True Blue, JetBlue Airways loyalty program, has been added as a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Rewards, but the transfer ratio leaves a lot to be desired.
Citi ThankYou points can be transferred to JetBlue at a rate of 1,000:800 with Citi Prestige and Citi ThankYou Premier cards. For Citi ThankYou Preferred and Citi Forward cardholders, the transfer rate changes to 1,000:500. Not great, considering True Blue is a revenue-based redemption program, meaning the miles necessary to book an award directly correlate to the cash fare.
Transferable points, such as ThankYou Points, generally have a higher value than specific airline miles, and transferring more valuable points at a less-than-favorable rate significantly devalues those points. You’re better off booking a JetBlue flight using the Citi travel portal. Each ThankYou Point is worth 1.33 cents for Citi Prestige cardholders and 1.25 cents for Citi ThankYou Premier cardholders, plus the flight will earn redeemable points when booked through the portal. An exception can be made for transferring points if a specific flight is not accessible through the portal, but even then, saving the hard-earned miles is worth being flexible.
There are a couple of options when a transfer can make sense. Mosaic Members (JetBlue’s elite flyers) can use True Blue points to upgrade an economy seat purchased with cash to an Even More Space seat for 800 True Blue points. Even More Space includes seats that are typically located at the front of an aircraft or in emergency-exit rows with 38 inches of legroom. They start at $10 each way and go up from there, depending on the route. The service also includes early boarding and expedited security in select cities. Another reason I’d consider transferring ThankYou Points to JetBlue is either a transfer bonus or a fare sale, since the cost in miles is proportional to the cost in dollars.
In addition to Citi, you can convert Membership Rewards points earned with certain American Express credit cards to JetBlue at a ratio of 250:200 (or 5:4), which offers the same value as transferring from one of Citi’s premium cards. It is also possible to convert Marriott Rewards points at a rate of 10:1, which is an even less desirable transfer ratio.
The bottom line is, none of the transfer options present a particularly good value, unless you need to top off your True Blue account for a specific redemption, upgrade to a better seat or book a flight that’s not available through a travel portal.
Does transferring ThankYou Points to JetBlue present a good value to you?
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