JetBlue Business Card review: Maximum rewards for JetBlue spending

The JetBlue Business Credit Card has plenty of features that could make it a great fit for small-business owners. Its sign-up bonus, rewards rate for JetBlue purchases, and ability to pool points with friends and family are just a few of the features that help it to stand out from many of the best business airline cards. It also has a number of standard perks like free first checked bag and anniversary bonus points that add to the card’s appeal and can help offset the card’s annual fee.

Quick highlights

• Rewards rate: 6X points on JetBlue purchases, 2X points on restaurant and office supply purchases, 1X point on all other purchases.
• Welcome offer: Earn 80,000 JetBlue bonus points and a $99 statement credit after spending $2,000 within the first 90 days.
• Annual fee: $99
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
• Regular APR: 18.99 percent or 27.99 percent

Current sign-up bonus

Currently, the JetBlue Business Card rewards you with 80,000 JetBlue bonus points and a $99 statement credit after spending $2,000 within the first 90 days. This is an improvement over the card’s previous welcome offer worth a total of 60,000 points (50,000 after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days and 10,000 points when a purchase is made on an employee card within the first 90 days).

The one downside to this offer is that you’re forced to meet the $2,000 spend requirement within the first 90 days to earn a statement credit equal to the annual fee. This isn’t as good as other business travel cards that offer a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year before charging a similar annual fee as the JetBlue Business card. But the bonus points are impressive and far higher than other top airline business cards with a $99 annual fee:

As long as you’re able to meet the spend requirement, the JetBlue card’s sign-up bonus gives small-business owners a great short-term perk that helps make the card a more appealing option to consider.

Rewards

The JetBlue Business Card earns TrueBlue points that never expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing. The card’s rewards program doesn’t earn a significant amount of points on non-travel purchases, but it does give you a chance to rack up an incredible amount of points on JetBlue purchases. This can make it easier for even occasional business travelers to come out ahead with this card.

Earning rewards

You’ll earn 6X points on JetBlue purchases with the JetBlue Business Card. Considering most airline cards offer 2X or 3X points on specific airline purchases, this is an impressive rate that’s hard to beat.

You also earn 2X points at office supply stores and restaurants and 1X points on all other purchases. This is a decent rate for non-travel purchases, but some airlines give you more options. With the CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard, you’ll earn 2X points not only on American Airlines purchases, but also on gas, car rentals, cable and satellite providers and select telecommunications merchants. Having more rewards categories could be a better fit for business owners who only fly occasionally and spend heavily in other areas.

The JetBlue Business Card also comes with some additional ways to earn points, including when you book flights with JetBlue airline partners on JetBlue.com. This perk gives you more options in how you fly and could give travelers looking for flexibility added peace of mind. JetBlue’s loyalty partners include American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.

On top of JetBlue’s airline partnerships, you can earn points through TrueBlue’s shopping portal when shopping at select retail partners, and with the Dining Rewards Program, which offers points at select restaurants. The amount of points you can earn through the TrueBlue Shopping portal will vary by merchant, but the dining program offers a fixed 3 points per dollar at qualifying restaurants when you pay with the JetBlue Business Card.

Redeeming rewards

You can redeem your TrueBlue points for JetBlue flights. On the company’s website, you’ll select “points” instead of “dollars” when you find the flight you want.

If you don’t want to use your points for JetBlue travel, you can use your points to book flights on Hawaiian Airlines, but at this time, you can’t redeem your points for flights with other airline partners like American Airlines. You can also redeem your points for JetBlue vacation packages. These all-inclusive packages let you use your rewards for more than just flights. Your points can also cover resort accommodations, food and drinks and more.

Based on Bankrate’s latest points and miles valuations, TrueBlue points are worth an estimated 1.4 cents on average. That’s an impressive rate for a low-cost airline and even holds its own against many of the top airlines in North America.

* Based on weighted average of median point/mile values across economy and first/business class fares.

Like most airlines, JetBlue uses a dynamic pricing model, so the value of your points and miles can vary based on factors like peak travel periods, seat type and competitor airfare prices. To make sure you’re getting the most out of your JetBlue points, you’ll have to calculate the value of your rewards at the time of redemption.

When you go to book your travel, divide the cash cost of your flight by the amount of points needed. For example, if you book a seat in Blue, JetBlue’s standard fare section, for a flight from New York to Los Angeles, it might cost $254 or 15,500 points, which means your points would be worth 1.6 cents for this flight ($254 / 15,500 = $0.016 or 1.6 cents). Since 1.6 cents exceeds Bankrate’s 1.4-cent-per-point valuation, you’re getting a good deal if you pay for your flight with your points.

But if you go to book a premium seat in the JetBlue Mint section and it costs $1,328 or 122,200 points, the value of your rewards drops to 1.1 cents ($1,328 / 122,200 = $0.0108 or 1.1 cents). This value is below what you should expect to get for your rewards, so you may want to search for a different flight or save your points for another time.

The JetBlue Business Card comes with a number of benefits beyond the standard business perks of fraud liability protection and free employee cards.

Bonus opportunities

Every year on your card anniversary, you’ll receive a nice little thank you gift in the form of 5,000 additional points. But one of the best perks as a cardholder is when you redeem your TrueBlue points, you’ll receive an additional 10 percent bonus. For example, if you redeem 10,000 points, you’ll get an additional 1,000 to beef up your account balance or to put toward your redemption.

First free checked bag

Your first checked bag on JetBlue-operated flights is free for you and up to three guests booked on the same reservation. JetBlue usually charges $35 for some fares on domestic flights and $65 for its Blue Basic seating on flights between the U.S. and U.K. Depending on the fare you book, this perk alone could quickly offset the card’s $99 annual fee. But if you book a seat in a JetBlue section that automatically offers free checked bag, this benefit won’t provide any value.

Annual statement credit

When you use your card to purchase a JetBlue Vacation package of $100 or more, you’ll earn a $100 statement credit. For some business owners, this perk may not be as useful as some of the other perks you might find with another business card, such as complimentary business management software that can save you money and help you manage your day-to-day operations. But if you can find a vacation package that fits an upcoming business trip, this can be a useful perk that helps bring down the cost of your next trip.

Points pooling

This is a unique perk you won’t find with all airlines. JetBlue lets you and up to six other people combine your points into one points pooling account. If you or your participating friends and family members don’t have enough points, this feature can make it easier to get the remaining points you need to quickly book awards flights.

Elite status

The JetBlue Business Card gives big spenders a chance to reach JetBlue’s highest loyalty tier quicker. When you spend $50,000 or more in a calendar year, you qualify for JetBlue’s elite Mosaic status for a year and unlock a variety of new perks, including 15,000 TrueBlue points upon qualifying and an additional 3X points on JetBlue purchases, giving you a whopping 9X points.

The JetBlue Business Card has a $99 annual fee, but the sign-up bonus in the first year will take care of that, and frequent flyers have a lot of chances to make up this fee in subsequent years. The high rewards on flights, anniversary bonus points and free checked bag perks can all help cover the annual cost to carry the card.

The card doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee or assess a penalty APR if you make a late payment, but it does come with common credit card fees and a few more charges. On top of the typical late payment and returned payment fees (both up to $39), this card also comes with a number of fees you won’t find on many other airline cards, including an electronic payment fee of $15 and administrative fees, which include $3 for statement copies and a $15-per-hour research charge.

The APR is 18.99 percent to 27.99 percent depending on creditworthiness. As always, it’s important to pay your balance on time and in full to get the best value with the card. The higher your interest rate, the more interest is charged on purchases not paid off every month.

The JetBlue Business Card is a great option for small-business owners who like to fly with one airline. It has many of the top features you should look for in an airline-specific card and even goes further than most by offering supersized rewards for JetBlue travel and a sign-up bonus that outclasses the competition. But if you prefer to fly with a different airline or want more versatility in how you travel, it won’t be the best fit for you. Here’s a look at two alternatives for business travelers.

JetBlue Business Credit Card vs. Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card is a great choice for small-business owners who prefer flying with Southwest Airlines. The card offers decent rewards on Southwest purchases, transit and hotel and car rental purchases made with Rapid Rewards partners. The card also comes with some nice perks like two Early-Bird Check Ins each year and in-flight discounts.

Unfortunately, there’s no chance to avoid paying the $99 annual fee in the first year. Plus, the sign-up bonus, rewards on Southwest purchases and in-flight discounts are smaller than what the JetBlue Business card offers for JetBlue travelers. But the Southwest Premier Business Card does offer a higher amount of anniversary bonus points each year and has a couple of nice benefits you won’t find with this JetBlue card. This includes 1,500 tier-qualifying points to get you to Southwest’s elite status faster and travel and purchase protections.

JetBlue Business Credit Card vs. Capital One Spark Miles for Business

The Capital One Spark Miles for Business is a versatile general travel card for business owners. It offers an unlimited 2X miles on all purchases, which is a great feature for small-business owners who make a lot of purchases in categories that would typically only earn 1X points with bonus-category cards.

Rewards can be redeemed for travel, gift cards or cash back, but the value of your miles can drop in value when redeemed for options outside of travel. You can book travel through the Capital One Travel portal, or you can transfer them to one of Capital One’s travel loyalty programs. We estimate your miles could be worth 2 cents on average with the right high-value transfer partner.

The Spark Miles for Business doesn’t have airline specific perks like free checked bags, in-flight discounts or a chance to reach an airline’s elite status. But for flexible travelers who don’t want to be tied to one airline, this Capital One business card could be a more appealing option.

Best cards to pair with the JetBlue Business Card

In addition to the JetBlue card, consider a cash back credit card that rewards you for your everyday purchases. That way, you’ll get extra points for spending in your daily life that you can redeem for money. After all, if you’re using your TrueBlue points to book your next flight, you’ll need some pocket money to spend on your trip.

Overall, the JetBlue Business Card is a great choice for the business owner’s wallet — especially if you already fly JetBlue frequently and are located near a JetBlue hub. The generous point structure is targeted at businesses that travel frequently and can take advantage of all the travel perks that come with the card.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, please click here.

All information about the JetBlue Business Card has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.