JetBlue Premier Card review: Shiny on the outside, dull on the inside

JetBlue Premier Card overview

The JetBlue Premier Card is JetBlue and Barclays’ contribution to the growing premium airline cobranded card market. However, it falls far short of the mark with a steep annual fee, lackluster perks and disappointing earning rates. Even JetBlue loyalists may be better off with a different premium card — at least, for now. Card rating*: ⭐⭐

*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

There is strong demand for premium cards these days, so issuers must be ready to offer an outstanding product to compete.

A premium Alaska Airlines card is scheduled for arrival in mid-2025, and rumors of the relaunch of a top-tier Citi card are on the horizon. So, Barclays and JetBlue needed to hit a grand slam with their JetBlue Premier Card to turn heads.

Typically, I can see the purpose of applying for a carrier’s premium credit card if you’re an airline loyalist or frequent traveler. However, I believe that even die-hard JetBlue fans should seriously question if the JetBlue Premier is really the right product for them — at least, until the end of 2025.

If this card interests you, we recommend a credit score of 700 or higher before applying. The card has a $499 annual fee.

Let’s get into what makes this card somewhat hard to recommend.

The information for the JetBlue Premier Card 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 Premier pros and cons

JetBlue Premier welcome offer

New JetBlue Premier cardholders can earn 70,000 bonus points and five “tiles” toward Mosaic elite status after spending $5,000 in the first three months of account opening.

TPG’s February 2025 valuations peg JetBlue points at 1.35 cents per point. That means the bonus points from this welcome offer are worth $945.

Considering new cardholders can earn just 20,000 more points with this card’s offer as opposed to the current welcome offer on the significantly cheaper JetBlue Plus Card, I don’t believe this welcome offer is anything extraordinary.

The five bonus Mosaic tiles are nice, but even big JetBlue fans may not spend enough in a year to get close to the 50 tiles needed for Mosaic status.

It’s important to note that those who currently hold or previously held the JetBlue Plus Card are not eligible for this card’s welcome offer. If you have a JetBlue Plus Card and want to upgrade, you can contact Barclays and request a product change instead of canceling your JetBlue Plus.

Barclays, like other issuers, will consider your entire credit profile when deciding whether to approve your application. You will likely not be able to get approved for multiple Barclays-issued cards on the same day.

Barclays may also look at how much you’ve spent on any existing Barclays cards. If you have a card open with Barclays, we recommend increasing your spending on it to raise your chances for approval.

Related: The ultimate guide to credit card application restrictions

The information for the JetBlue Plus Card 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 Premier benefits

You’ll want to ensure you can get enough value from the benefits of the JetBlue Premier to justify its high $499 annual fee, so let’s run through them:

• Priority Pass Select membership: This provides cardholders with access to over 1,700 lounges worldwide. Interestingly, Thrifty Traveler reported that a Barclays representative confirmed that Priority Pass restaurant access will be included with this membership. That makes it stand out against premium competitors, most of which have dropped their Priority Pass restaurant access in recent years; note, however, that the terms and conditions for this card do not contain any mention of restaurant access, so this may be subject to change.
• Up to $300 each year for Paisly purchases: Cardholders will receive a $50 statement credit after making an eligible purchase of $250 or more through Paisly, JetBlue’s travel portal; they can receive up to six $50 statement credits per year.
• JetBlue-oriented benefits: Cardholders will receive priority boarding, a first checked bag free on JetBlue-operated flights when their ticket is purchased with this card and a 50% discount on eligible inflight purchases.
• JetBlue lounge access: Once JetBlue’s branded lounges open, cardholders will enjoy complimentary access.
• Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit: Cardholders can receive up to $120 as a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years.
• 5,000 bonus points after each account anniversary: According to TPG’s February 2025 valuations, these are worth $68.
• A 10% points rebate on JetBlue-operated award flights

Most cardholders will find the Paisly statement credit difficult to fully utilize. That’s because you need to spend at least $250 each time just to get each of the six $50 statement credits. So, you’d need to spend at least $1,500 each year to earn the full $300 credit, which is a lot of effort and forgoes more rewards you could earn by using a higher-earning travel rewards card.

JetBlue lounge access is a plus, but it doesn’t do much for the card right now, given only two lounges have been announced. The carrier plans to open lounges at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) sometime in late 2025.

In the meantime, as mentioned above, cardholders can still enjoy access to Priority Pass’ network of over 1,700 lounges across more than 140 countries.

Priority Pass restaurant access is a valuable perk, but you need to visit Priority Pass restaurants several times a year to get enough value out of this card’s annual fee. Typically, you’ll receive a credit of $28 to $30 for a Priority Pass restaurant, meaning you’d need to make more than 16 visits to offset the card’s annual fee.

If a lot of the card’s other benefits sound familiar to you, that’s probably because they’re virtually the same as those offered on the mid-tier JetBlue Plus. Your first checked bag free, a points rebate on JetBlue-operated award flights, savings on inflight purchases and the anniversary bonus points are all benefits that the JetBlue Plus Card has.

I don’t see much of a reason to pay $400 more each year for Priority Pass and a hard-to-use statement credit. Even ignoring the similarities with the JetBlue Plus, it will likely be difficult for cardholders to get enough value out of this card’s benefits to justify the annual fee year after year.

Earning points on the JetBlue Premier

The JetBlue Premier Card earns at the following rates:

• 6 points per dollar spent on eligible JetBlue and Paisly purchases
• 2 points per dollar spent on restaurant and grocery purchases
• 1 point per dollar spent on everything else

Sounding familiar? These are the same earning categories we see on the JetBlue Plus, with the exception of bonus-earning on Paisly purchases.

At the very least, this card could’ve offered 8 points per dollar spent on JetBlue purchases and 3 points per dollar spent on restaurants and groceries. Adding a gas category would’ve been nice, too.

Based on TPG’s February 2025 valuations, you’ll earn 8.1% back on JetBlue and Paisly purchases, 2.7% back on restaurants and grocery stores and 1.4% back on all other purchases.

Redeeming points on the JetBlue Premier

JetBlue TrueBlue points can be redeemed for:

• JetBlue and partner airline flights
• JetBlue Vacations packages
• Charitable donations
• A statement credit

We recommend redeeming your points for flights, as that will net you the most value. Aside from redeeming your points for JetBlue flights, you can use your points to book flights with:

• Cape Air
• Etihad Airways
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Qatar Airways
• TAP Air Portugal

A great way to use TrueBlue points is to book domestic economy flights on JetBlue. For example, you can book a one-way economy flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to JFK from just 7,400 points or from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to JFK from as low as 9,300 points.

There are great deals to be had when booking with partner airlines, too. You can find a one-way economy flight on Hawaiian Airlines from LAX to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) from 20,000 TrueBlue points.

If you want to use your points for a statement credit, you can only do so for purchases totaling $25 or more per purchase made within the last 90 days. However, using your points for redemptions other than flights will net less than 1 cent per point in value.

For example, you’ll need 3,333 points to cover a $25 purchase, netting a 0.75 per point valuation. We aim to redeem airline points or miles for at least 1 cent per point or mile in value, so this isn’t a high-value redemption option.

Which cards compete with the JetBlue Premier?

Several competing cards provide better value than the JetBlue Premier:

• If you want more travel perks: The annual fee on The Platinum Card® from American Express is almost $200 higher (see rates and fees) than the JetBlue Premier’s. However, it has more benefits like elite status with Hilton and Marriott, valuable statement credits and more extensive lounge access. Plus, the points you earn on this card can be transferred to JetBlue or any of American Express’ 20 other airline and hotel partners. To learn more, check out our full review of the Amex Platinum.
• If you want a cheaper JetBlue card: The JetBlue Plus offers many of the same perks as the JetBlue Premier Card. Since the JetBlue Plus Card has an affordable $99 annual fee, it’s a great option for both semifrequent and frequent JetBlue flyers. To learn more, check out our full review of the JetBlue Plus Card.
• If you don’t want to pay an annual fee: The no-annual-fee JetBlue Card is the best choice for JetBlue fans who only fly the airline once or twice a year. The card still offers some solid perks for JetBlue flyers, including an inflight discount and bonus points on JetBlue purchases. To learn more, check out our full review of the JetBlue Card.

For additional options, check out our picks for the best airline cards.

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

Related: How to choose an airline credit card

Is the JetBlue Premier worth it?

I recommend most people apply for the JetBlue Plus instead of the JetBlue Premier. This card isn’t worth it in its current state unless you’re the biggest JetBlue fan around or you need Priority Pass restaurant access. Its Paisly statement credit is hard to use, JetBlue’s planned lounges aren’t open yet and many of this card’s perks can be found on the cheaper JetBlue Plus Card.

Bottom line

I wish I could recommend this card to a wider demographic. However, too many prospective cardholders will have a hard time justifying the $499 annual fee. That value proposition may change once JetBlue opens its lounges in late 2025.

The bright side is that there are many other premium cards out there that can meet your financial and travel goals. Even if you rarely fly with any carrier but JetBlue, some top-tier travel cards can still provide great value. Cards like the Amex Platinum and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offer perks that can fit many travelers’ needs — JetBlue fans included.

Related: Are premium credit cards worth the annual fee?

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here.