Should You Use JetBlue’s New Points+Cash Awards?

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JetBlue launched the ability to use points+cash on award redemptions today.

For example if you want to fly from LaGuardia to Orlando on August 19 it would cost $38.10 in basic economy or $53.10 in economy.

Unfortunately JetBlue doesn’t give the option to book a basic economy tickets with points, so an award cost 3,300 points+$5.60, a value of 1.44 cents per point compared to a paid regular economy ticket, but a value of just 0.98 cents per point compared to a paid basic economy ticket.

When you select a points redemption you’ll be given the option to select a points+cash combo, which also only has a regular economy option.

• For this redemption options include:
  • 500 points+$48.60
  • 1,000 points+$44.10
  • 1,500 points+$39.60
  • 2,000 points+$35.10
  • 2,500 points+$30.60
  • 3,000 points+$26.10
  • 3,299 points+$23.41
  • 3,300 points+$5.60 (traditional redemption option)

Those numbers represent a value of just 0.9 cents per point compared to a paid regular economy ticket, a full 0.54 cents less value per point compared to a traditional award ticket. That’s a truly terrible value and you should pretty much always transfer points from AMEX, Capital One, Chase Citi, or Marriott to JetBlue to avoid using points+cash.

I found the same value of 0.9 cents per point on other routes with points+cash.

If you would otherwise book basic economy then the value per point dips into negative territory.

Thanks, but no thanks JetBlue!

HT: mochjas, via DDF