Can You Use Jet Blue Points for Other People

JetBlue's TrueBlue program is a simple points system compared to the other U.S. airlines.

The cost of an award flight is directly tied to the cash price of the ticket. The cheaper the flight, the fewer points are required.

We found that each JetBlue point is worth about 1.38 cents per point for economy class and 1.01 cents per point for JetBlue's Mint (business class) seats. But we found that the best value is using JetBlue points for a JetBlue Vacation package.

Using JetBlue Points for Domestic Economy Tickets

One of the best ways to use JetBlue points is for economy class flights.

You can easily book a flight using points on the home page by checking the box "Use TrueBlue Points."

The number of points required will vary by flight (depending on cash price), but you can easily sort the cheapest flights by clicking the arrows next to "Blue."

You can calculate the cents per point with a simple formula: (Cash price – taxes and fees) divided by the number of points.

Taxes and fees for domestic flights are $5.60 each way, but international flights are typically somewhere between $15 and $49 each way.

Our research found that the value of JetBlue points is fairly stable at about 1.38 cents no matter what route you choose.

Route	Points	Cash Price	Cents Per Point
JFK-LAX	11,900	$169	1.37
JFK-SFO	12,500	$177	1.37
BOS-LAS	12,300	$174	1.37
BOS-SEA	11,600	$164	1.37
BOS-FLL	9,300	$134	1.38
FLL-SLC	10,400	$149	1.38
FLL-PHX	8,800	$128	1.39

Using JetBlue Points for International Economy Flights

JetBlue also flies to a number of international destinations from New York-JFK, Boston, and Fort Lauderdale.

The taxes and fees for international flights vary widely from $15 to $49 each way, but luckily JetBlue keeps the points value stable even if you are paying large fees.

Route	Points	Cash Price	Cents Per Point
JFK-BGI	10,100	$146	1.38
FLL-AUA	6,700	$110	1.41
FLL-LIM	9,000	$145	1.38
BOS-MBJ	14,600	$249	1.37
JFK-PUJ	12,400	$216	1.35
JFK-NAS	11,600	$165	1.37
JFK-SJO	9,400	$151	1.37

Using JetBlue Points for Mint Flights

Flying in JetBlue's Mint lie-flat business class is fabulous, but redeeming points for Mint is not.

Our research found that you only get about 1.01 cents per point on a Mint booking, whereas economy class was about 1.38 cents per point.

I am very disappointed in JetBlue for not allowing customers to redeem points for Mint at the same or a better rate for Mint.

Points are designed for aspirational trips that you would not normally book with cash.

But JetBlue is making these aspirational flights in Mint a bad deal to use for points.

If I was running JetBlue, I would set the value at 1.6 cents per point or a flat rate of 35,000 TrueBlue points.

Route	Points	Cash Price	Cents Per Point
JFK-LAX	68,800	$699	1.01
JFK-SFO	53,800	$549	1.01
FLL-SFO	58,800	$599	1.01
BOS-SAN	54,300	$554	1.01
BOS-AUA	62,900	$650	1.00
JFK-BGI	67,900	$691	1.00
BOS-SEA	38,800	$399	1.02

Redeeming JetBlue Points on Hawaiian Airlines

You can also redeem your points on Hawaiian Airlines, which is the only other airline you can redeem TrueBlue points on.

The one award that might make sense is using 45,000 points to fly from the West Coast to Hawaii in business class.

If you want to book an award, you will have to call 1-800-JETBLUE to see if there is award space on the route.

Redeeming Points for JetBlue Vactions

The most lucrative way to redeem JetBlue points is for a JetBlue Vacations package.

Your points only cover a portion of the booking, but the rate you can redeem at is quite good.

We tested it out with 3 night trip from New York to Los Angeles with a stay at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach.

We found you could book the same flights for $331.20 (or 23,500 + $11.20). Plus a direct booking with Hyatt for the same room for $782.67, for a grand total of $1,113.87.

In out example, the JetBlue points were worth 2.26 cents per points after doing the math.

We tested another vacation package from New York to Fort Lauderdale for 3 nights.

We could book the same flights for $176.20 (or 11,800 + 11.20) and the same hotel for $784.41.

This vacation package was not as lucrative as the last one at 1.87 cents per point, but it is still much better than the standard 1.38 cents for JetBlue flights.

The one downside to booking a vacation package is that you do not earn hotel points or elite benefits if you are staying at a chain hotel (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, etc.)