Flying on JetBlue for Free...from Hawaii?

A Round-About Way for Round Trip Airfare

It's no big secret that JetBlue is the 'little' guy of the airline industry. It isn't a part of any major alliance, and in fact just lost some of its point sharing benefits with American Airlines. But that doesn't mean it doesn't still have a few tricks up its sleeves - one of which is the Hawaiin Airlines partnership. You'll be hard pressed to see any blogger or churning touting the Hawaiian credit card, but if you're looking to fly JetBlue, it isn't a bad deal.

How the Program Works

In an unusual setup, Hawaiian Airlines gives a general guideline to how redeeming miles to JretBlue works, but does not actual transfer them. The Hawaiian website provides a chart giving the estimated cash value that increments of miles count towards JetBlue flights,but to get the actual redemption value you need to call into the Hawaiian Miles Service Center (1-877-HA-MILES) to book your JetBlue flight using your miles. The below chart may serve as a guideline for the value to expect, but I have yet to bok a flight using this method and so cannot verify the process personally.

To compare the value to TrueBlue points, instead of just monetary worth, we can use a trip from JFK to SFO. The flight is on a Friday, because I wanted to to get close to the $339 value category on the Hawaiian chart. This is relevant for the 35,000 miles you get as a bonus from the credit card (to be covered later).

 This flight costs 23,000 TrueBlue points, meanijg that Hawaiian Airline miles are valued at about 2/3 of a TrueBlue point for redemption. However, for the true worth of these transfers the credit card offer needs to be looked at.

Hawaiian Airlines Barlcay Card

This card offers 35,000 Hawaiian Airlines miles as a signup bonus for spending $1,000 in the first three months after receiving the card. As noted earlier, this can be redeemed for flights on JetBlue that vary from $260-$339 in worth.

The catch here is that the annual fee is not waived for the first year. If we factor in the $90 annual fee, then the value decreases down to $242 for 35,000 Hawaiian miles for our flight example above. This still puts it within the 35,000 mile range on the chart, but basically any worth is brought down by close to $100 thanks to the fee. While this isn't the best deal out there, it's one of the few opportunities to get be able to use other miles to book with JetBlue. Other than using a generic travel card to book rewards with (a la Barclay Arrival or Chase Sapphire Preferred), JetBlue has rare opportunities such as this.

Final Remarks

While the lack of annual fee waiving is a disappointment, you're still coming out on top with at least $200 in free JetBlue travel. With a low bonus requirement, it shouldn't be too much of a pain to get the miles either, but I don't think this one is high on anyone's list.

 - John 

Is the New EveryDay℠ Card from American Express Useful?

The New Amex EveryDay℠ Card

A little earlier than anticipated, American Express has just released a new card that eschews its classic approach to card holders. The new card is a combination of both the newer direction Amex has been going in with the Blue Cash cards and also the traditional membership rewards program that it is famous and well regarded for.

So is the card worth it for everyday spending? For churning? Paying attention to at all when it comes to JetBlue? The answer isn't so simple.

What's New with JetBlue - March 25

Additional codeshares, an overall services review, a new store at the T5 Terminal, and a story of amazing customer service this week from JetBlue.

Amex Sign Up Bonus Restrictions

One Time Use for Signup Rewards

Word on the street is that come May 1, 2014, American Express will limit the bonuses of each of its card to one per lifetime. Previously, you needed to wait 365 days before signing up again for the same card you had cancelled before. According to rumors, in addition to this restriction you will be ineligible to get the bonus points/miles for any Amex past the first time you get a card.

What's New with JetBlue - March 21

New Routes, New Ways to Give Back

While it is great news that JetBlue now offers flights to Detroit, what is really special is how they made an impact on the community as they began to touch down for the first time. Partnering with the nonprofit First Book, JetBlue went to one of the lowest performing schools in Michigan and donated over 1,000 books, 30 laptops, and an afternoon of time by its pilots and employees to help give children a better shot to improve their education and lives. A great video and a great gesture.

Mosaic Challenge - Earn Free Mosaic Status through 2015

Will You Rise to the Occasion?

Wow! JetBlue has really gone and outdone themselves this time. While many airlines and hotel reward programs will offer matching, i.e. if you're mega ultra platinum on airline A you can get a similar or equivalent status on airline B. This makes a lot of sense in the travel world which is forever becoming more competitive. 

Did You Get the Bloom Badge?

 

Finally, the Bloom Badge!

Well it certainly was nice to get the FTD points added to my TrueBlue account just days after my purchase for Valentine's day, but the badge...that took some time. I waited over a month before contacting JetBlue about my lack of badge. And what did they have to say about it?

The End of American Airlines Partnership with JetBlue

An End to Extra Points

This week American Airlines and JetBlue announced the end of their partnership program, wherein flyers could earn TrueBlue points for certain flights on American Airlines and vice versa. The program was largely a great bonus for those who flew from JFK to Spain or other European countries directly, since JetBlue does not offer those routes. This chance to earn TrueBlue points was a fantastic opportunity - but now it's over.

What's New With JetBlue - March 11

This Week With JetBlue...

This week, JetBlue adds new flights, cancels a partnership with another airline, and throws a curveball at a flight that until now Delta has had a monopoly on:

What's New with JetBlue - March 3

More Storms, Kudos, and Deals

Forbes honors JetBlue's Chief Marketing Officer, Marty St. George, by putting him in the running for the Cojones Awards, acknowledging the great message that JetBlue delivers and communicates when it comes to offering great value to customers for a great price.

Marriott Points

Best Earning Strategy for Marriott Rewards

One of JetBlue's partners is the Marriott hotel chain. You can earn TrueBlue points 
instead of Marriott reward points when staying at any of the branded Marriott hotels. Once you add your TrueBlue number to your Marriott account and set your preferences, points will automatically be deposited into your account with Jet blue. There are some details to 
the partnership which may not be obvious at first, so be sure to be mindful when using 
the partnership to cross-earn points.