New JetBlue Credit Cards: Which One is Best?

You can now apply for three new JetBlue credit cards: the no annual fee JetBlue Card, and the $99 annual fee JetBlue Plus and JetBlue Business cards. I’ll compare the benefits of each card so you can decide which is best for you.

JetBlue recently moved their credit card branding partnership from American Express to Barclays. Those customers who had the old American Express version have been automatically transferred to a new Barclays JetBlue Rewards card with fees and benefits that are similar to those that were offered by their old American Express version. You can’t apply for that “replacement” card, however this week, Barclays began to accept applications for the three new cards.

Here’s a rundown of each card’s benefits

JetBlue Card

• 10,000 Bonus after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days
• Earn 3x points on JetBlue purchases, 2x at Restaurants & Grocery stores, 1x everywhere else
• 50% Savings on eligible inflight purchases
• No Foreign Transaction Fee
• No Annual Fee

JetBlue Plus Card

• 30,000 Bonus after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days
• Earn 6x points on JetBlue purchases, 2x at Restaurants & Grocery stores, 1x everywhere else
• Free first checked bag for you and up to 3 companions on JetBlue
• 5,000 Point Anniversary Bonus
• 10% Redemption Bonus Points
• Mosaic benefits after spending $50,000 or more in purchases each year
• 50% Savings on eligible inflight purchases
• No Foreign Transaction Fee
• $99 Annual Fee

JetBlue is also offering a new Business card  with largely the same benefits (2x points at office supply stores instead of grocery stores) and annual fee as the JetBlue Plus personal card. For valuation purposes in the comparison below, it’s the same as the JetBlue Plus card.

Comparing the Cards

Is the $99 annual fee for the JetBlue Plus card worth it? The math behind the decision is fairly straightforward. Each JetBlue point is worth about 1.4 cents towards airfare and the signup bonus is 20,000 points greater for the Plus card than the regular JetBlue card. That difference alone is worth $280, or nearly 3x the annual fee.

The Plus card’s annual 5,000 point bonus has a value of $70 every year. Last year, JetBlue began charging checked luggage fees. If you take only one round trip flight with one checked bag, you’ll save another $40. Add to those the value that’s generated by the 10% Redemption Bonus. Even if you only redeem the 30,000 point signup bonus, you’ll receive a 3,000 point rebate worth another $42.

In my mind, the clear winner is the JetBlue Plus Card or Business Card over the no annual fee JetBlue Card. The benefits far outweigh the $99 being charged annually.