Barclays JetBlue Premier Card Refresh
When Barclays rolled out the JetBlue Premier Card last year, we deemed it a clunker. The team behind the card seems to have heard that resounding feedback, announcing that the card would get a revamp earlier this spring. The refreshed version of the JetBlue Premier World Elite Mastercard® launched this week with several improvements. Along with an increased 100K welcome offer, cardholders will get an easier-to-use $300 travel portal credit, a 25-tile bonus toward status, a 15% rebate on award flights, and the ability to spend toward single-use Companion Pass statement credits. This is still an over 5/24 card, but it might make a little more sense for regular JetBlue travelers. Let's look at the Barclays JetBlue Premier Card refresh. Photos courtesy JetBlue.
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Welcome Offer
Welcome offers for this card have previously hovered between 70,000-80,000 points, and that has been increased with this relaunch. Here are the details on the current limited-time welcome offer for the Barclays JetBlue Premier card refresh:
- Earn 100,000 TrueBlue® points after spending $5,000 and paying the annual fee in the first 3 months.
- The $499 annual fee is NOT waived and must be paid within the first 90 days.
- $150 for each authorized user
- The offer is available to new Barclays JetBlue Premier applicants, and Frequent Miler reports that those who hold a different JetBlue card are now eligible for this welcome offer.
- Direct Link
We value JetBlue points around 1.2-1.3 cents per point, making this welcome offer worth around $1,300.
Card Earning Structure
The original earning structure is largely unchanged with the Barclays JetBlue Premier card refresh:
- 6x points on all eligible purchases at JetBlue
- 2x points on purchases at
- Restaurants
- Eligible grocery stores
- 1x on all other purchases
Barclays JetBlue Premier Card Perks
With the Barclays JetBlue Premier card refresh, the $499 annual fee now affords the following benefits. The first 5 items are either new or modified perks:
- Up to $300 in annual statement credits for purchases through TrueBlue Travel™: Previously awarded in $50 increments for every $250 purchase, this perk has been made much easier to use. Treat it as a straightforward credit similar for purchasing portal car rentals, hotels, cruises and more. Remember that using these credits require portal bookings and those can be highly problematic.
- 25-tile bonus toward status: Cardmembers will be awarded a 25-tile bonus after the beginning of each calendar year. This iis halfway to Mosaic 1 status. (The former benefit was 1 tile earned for every $1,000 in eligible spend.)
- 15% redemption rebate: Get 15% TrueBlue ® points back on award flight redemptions on both JetBlue and partner flights. This was previously a 10% rebate and only for JetBlue flights, not partners.
- Companion Pass statement credits: Earn up to $2,000 in companion pass statement credits after eligible purchases in a calendar year.
- Earn a one-time-use companion pass statement credit of up to $500 after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases.
- Earn an additional single-use companion pass statement credit of up to $1,500 after spending $75,000.
- Passes will be available for use within 6-8 weeks following the date the qualifying spend threshold is met. The statement credits will then be issued another 6-8 weeks after travel, toward the base fare only of the first companion. Taxes, fees and ancillary charges are excluded.
- ClassPass credits: Enroll to receive up to 14 monthly credits for fitness classes and wellness experiences at participating studios, spas, salons and gyms.
- JetBlue Lounge Access Access: For the primary cardholder and authorized users, and each can bring one complimentary guest. Those traveling on Blue Basic Fares will NOT be eligible for entry. There is currently a lounge open at JFK, with one set to open in BOS later this summer. Learn more about JetBlue lounges here.
- Priority Pass Select Membership: Cardholders and authorized users each get their own membership. One guest permitted. This version of the membership does include restaurants, as reported by Upgraded Points.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Up to $120 application fee statement credit every 4 years
- Other perks on JetBlue flights: 50% off in-flight purchases; Group 3 boarding; and free first checked bag for you and up to 3 eligible travel companions.
- Yearly points Rebate: Earn 5,000 bonus points each year after your JetBlue Premier Card account anniversary.
- Points Payback: Redeem points for a statement credit.
- No foreign transaction fees.
Barclays JetBlue Premier Card Details: ToP Thoughts
While the old version of the card was difficult to justify, the Barclays JetBlue Premier Card refresh makes it much more palatable. The $300 travel credit should function more like the one on the Capital One Venture X cards, making it a little easier to knock out part of the $499 annual fee. The Companion Passes will grab a lot of people's attention, but keep in mind they are single-use, spend-based and may take several weeks to post after earning and then using them. The other perks toward status and award flight rebates could pair nicely with the 100,000-mile signup offer. We like to say to card's annual fee is always worth it in the first year, but remember this one is a hard pass unless you're over 5/24. What do you think of the Barclays JetBlue Premier Card refresh? Let us know your thoughts over in the ToP Facebook Group.
