It’s an exciting day for JetBlue. The airline has just announced plans to open airport lounges, which is something that has been rumored for years. The lounges will open in New York (JFK) and Boston (BOS), starting in late 2025.
As part of this announcement, JetBlue has revealed one other important detail, which I figure is worth covering separately.
In this post:
What we know about JetBlue’s new premium credit card
JetBlue has co-branded cards issued by Barclays, and currently the company’s portfolio consists of three cards — there are $99 annual fee personal and business cards, plus a no annual fee personal card. Soon that portfolio will be expanded, with the addition of a fourth card.
So far, JetBlue has revealed very little about its new credit card, other than to say that details will be announced soon, and that it will offer access to JetBlue’s new airport lounges. Premium credit cards have of course become incredibly popular nowadays, and they come in a couple of primary forms:
- There are premium credit cards earning transferable points currencies, like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review), Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review), etc.
- There are premium co-branded credit cards issued in partnership with airlines, like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (review), Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card (review), etc.
While all of the “big three” US carriers have premium co-branded credit cards, we haven’t yet seen such a card from a smaller US airline, so JetBlue will be the smallest US airline to have a premium card like this. Along similar lines, the only premium airline credit card we’ve seen issued by Barclays is the co-branded Emirates product.
What I’m expecting from JetBlue’s premium credit card
JetBlue has a cool opportunity with introducing a premium card. JetBlue is increasingly positioning itself as a premium leisure airline in the Northeast, going up directly against Delta in many markets. JetBlue is definitely the underdog, so the airline has the chance to create a product that not only directly generates revenue, but that fosters more loyalty (and business) for the airline.
Realistically speaking, here’s my expectation (beyond the lounge access perk that we know is coming):
- Presumably the annual fee will be in the range of $500-700, which is what pricing is for other premium airline co-branded credit cards
- JetBlue’s current $99 annual fee cards offer 6x points on JetBlue spending, which is among the best return on airline spending of any credit card; hopefully the premium card has an even better rewards structure on those purchases
- JetBlue’s current cards offer one tile per $100 spent, meaning that earning Mosaic 1 requires $50,000 of spending, while earning Mosaic 4 requires $250,000 of spending; I’d hope the new card earns qualifying activity at a faster pace, maybe at the rate of one tile per $50 spent
- JetBlue’s current $99 cards offer 5,000 anniversary bonus points, so hopefully the premium card offers even more bonus points
- Hopefully the card offers additional perks just for being a cardmember, beyond Mosaic elite perks; maybe this could come in the form of a one “tier” upgrade within Mosaic elite ranks, or just Even More Space seats at no cost at check-in, subject to availability
- While it seems likely that a Priority Pass membership is included, personally I’d rather see JetBlue and Barclays invest in the product in different ways, and not bother with that
We’ll see how this plays out, but those are just some thoughts and predictions, and I’d love to hear what y’all think.
Bottom line
JetBlue plans to introduce a new premium credit card in the near future. Details about what we can expect are limited, other than the card offering access to JetBlue’s new lounge network. Only time will tell how this plays out, though this seems like a good opportunity for JetBlue to increase loyalty among passengers.
What are you expecting from JetBlue’s new premium credit card?
I hope they think outside the box. I don't need my 5th priority pass and tsa precheck memberships. And I hope they don't make me do monthly credit back homework.
Didn’t JetBlue have a credit card through American Express at one time?
Yes. They used to have a partnership. It ended in 2015.
Barclays doesn’t have the same strong presence in the U.S. as institutions like American Express or Chase, especially when it comes to premium travel and co-branded credit card offerings. So, I’m curious how Barclays and JetBlue plan to make their likely higher annual fee (AF) card valuable.
Regarding the AF, I’m concerned about how high it might be. For JetBlue’s current Plus card, the $99 AF with 6x points per dollar (PPD) is a fair...
Barclays doesn’t have the same strong presence in the U.S. as institutions like American Express or Chase, especially when it comes to premium travel and co-branded credit card offerings. So, I’m curious how Barclays and JetBlue plan to make their likely higher annual fee (AF) card valuable.
Regarding the AF, I’m concerned about how high it might be. For JetBlue’s current Plus card, the $99 AF with 6x points per dollar (PPD) is a fair trade. One of the perks hinted at for the new premium card is lounge access, but JetBlue has only confirmed two planned lounges so far—one at NYC’s JFK and the other at Boston Logan. Does this mean they’ll never open more lounges? It’s too early to say for sure, but given JetBlue's fluctuating financials, I’m starting to question my level of investment in this airline.
For now, let’s assume there will only be those two lounges. I don’t know much about other airlines’ lounge offerings, but if the AF lands in the $500-700 range and lounge access is the only major perk, it’s going to be a hard pass from me, dawg. I currently have the Amex Platinum, which still provides a lot of value through its range of benefits—bonuses, discounts, free memberships, rebates, etc.—despite recent cuts (like lounge access). Typically, with super-premium AF cards like the Amex Platinum, I expect broader lounge access. However, maybe JetBlue’s strategy is to limit access to control crowding, catering to only the most loyal “Jetbluvians” who might not always fly in Mint class but still want exclusive perks.
Long story short, I’d prefer to see an AF in the $250-400 range to justify having just two lounges. However, if there are other enticing perks—such as reduced tile earning thresholds (as mentioned in the article, possibly down to $50 per tile), or the premium card offering a faster route to Mosaic status—this could change my perspective. During the COVID-19 era, JetBlue offered a 50% spend qualification threshold for status, and a similar approach here would be appealing. An increase in PPD would also be interesting, but what would be realistic? 12x PPD? 50x PPD? Perhaps even a unique perk, like a one-time annual coupon that boosts the PPD to 100 points on a major purchase or trip, or reserving more space seats for free on one booking regardless of how far in advance? And some more flexibility with points overall would be nice. These are just a few ideas.
How about leveraging its partnerships to make its miles craveable? Like. Duh.
NYC centric and questionable given the Mosaic perk was cut, but Blade credits would make sense.
That or some form of Blade/JSX/Private Suite credit or perks. That would likely be of some value to higher value NYC, LA, South Florida. Not sure what could be added to appeal more to the Boston-based.
United offers two annual lounge passes with the $99 Explorer card. Plus 1 free carry on for you and guest, $100 credit for global entry, priority boarding and flights to Aruba out of EWR… JetBlue is not the best card… United Explorer card has it beat! Im not a mint customer so this has nothing to offer me and most customers.
Why are they limiting access to only Mint passengers flying overseas? I get the annual fee for the new card but access should be Mosaic 2 level at least.
Will the Amex Plat include such access?
I am very concerned about their loss of gates at LAX and/or terminating flights. It was a shame a LGB after what jetblue did for the area, but we should also stay focused ont he west coast - there are a lot of travel opportunies there and LAX should alos have a lounge.
Besides lounge size, I think it's because B6 has a lot of Mint transcons from JFK/BOS and also Mint routes to the Caribbean. So restricting it to trans-atlantic means more exclusivity (only a few flights per day from each hub) and also a simpler access policy.
I'm sort of excited by this. I like flying JetBlue, and the current co-branded card is reasonably attractive. JFK T5 is a bit of an island (and is very busy), so having lounge access would be appealing there. it is a fantastic terminal for arrivals, as it is designed to get you curbside quickly from any gate (though Airlink is a bit of a hike). Right now, chasing status through card spend is not that...
I'm sort of excited by this. I like flying JetBlue, and the current co-branded card is reasonably attractive. JFK T5 is a bit of an island (and is very busy), so having lounge access would be appealing there. it is a fantastic terminal for arrivals, as it is designed to get you curbside quickly from any gate (though Airlink is a bit of a hike). Right now, chasing status through card spend is not that appealing, but maybe that could change? We will see.
I still think that the increased links with BA and AAs interest in reviving some version of the Northeast Alliance point toward an eventual OneWorld application. The addition of domestic first ("mini-mint") for product consistency and now the addition of lounges also seems commensurate with this aim. Yes, they want to be a premium leisure airline, but also I imagine they want more substantial feed as last-leg carriers on the east coast/caribbean from BA, IB, QR, and the rest. AA has some of these routes, but so many of them require additional connections in PHL, CLT, or MIA to be attractive.