JetBlue Plus Card vs. JetBlue Premier Card: Should you go mid-tier or premium?

JetBlue entered the premium travel card space this year when it launched the JetBlue Premier Card issued by Barclays in January. The New York-based airline now offers four cobranded cards for loyalists to maximize their spending with JetBlue, collect points in its TrueBlue loyalty program and earn Mosaic elite status. Two of these options exist at …

Feb 19, 2025 - 16:02

JetBlue Plus Card vs. JetBlue Premier Card: Should you go mid-tier or premium?

JetBlue entered the premium travel card space this year when it launched the JetBlue Premier Card issued by Barclays in January.

The New York-based airline now offers four cobranded cards for loyalists to maximize their spending with JetBlue, collect points in its TrueBlue loyalty program and earn Mosaic elite status. Two of these options exist at vastly different annual fee thresholds — the mid-tier JetBlue Plus Card with a $99 annual fee and the brand-new JetBlue Premier Card with a hefty $499 annual fee.

The JetBlue Plus Card is a solid option for casual and frequent JetBlue flyers alike. Meanwhile, the JetBlue Premier Card is intended to serve the airline’s most loyal patrons with more credits and perks, such as a Priority Pass Select membership and complimentary access to JetBlue’s branded lounges once they open.

While the JetBlue Plus and the JetBlue Premier’s annual fees are vastly different, many of the cards’ benefits are identical. Still, there are some notable differences between the JetBlue Plus and the JetBlue Premier.

I’ll explore all facets to help you determine which JetBlue card is best for your wallet.

The information for the JetBlue Premier and JetBlue Plus cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

JetBlue Plus Card vs. JetBlue Premier Card comparison

	JetBlue Plus Card	JetBlue Premier Card
Annual fee	$99	$499
Welcome bonus	Earn 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in the first 90 days.	Earn 70,000 points and 5 “tiles” toward Mosaic elite status after spending $5,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in the first 90 days.
Earning rates	6 points per dollar spent on eligible JetBlue purchases 2 points per dollar spent at restaurants and eligible grocery stores 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases	6 points per dollar spent on eligible JetBlue purchases and purchases with Paisly, JetBlue’s travel portal 2 points per dollar spent at restaurants and eligible grocery stores 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Annual benefits	5,000 bonus points each year after your card account anniversary $100 statement credit each year on a JetBlue Vacations package	5,000 bonus points each year after your card account anniversary Up to $300 in annual statement credits for purchases with Paisly
JetBlue benefits	First checked bag free for the cardholder and up to three travel companions 50% discount on inflight purchases Receive 10% of redeemed points back after redeeming for JetBlue-operated flights Redeem points for a statement credit through Points Payback (up to $1,000 annually)	First checked bag free for the cardholder and up to three travel companions Group A boarding for the cardholder and up to four travel companions 50% discount on inflight purchases Receive 10% of redeemed points back Redeem points for a statement credit through Points Payback Complimentary access to JetBlue lounges once they open
Other benefits	No foreign transaction fees World Elite Mastercard perks and travel protections	No foreign transaction fees Priority Pass Select membership Up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years World Elite Mastercard perks and travel protections

JetBlue Plus vs. JetBlue Premier welcome offer

New JetBlue Plus cardholders can earn 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in the first 90 days.

Per TPG’s February 2025 valuation of JetBlue TrueBlue points at 1.35 cents per point, the bonus is worth $675, which isn’t the best offer we’ve seen on this card, but it is a decent return for a $99 annual fee.

JetBlue Plus Card and JetBlue Premier Card — THE POINTS GUY

With the JetBlue Premier, new cardholders can earn 70,000 points and five tiles toward Mosaic elite status after spending $5,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in the first 90 days. TPG values the bonus points from this offer at $945.

The five tiles you earn toward Mosaic status will get you 10% of the way there, as you have to spend $50,000 in a calendar year to collect 50 tiles and qualify for entry-level Mosaic 1 status. Because it takes $5,000 to earn those five tiles, it’s hardly a head start. The money you’ll spend to obtain the welcome bonus would organically translate to five tiles either way.

Plus, the JetBlue Plus and the JetBlue Premier both require $50,000 in spending to reach Mosaic status, so earning five tiles after spending $5,000 isn’t unique to the JetBlue Premier.

While the JetBlue Premier’s welcome offer is more lucrative than the JetBlue Plus in terms of earning points, it requires five times the amount of spending throughout the same 90-day period and $400 more in annual fees to earn just 20,000 more points.

If you aren’t interested in spending a large amount on this card so quickly, it may not be the best choice.

Winner: JetBlue Premier. At the baseline, its welcome offer earns 70,000 points, which bests the JetBlue Plus by 20,000 points. That said, the extra spending required to earn the JetBlue Premier’s welcome offer may not be worth it for some.

JetBlue Plus vs. JetBlue Premier benefits

The JetBlue Plus and the JetBlue Premier share a host of perks, including a 5,000-point bonus on each card account anniversary (worth $68, per TPG’s February 2025 valuations), a 50% discount on inflight food and drink purchases made on JetBlue-operated flights and the first checked bag free for the cardholder and up to three companions on the same JetBlue-operated flight reservation.

Both cards also come with the World Elite Mastercard suite of protections and benefits, including a $5 Lyft credit once per month after taking at least three rides each month and cellphone protection in the event of a stolen or damaged device. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible, and coverage is limited to two claims every 12 months for up to $1,000.

Neither card charges a foreign transaction fee.

Woman looking at credit card while using a laptop — FRESHSPLASH/GETTY IMAGES

In terms of where these two differ, the JetBlue Premier extends its benefits list further than the lower-annual-fee JetBlue Plus. This makes sense, given that the JetBlue Premier charges $400 more in annual fees.

The JetBlue Plus Card does offer a small statement credit for $100 off a JetBlue Vacations package of $100 or more. This benefit alone completely offsets the JetBlue Plus’ $99 annual fee.

A similar benefit intended to help negate the JetBlue Premier Card’s high annual fee is a $300 annual statement credit for purchases made through Paisly, JetBlue’s travel portal. The credit is awarded in six $50 increments, and you must spend at least $250 in a single transaction to earn the credit. These stipulations add a barrier to maximizing the perk.

Among the JetBlue Premier’s top perks is its lounge access. JetBlue Premier cardholders will receive complimentary access to JetBlue’s recently announced lounges at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) for the cardholder and one additional guest.

JetBlue Airbus A220 Inaugural Flight Core Coach Zach Griff - 18 — ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

While the JFK lounge is set to open in late 2025, there are often delays in lounge opening plans, and the BOS lounge has yet to announce a target date. So, this key perk likely won’t be accessible for the majority of this year, and it’ll only truly benefit travelers who frequent New York and Boston.

You’ll also receive a Priority Pass Select membership, which allows cardholders to access more than 1,700 lounges in over 140 countries.

Notably, Thrifty Traveler reported that this membership will include Priority Pass restaurant access, per a Barclays representative. This is a noteworthy feature given that many premium competitors have eliminated Priority Pass restaurant access in previous years. The card’s terms and conditions, however, do not mention restaurant access, so this may be subject to change.

The cardholder and up to four travel companions receive Group A boarding on JetBlue-operated flights with the card, as well as a statement credit for up to $120 every four years for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee.

Winner: JetBlue Premier. It comes with more benefits than the JetBlue Plus, including lounge access and statement credits, albeit for a much higher annual fee.

Earning points with the JetBlue Plus vs. the JetBlue Premier

The earning rates on the JetBlue Plus Card and the JetBlue Premier Card are almost exactly the same.

With both cards, you’ll earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible JetBlue purchases, 2 points per dollar spent at restaurants and eligible grocery stores and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

When factoring in TPG’s February 2025 valuations, you’ll earn an 8.1% return on eligible spending with JetBlue, 2.7% back on purchases at restaurants and eligible grocery stores and 1.35% back on everything else.

JetBlue A321LR 2 Stock-1 — DAVID SLOTNICK/THE POINTS GUY

The JetBlue Premier has just one additional bonus category: 6 points per dollar spent on Paisly purchases. Otherwise, there are no opportunities to earn more with a card meant to be the most premium spending option for JetBlue loyalists.

Winner: JetBlue Plus. With the exception of Paisly purchases, its bonus categories are identical to the JetBlue Premier for $400 less in annual fees.

Redeeming points with the JetBlue Plus vs. the JetBlue Premier

The JetBlue Plus Card and the JetBlue Premier Card earn JetBlue TrueBlue points that don’t expire and can be used to book award tickets with no blackout dates. However, redemptions within the program are dynamic, which means award ticket prices vary from flight to flight and directly relate to a ticket’s cash rate.

If you use your points to book a JetBlue-operated flight, you’ll get 10% of your redeemed points back with either card.

JetBlue A321LR Mint Stock-1 — DAVID SLOTNICK/THE POINTS GUY

While you can obviously use your TrueBlue points to book flights with JetBlue, these points can also be used to book flights with JetBlue’s partner airlines. These airlines include Cape Air, Etihad Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Qatar Airways and TAP Air Portugal.

Other redemption options include charitable donations, a statement credit (up to $1,000 annually) and JetBlue Vacations packages. However, we recommend using your points for flights, as you’ll get the most value out of this choice.

If you want to redeem your points for a statement credit, a purchase must be at least $25 and made within the last 90 days. It costs 3,333 points to cover a $25 purchase, giving you a value of 0.75 cents per point.

One of our favorite TrueBlue redemption options is to use your points for a seat in JetBlue Mint business class. You could also find solid value in one-way economy tickets to cities across the U.S. Since JetBlue utilizes dynamic award pricing, your rates will vary depending on when and where you’re flying.

Winner: Tie. Both of these cards offer the same redemption options.

Should I get the JetBlue Plus or the JetBlue Premier?

The JetBlue Premier comes with a slightly more valuable welcome bonus, a few more perks and nearly identical earning rates for a significantly higher annual fee than the JetBlue Plus.

Unless you place a lot of value in the Paisly statement credits and lounge access benefits, I’d recommend saving $400 in annual fees to collect most of the same perks with the JetBlue Plus. Though the JetBlue Premier edges out the JetBlue Plus in certain categories, the overall value isn’t quite there for such a steep annual fee.

How to upgrade from the JetBlue Plus to the JetBlue Premier

If you’re interested in adding some premium perks to your JetBlue card, Barclays encourages current JetBlue Plus cardholders to log into their account and check for an upgrade offer. According to reports from Reddit users, Barclays typically doesn’t allow product changes via phone.

Note if you have or have previously had the JetBlue Plus Card, you aren’t eligible to receive the welcome bonus on the JetBlue Premier Card. However, an upgrade offer may provide some level of compensation for moving up to the brand-new premium option.

Bottom line

On the surface, the JetBlue Premier Card offers more benefits than the JetBlue Plus Card. Unfortunately, these are generally difficult to maximize, considering the card’s steep annual fee and the restrictions on the Paisly credit. You’ll get similar value for a much lower fee with the mid-tier JetBlue Plus Card, which offers more than enough for casual JetBlue flyers and the airline’s devotees.

Unless you’re willing to wait it out for the upcoming JetBlue lounges and wish to make regular $250 purchases with Paisly to collect all six annual statement credits, it’s hard to justify the JetBlue Premier over the JetBlue Plus in its current state.

To learn more, read our full reviews of the JetBlue Plus and the JetBlue Premier.