Credit Card News
JetBlue Launches Premier Credit Card with $499 Annual Fee
Having previously announced plans to introduce a premium travel card, today, JetBlue officially announced their latest product.
About the JetBlue Premier Card:
JetBlue in partnership with Barclays has launched the new JetBlue Premier World Elite Mastercard. This card joins the airline’s co-branded consumer credit card line-up, which also includes the no-annual-fee JetBlue card and the $99 annual fee JetBlue Plus card.
The JetBlue Premier card carries a $499 annual fee. Additionally, authorized users can be added to an account for a fee of $150 each. However, for that rate, cardholders can enjoy a number of perks and benefits.
First, the JetBlue Premier allows cardholders and one guest to enjoy complimentary access to JetBlue lounges. While none of these lounges are currently open, the first is set to debut at JFK late this year followed by another at BOS afterward. However, in addition to JetBlue lounges, cardholders will be able to access more than 1,500 other locations via Priority Pass.
Next, to help offset the annual fee, cardholders will earn up to $300 per year in statement credits for Paisly travel purchases. Specifically, customers will earn a $50 credit for each qualifying purchase of $250 or more. This can be redeemed up to six times per calendar year, for a total of $300 back. As for other credits, Premier cardholders can earn a statement credit on Global Entry of TSA PreCheck applications (up to $120) once every four years.
In terms of other perks, JetBlue Premier customers and up to four eligible travel companions are entitled to Group A priority boarding, while the primary cardholders and up to three companions also get their first checked back free (when they book the flight using their Premier card). Cardholders also enjoy 50% discounts on in-flight food and drink.
When it comes to rewards, the JetBlue Premier card earns 6x points on JetBlue and Paisly purchases. Additionally, it earns 2x at restaurants, 2x at eligible grocery stores, and 1x on all other purchases. Plus, Premier customers can work their way closer to Mosaic status, earning 1 Tile for every $1,000 spent on the card.
Lastly, rounding out the perks of the Premier card, customers can get 10% of their points redeemed for JetBlue flights back. Additionally, each cardholder anniversary year, customers will earn 5,000 bonus points when they renew.
What they’re saying:
Commenting on the new card, JetBlue’s VP of loyalty and partnerships Chris Buckner said, “Adding products and perks our customers want is a key part of our JetForward plan, and we couldn’t be more excited to introduce the JetBlue Premier Card. As our first-ever premium credit card, designed with input from our customers and most loyal Mosaic members, it builds on the perks of our TrueBlue and Mosaic programs to deliver more benefits both on the ground and in the air.”
He added, “With features crafted to compete with other top-tier travel cards, the Premier Card gives JetBlue fans more reasons to love our award-winning experience, while earning extra points and enjoying exclusive benefits before takeoff.”
My thoughts:
Having never flown JetBlue, the new Premier card is already a no-go for me personally. However, even if I was a regular flyer, I see some flaws with this product. The first is with the Paisly credit. While most premium credit cards feature a relatively easy-to-use travel credit, it seems JetBlue has gone out of its way to make this particular credit hard to use. Not only is it capped at $50 per purchase but also requires customers to spend $250 each time in order to claim that credit. By comparison, something like the Capital One Venture X (which is already cheaper than the JetBlue Premier at $395) has a $300 travel credit, with the only requirement being that you need to book via Capital One Travel.
The other problem with this card is JetBlue’s lounge network has not even been built yet. Sure, the card does throw in a Priority Pass, but I don’t think that this card will justify its annual fee until several JetBlue lounges are available (which will be quite some time).
That said, the priority boarding, free first checked back, and in-flight discount perks are nice. Still, I think you’d have to really be a JetBlue die-hard to make this card make sense financially.
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