membership, you’ll receive a single "Perks You Pick" of your choice:

• 15,000 TrueBlue points
• $99 off your JetBlue credit card statement
• 20 Tiles for you or another member
• Blue membership status in FoundersCard, a lifestyle benefits club
• Complimentary pet travel on eligible flights
• Platinum Elite membership status in IHG One Rewards
• Priority access to Mint Suites

Even infrequent flyers can benefit from a free, basic TrueBlue membership. If you don’t reach Mosaic status, you can choose one of the following perks when you accumulate 10, 20, 30, or 40 Tiles:

• 5,000 TrueBlue points
• 2X the points on a single JetBlue vacations package
• 1 complimentary alcoholic drink per flight
• Priority security
• Early boarding on all fares except Blue Basic

All TrueBlue perks last until the end of the following year. Unfortunately, they only apply to JetBlue flights, so you can’t take them with you onto partner airlines.

Using Match to Mosaic, you can get Mosaic 1 or 2 status by showing proof of membership status in 7 other frequent flyer programs, including AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, and Alaska Airlines.

How to earn TrueBlue points

Flying often with JetBlue or its partners is one of the fastest ways to get points, but it’s not the only option. You can:

• Book other travel
• Buy, pool, or transfer points
• Fly JetBlue
• Fly partner airlines
• Shop with partners
• Use a JetBlue credit card

To save time, we’ve arranged all 6 methods from most to least effective.

Fly JetBlue

The number of TrueBlue points you earn by flying with JetBlue depends on your fare class and membership tier. By maximizing all of your earning options, you can get up to 15 TrueBlue points per $1 USD spent:

Note: You don’t earn points or Tiles on government taxes, fees, travel insurance, and other surcharges.

Fly partner airlines

You can add to your points balance with 10 airlines and over 300 destinations in JetBlue’s partner network. The number of TrueBlue points you can earn by booking on the JetBlue mobile app or website depends on your fare class or distance/flights flown.

Although JetBlue partners with Aer Lingus, Air Serbia, British Airways, El Al, Porter, and Turkish Airlines, you can’t earn or redeem points with these airlines.

Note: JetBlue credit card and Mosaic membership point bonuses don’t apply to partner flights.

Book other travel

JetBlue Vacations and Paisly offer similar TrueBlue points earning rates as flights – you get a base rate per dollar spent, plus a few bonuses.

With JetBlue Vacations, you can book cruises; flight and cruise packages; or flight and hotel packages. With Paisley, you can book or add activities, car rentals, hotel stays, and travel bags to your existing JetBlue or partner airline flights.

To start earning, visit a website, log into your TrueBlue account, and shop.

Note: You can’t earn points or Tiles on government taxes, fees, travel insurance, and other surcharges.

Shop with partners

The TrueBlue brand doesn’t just apply to travel – it’s also stuck on restaurants, shopping, survey companies, and hotels, giving you the chance to earn points on more than flights.

We’ve already covered a few TrueBlue shopping partners above (like Avis and Budget car rentals from Paisly), so here’s a quick round-up of the rest.

Buy, pool, or transfer points

Infrequent flyers can still get their money’s worth out of the TrueBlue program by buying, pooling, or transferring TrueBlue points.

It costs $30 USD to purchase 1,000 points, plus a 7.5% Tax Recovery Fee. Canadians also have to pay GST, HST, and credit card currency exchange fees, making it an option of last resort.

Instead, why not pool TrueBlue points with up to 7 friends and family members for free? You can share points (but not Tiles) and save up for rewards faster.

Finally, TrueBlue members have the option to transfer 1,000 – 200,000 points between members for a fee. Canadian members may be subject to additional taxes and fees.

Use a JetBlue credit card

There are 9 JetBlue credit cards available, 4 of which are issued in the United States. Unfortunately, you can’t use a Canadian credit card to earn TrueBlue points, nor can you convert the points you earned from another credit card rewards program.

Even though American Express is a JetBlue partner, you can’t convert Amex Membership Rewards points from a Canadian credit card to TrueBlue points.

How to redeem TrueBlue points

When you’re ready to cash in some of those TrueBlue points, head to JetBlue’s website for 5 redemption options:

• Cash + Points
• Charity
• JetBlue flights
• JetBlue Vacations
• Partner flights

We identified the most valuable rewards in the previous section, so for the next one, let’s examine how you can make your points go as far as possible.

JetBlue flights

Average value: 1.98 CPP

Redemption options: JetBlue flights and TrueBlue Deals

Best option: Any TrueBlue flight deal in Blue Basic class for 3.96 CPP

Redeeming TrueBlue points on JetBlue flights is pretty easy. Just head to the website, log in, and search for flights with the "Use TrueBlue points" box checked to find deals for as little as 700 points. Every “free” flight comes with a cash fee starting at $5.60 USD.

Getting the most out of your point is easy, too. Pick any Blue Basic flight from the TrueBlue Flight Deals page, and you’re guaranteed to get 3.96 CPP. It’s an awesome and reliable option, but it does restrict your rewards to JetBlue flights in North America.

Although JetBlue claims to fly to Halifax, our research only turned up flights from Vancouver (YVR). The best option is to connect to New York City (JFK) and use it as a hub to the rest of the world. Using the Best Fare Finder tool to find Blue Basic fares during off-peak and shoulder seasons can help you get the most out of your points.

There are no blackout dates on JetBlue reward flights, but you can’t book EvenMore fares with points.

Partner flights

Average value: 2.98 CPP

Redemption options: Etihad Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Qatar Airways, and TAP Air Portugal

Best option: An Economy flight from New York (JFK) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) aboard Etihad Airways for 3.68 CPP

At the moment, TrueBlue members can redeem their points on flights aboard 4 partner airlines. In practice, we found it difficult to find and book partner flights using the JetBlue website. There are very few travel dates and fares available (especially aboard Hawaiian Airlines), suggesting plenty of seat and date blackouts.

If you can find a flight, partner airlines offer an average of 2.98 CPP of value. The few flights we found started at 31,900 points, while cash fees start at $7 USD.

JetBlue Vacations packages

Average value: 0.84 CPP

Redemption options: Flight + hotel packages

Best option: New York (JFK) to Punta Cana (PUJ) for 7 nights at the lowest-priced hotel in March for 0.97 CPP

If you love the simplicity of booking your entire trip with the same travel provider, JetBlue Vacations has you covered. You can use your TrueBlue points on the cost of cars, flights, and hotels included in a flight + hotel package.

The JetBlue website offers a Best Vacation Finder tool similar to its flight finder tool. However, the only departing Canadian airport is Vancouver (YVR), and vacation packages only net an average of 0.84 CPP. You can get slightly more value by picking the lowest-priced results on any search page.

You can’t book cruises or flight + cruise packages with TrueBlue points just yet, but the company plans to make this option available in the future.

Charity

Average value: 1.98 CPP

Redemption options: Community, Environment, and Youth and Education

Best option: Any

Altruism is its own form of reward, so JetBlue allows members to donate TrueBlue points to charity.

You can contribute 500 – 500,000 points to 22 charitable organizations in 3 categories, including the Make-A-Wish foundation, American Red Cross, and JetBlue Foundation, which support STEM programs in schools.

Donated points have no cash value and aren’t tax-deductible. Instead, they’re used by charity staff members to pay for flights, giving donations about the same value as JetBlue flights.

Cash + Points

Average value: N/A

The TrueBlue program allows members to reduce the cost of their flights or vacation packages with as little as 500 points. While we were unable to independently verify the cash value of points used for flight rebates, our research suggests it’s less than JetBlue or partner flights.

Although you can still collect TrueBlue points on the cash you pay for a flight, the same isn’t true for JetBlue Vacation packages. You also can’t earn Tiles on any flights using Cash + Points, so use this option with caution.

How to get the most out of your TrueBlue​ points

Although Canadians aren’t eligible for JetBlue credit cards, there are still a few ways to maximize your TrueBlue earnings:

• Avoid using the Cash + Points payment option
• Book directly with JetBlue for a direct booking bonus
• Book flights on partner airlines on the JetBlue website to add to your points balance
• Choose extra Tiles whenever you get to pick a perk to level up faster and earn more points
• Choose reward flights in Blue Basic class during off-peak and shoulder seasons
• Join the TrueBlue Dining and Shopping programs to earn more points
• Pool points with friends and family members
• Redeem your points on flights departing from New York City (JFK) for the most selection
• Redeem your points on partner flights whenever possible
• Redeem your points on TrueBlue Deals whenever possible

FAQ

Is JetBlue TrueBlue free?

Yes, anyone aged 13 and older can join the JetBlue TrueBlue rewards program for free.

Is JetBlue TrueBlue worth it?

If you frequently fly with the carrier, you’ve got nothing to lose. TrueBlue is free to join and, perhaps more importantly, the points never expire. Plus, JetBlue offers rewards to almost all membership levels – not just its elite Mosaic members.

Do you get a free checked bag with TrueBlue?

It’s actually a little tricky to get a free checked bag with JetBlue – you’ve got to reach Mosaic 1 before you have the option to add 2 free checked bags as a personal perk.

Do JetBlue TrueBlue points expire?

No, you never have to worry about your TrueBlue points expiring!