Reader Paul messaged me to ask whether he’s better off using the JetBlue Plus Card or American Express Platinum Card® for buying a JetBlue ticket.
In general the Amex Platinum Card is the all around best card for airfare purchases — the card offers 5x points on airfare purchased directly with airlines (on up to $500,000 of flight purchases per calendar year, and then 1x), which is a huge return. I value Membership Rewards points at ~1.7 cents each, so that’s the equivalent of an ~8.5% return. However, you can potentially get a lot more value out of Amex points that that.
Meanwhile the JetBlue Plus Card offers 6x points on JetBlue airfare purchases, which is the most points offered by any airline credit card for airfare purchases.
So, what’s better — 5x Amex Membership Rewards points or 6x JetBlue TrueBlue points?
Well, first of all, the math is a bit more complicated than that. If you have the JetBlue Plus Card you get a 10% refund when you redeem points. So in reality you’re earning the equivalent of ~6.6 TrueBlue points per dollar spent, when all is said and done.
Based on my latest post valuing points, I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, and JetBlue TrueBlue points at 1.3 cents each. So the return on the Amex Platinum Card is ~8.5%, while the return on the JetBlue Plus Card is ~8.58%.
With the return on both cards being roughly equal, what would the deciding factor in choosing between the cards be for me?
- Membership Rewards points are much more flexible, so all else being equal I’d choose a currency that gives you more options for how to redeem
- At the same time, if you’re someone who just wants to earn and redeem on JetBlue (there are plenty of people like that out there), then adding to your JetBlue balance with the JetBlue Plus Card can make sense
- Keep in mind you can redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for 1.5+ cents each towards the cost of a JetBlue ticket, though only if you also have The Business Platinum Card® from American Express on your airline of choice.
Bottom line
This is one of those situations where I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer. Both the Amex Platinum Card and JetBlue Plus Card offer a fantastic return on JetBlue spend, and I don’t think you can go wrong with either. Personally, I’d choose Membership Rewards points for the added flexibility, though there are others who will (justifiably) feel otherwise.
To JetBlue flyers — which card do you use for JetBlue purchases?
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