JetBlue officially launched a new premium co-branded credit card today, hoping to appeal to travelers with an appetite for a more luxury experience with the airline.
The JetBlue Premier World Elite Mastercard® comes with a 70,000-point bonus and five Mosaic Tiles (JetBlue’s elite qualifying metric) after spending $5,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
Beyond that big bonus offer, the card’s marquee benefit is airport lounge access – which includes JetBlue’s recently announced lounges in New York (JFK) and Boston (BOS), as well as a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, with access to Priority Pass restaurants. Having access to Priority Pass restaurants is a huge benefit that’s been cut from most other premium travel cards and will no doubt make this card more popular with even non-JetBlue flyers.
To help offset the card’s premium price tag, travelers will get up to $300 in statement credits each year for purchases made with Paisly, JetBlue’s travel booking platform, and a credit to cover the cost of TSA PreCheck or Global Entry enrollment every four years. The card also includes additional perks common to co-branded airline cards, like free checked luggage, priority boarding, and a discount on inflight purchases.
When it comes to rewarding travelers for their spending, the card earns 6x points on JetBlue purchases, 2x points at restaurants and grocery stores, and 1x points on all other purchases.
At $499 per year this card won’t make sense for everyone, but its premium perks will no doubt appeal to some.
Let’s take a closer look at all this card has to offer.
JetBlue Premier Card Benefits
Bonus Offer
You can currently earn 70,000 points and five mosaic tiles after spending $5,000 in the first 90 days and paying the card’s annual fee in full. Unfortunately, if you currently have (or have had) the JetBlue Plus Card, you’re not eligible for this bonus offer.
The Mosaic Tiles that come with this bonus offer are in addition to the tiles you’d ordinarily earn through spending. Since all JetBlue cards earn 1 Mosaic Tile for every $1,000 spent, you’ll have a total of 10 Mosaic Tiles after earning the bonus offer. JetBlues lowest level Mosaic 1 status requires earning 50 Tiles in a calendar year and gets you benefits like two free checked bags, complimentary wine, beer, and spirits, and access to EvenMore® seating at check-in. Additional benefits are available at higher status levels.
In addition to earning Mosaic Tiles through card spending, you’ll also earn 1 Tile for every $100 spent on JetBlue flights, vacation packages, and Paisley by JetBlue purchases.
Annual Fee
At $499 per year, the JetBlue Premier Card is far from cheap, but it delivers premium perks at a lower price than top-tier cards from competitors like Delta, United, and American Airlines.
Adding authorized users to your account will cost an additional $150 per card each year, and they get their own added benefits like lounge access, free checked bags, and priority boarding.
Lounge Access
JetBlue Premier cardholders and one guest will enjoy complimentary access to JetBlue’s new lounges planned for New York (JFK) Terminal 5 and Boston Logan International Airport’s (BOS) Terminal C. We don’t know exactly what JetBlue has in store for these lounges, but if the airline plans to deliver on its premium promise, they’ll likely be a step above your average airport lounge.
The card also comes with a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which allows for unlimited visits for the primary cardholder and authorized users, as well as one guest each. Perhaps more importantly, the JetBlue Premier Card’s Priority Pass membership includes access to Priority Pass restaurants. This perk has been cut from nearly every other premium credit card on the market, making the card much more appealing to non-JetBlue flyers.
Statement Credits
JetBlue Premier cardholders can earn up to $300 in statement credits every calendar year for purchases made with Paisly, JetBlue’s travel booking platform. While that sounds great in theory, these credits are far more cumbersome than they may seem at first glance. For every Paisly by JetBlue purchase of $250 or greater, you will receive a $50 statement credit, up to six statement credits per calendar year.
If you’re already booking travel through Paisly to earn additional Mosaic Tiles for elite status, this will be an easy win – but for everyone else, it’s likely more trouble than it’s worth.
The Premier Card also includes up to a $120 statement credit to cover the cost of Global Entry or TSA PreCheck enrollment every four years. This benefit is already offered on many cards at a lower price point, but if you don’t already have one of those, it’s certainly a worthwhile perk.
Earning Points
The card earns TrueBlue points at the following rates:
- Earn 6x points per $1 spent on eligible JetBlue, JetBlue Vacations, and Paisly by JetBlue purchases.
- Earn 2x points per $1 spent at restaurants and eligible grocery stores.
- Earn 1x points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Other Benefits
The JetBlue Premier card also includes a few other noteworthy perks.
For starters, you’ll get a 5,000 TrueBlue point bonus every year that you renew your card. You’ll receive this bonus four to six weeks after paying your annual fee, beginning in year two.
Additionally, you’ll get other perks common with airline cards, like a free checked bag for you and up to three companions, as well as Group A boarding. Considering JetBlue charges a minimum of $35 each way for a checked bag, that benefit alone could end up saving you quite a bit over the course of a few trips. You’ll also get a 50% discount on inflight food and beverage purchases.
Our Take
The JetBlue Premier Card’s big 70,000-point bonus makes it worth considering for even occasional JetBlue travelers. Whether or not it’s a keeper for the long term is another story…
If you live in Boston or New York and frequently travel with JetBlue, this card makes a lot of sense. While we don’t yet know what JetBlue’s lounges will look like, if they plan to be competitive with the offerings currently available at those airports, they’ll need to bring their A-game.
But even if you don’t live in one of those cities (or regularly travel through there), this card could make good sense for frequent travelers because of its Priority Pass restaurant access. With this perk, you and a guest will each get $28 to spend at participating restaurants. Considering the quality of food you’ll find at these restaurants is usually much better than in the average Priority Pass lounge, this is a really nice benefit to have and one that can save you a considerable amount of money when dining at the airport.
Beyond the lounge and Priority Pass restaurant access, this card can help you earn JetBlue Mosaic elite status and offers additional perks like free checked bags, priority boarding, and a discount on inflight purchases. The 5,000 TrueBlue point anniversary bonus is another worthwhile perk.
It’s hard to put much value in the up to $300 Paisly by JetBlue credit. Unless you’re already using that platform to earn status, you’ll likely be better off booking direct.
At $499 per year, the card definitely carries a premium price tag – but when compared to other top-tier cards from airlines like Delta, United, and American, it’s actually on the low end. Still, if you don’t consistently fly JetBlue or value Priority Pass restaurant access, most travelers would be better off with a card that earns transferable points and comes with a similar set of travel perks like the *capital one venture x*.
Bottom Line
JetBlue just debuted its new premium co-branded credit card with a big 70,000-point bonus and five mosaic tiles for spending $5,000 and paying the card’s $499 annual fee in full, both within 90 days.
With premium travel perks like lounge access, travel statement credits, and more, this card could be a great option for JetBlue loyalists. And even if you don’t frequently fly with JetBlue, having access to Priority Pass restaurants could make it a keeper for some.
Learn more about the JetBlue Premier World Elite Mastercard®.
