One of the best reasons to accrue Chase Ultimate Rewards is transferring those points to airline and hotel partners. One of the most overlooked transfer partners is JetBlue. However, with JetBlue announcing flights to Europe that include it's highly-regarded Mint business class, JetBlue is back in the spotlight.
Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to Partners
Points transfers to Chase partners are only possible if you (or someone in your household) hold one of these cards:
Also, once you have one of the cards above, you can also earn transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards with any of these cards:
- Chase Freedom Flex
- Chase Freedom Unlimited
- Chase Ink Business Cash
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited
- any former versions of these cards (Chase Freedom, Chase Ink Business Plus, etc.)
Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners
Chase Ultimate Rewards has 11 airline partners and 3 hotel partners:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Canada (coming “late 2021”)
- British Airways
- Emirates
- Flying Blue (KLM/Air France)
- Iberia
- JetBlue
- Singapore Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- United Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Hyatt
- IHG
- Marriott
Transferring to JetBlue
To transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards to JetBlue, you can follow the steps in our transfer guide. The points transfer is usually instant, so you will not have to wait to book the award ticket you want. If you don't have enough Ultimate Rewards for your flight, JetBlue is a transfer partner of Citi Thank You points as well. Also, JetBlue has credit cards issued by Bank of America. However, it is easier to accrue JetBlue miles with Ultimate Rewards-earning cards.
Finally, it is a good idea to go through and set up accounts for all the transfer partners, regardless of if you think you will use them. You never know when you may need to make a quick transfer and booking.
Things to Know About JetBlue
JetBlue miles are called TrueBlue points. They are valued anywhere between 1.1-1.3 cents per point. This means 10,000 JetBlue points are valued at around $130 maximum. This actually means that in many cases the case could be made for using Chase Pay Yourself Back. With this feature you could essentially cash out Chase Ultimate Rewards at a minimum of 1.25 cents each with the Chase Sapphire Preferred or 1.5 cents each with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. You then book the flight you want direct with JetBlue and use the PYB money to offset the cost of the flight. The Chase portal is another option, however, I prefer to book direct when possible.
JetBlue, like many other carriers, has various levels of booking. Their booking levels start at their version of basic economy (Blue Basic) all the way up to Mint.
Many people do rave about the JetBlue Mint Service which is JetBlue's version of Business Class and includes lie-flat seating. This can be found on many transcontinental routes.
JetBlue Redemption Sweet Spots
With less value than some other Chase transfer partners and flexibility among their partners, JetBlue can provide some value when it has fare sales. Sometimes, JetBlue will have a fare sale to include Mint seating, which is a great time to try it.
East Coast Sweet Spots
JetBlue though, for those located on the East Coast, can provide easy access to Florida and the Caribbean. I found flights non-stop from New York to Puerto Rico starting at just 6,300 Points. The cash rate was $84 putting it at about 1.3 cents per point value.
I also stumbled upon this great Jamaica roundtrip fare as well. While just over $360 cash, you could book with just 13,400 points plus taxes making your value 1.6.
West Coast Sweet Spot
You never know when searching fares what you might find. If I wanted to splurge and try Mint service, I found an interesting anomaly. If I flew to New York from Seattle, Mint service is $536 or 48,000 TruBlue points. However, for only $88 more, I could pay $624 and fly that same Mint route to New York before continuing on to Saint Thomas, USVI. Some may not splurge for that experience, but I can make a long day of flying more pleasurable with lie flat seating for the largest portion of the flight.
Final Thoughts
A final reminder that you can always redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards for 1.25 cents per point (Chase Sapphire Preferred) or 1.5 cents per point (Chase Sapphire Reserve) through the Chase travel portal. You can also cash out via Chase Pay Yourself Back and pay cash. In many instances, doing so will give you more value than transferring directly to JetBlue. Finally, transfer partners can offer much greater value from your Ultimate Rewards in many cases. However with JetBlue you need to look closer to see what your best value is. What are your thoughts on JetBlue? Have you flown JetBlue Mint? Come over to our Facebook group and let us know.
