JetBlue Revamps Frequent Flier Program

We’re not a hoarder of frequent flier miles. We have them, of course. But, we’ve never been aggressive about it. The credit-card programs only seem to devalue the miles or points in these systems.

JetBlue, however, has made several improvements to its frequent flier program. TrueBlue had some serious limitations under the old system. For one, the best way to maximize its value was a JetBlue American Express card. The points expired at the end of the year, regardless of use. As Upgrade Travel put it, it made the accrual of points…and loyalty…pointless. Now, under the revamped program, using their Amex card or flying will add a year to their lifespan. It encourages loyalty, rather than discouraging it.

The new program also makes point accumulation proportional to the fare, as opposed to the flight distance. This ultimately makes more sense for them. The more money you spend, the more rewards you get. It would be 3 points per dollar spent, 6 if purchased on the JetBlue website, taxes excluded.

The second part of the program are the bonuses. The Go Big Bonus rewards those who spend a lot. Reach 3,000 points and get a 500 point bonus, and so on. And the Go Long Bonus, which rewards frequent long-haul fliers. If you take 5 roundtrip flights over 2000 miles, you get a 10,000 point bonus.

For redemption, it offers some great features. No blackout dates, and last-seat availabiity(essentially, if the seat is there, you get it.), and one-way awards.

The Cranky Flier points out that the system is much more complicated than it needs to be. he had a lot of trouble breaking it down into simple pieces.