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JetBlue doesn’t belong to a major airline alliance, but it partners with several international carriers. That means you can redeem TrueBlue points for flights on these partners — often for better value than you'd get on JetBlue’s own flights.
The airline's partner roster has changed significantly in recent years, making it harder to keep track of redemption options. But we're here to help you figure out how many TrueBlue points you'll need for flights on partners such as Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Icelandair, China Airlines, and Condor. Let’s dive in!
How JetBlue's TrueBlue Program Works
JetBlue’s TrueBlue program is mostly revenue-based, meaning award prices generally track the cash cost of a flight. On average, AwardWallet users have redeemed JetBlue points for about 1.24¢ each.
However, JetBlue uses fixed distance-based redemption rates for partner awards. In some cases, this can provide significantly more value than redeeming points for JetBlue-operated flights.
Related: How To Redeem JetBlue Points for Maximum Value
JetBlue award chart for Qatar Airways
While JetBlue doesn’t publish an official award chart for Qatar Airways, we’ve pieced one together to show typical pricing for flights from the U.S. to Doha (DOH) and beyond:
| Between the U.S. and: | Economy | Business Class |
|---|---|---|
| Doha | 39,000-44,900 | 90,000-98,000 |
| Middle East (e.g., Muscat, Dubai) | 46,000-53,000 | 114,900-122,900 |
| India (e.g., Mumbai, Delhi) | 59,000-70,900 | 116,000-134,000 |
| Europe | 59,000-68,000 | 116,000-157,000 |
| Maldives | 72,000-77,900 | 134,000-142,000 |
| South Africa (e.g., Cape Town, Johannesburg) | 73,900 | 149,000-157,000 |
| Asia (e.g., Tokyo, Seoul) | 83,900 | 170,000 |
| Southeast Asia (e.g., Bangkok, Denpasar) | 69,000-83,900 | 116,000-170,000 |
| Oceania (e.g., Perth, Adelaide) | 83,800-97,900 | 180,000 |
Award rates have gone up since JetBlue first made Qatar flights bookable, and overall, they’re not quite as compelling as they once were. With that said, 90,000 points for a one-way Qsuite business-class flight can be a solid deal — especially now that award availability to book Qsuite awards through other partners like American Airlines is more difficult to find.
Beyond Qsuite, redemption rates are more of a mixed bag. Some awards may offer decent value, while others are less competitive than what you'll find through Qatar Airways Privilege Club or other partner programs. For that reason, it's worth comparing rates before transferring or redeeming points.
Pro tip: One of the best ways to search Qatar Airways award availability bookable with JetBlue is with Seats.aero. Use it to find award space between the U.S. and Doha, then plug those dates into JetBlue’s site to search for connections.
JetBlue awards for Etihad Airways
There is no chart, per se, for booking Etihad flights with TrueBlue points, so this requires more digging. It is possible to book Etihad economy and business-class flights through TrueBlue, but not first class.
The first flight we will look at is from Etihad's hub in Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Frankfurt (FRA) for 39,000 points in economy and 69,000 in business class.
Longer flights to Tokyo (NRT) come in at 49,000 and 90,000 miles, respectively.
Flights to and from the United States aren't as exciting.
Economy tickets from cities such as New York (JFK), Atlanta (ATL), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago (ORD), and Washington, D.C. (IAD) are found at 59,900 miles. Business class is an eye-popping 135,900 TrueBlue points.
The above examples all increased in distance flown. Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt (3,021 miles), Tokyo (5,026 miles), and Washington, D.C. (7,088 miles) seem to prove that these partner awards on Etihad are somewhat distance-based.
JetBlue awards for Icelandair
You can redeem JetBlue points for Icelandair flights. Not only can you fly from the U.S. to Iceland, but also beyond to other European locations.
Flights from the U.S. East Coast (plus Minneapolis and Chicago) to Iceland start at just 17,000 JetBlue points in economy plus $102.20 in taxes/fees — or 69,900 points in Saga business class.
Redemptions from the West Coast cost roughly twice as many points. Icelandair flies from over 15 airports in the U.S., so even smaller airports like Baltimore (BWI) have these nonstop prices.
Although JetBlue doesn't allow stopovers like Icelandair does, you can still book from Keflavik (KEF), Iceland to other destinations across the Atlantic for reasonable pricing. Here are a few examples:
- Nuuk, Greenland (GOH): From 9,800 points
- Dublin (DUB): From 10,600 points
- London (LHR): From 12,000 points
- Berlin (BER): From 19,600 points
Even domestic flights from Reykjavik (RKV) to Akureyri (AEY) — Iceland's second-largest city — can be had for 4,900 TrueBlue points. But note the fees on this award and compare it to the cash fare to determine if it's a good value redemption.
JetBlue award chart for Condor Airlines
JetBlue has also partnered with German-based Condor Airlines, which flies from ten U.S. and Canadian cities to its hub in Frankfurt (FRA).
| Economy | Premium Economy | Business | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From U.S./Canada East Coast to Frankfurt | 19,000 | 34,000 | 45,000-54,000 |
| East Coast Connections to Europe | 29,900 | 68,900 | |
| From U.S./Canada West Coast to Frankfurt | 39,000 | 59,900 | 99,900 |
| West Coast Connections to Europe | 49,900 | 114,800-124,900 | |
| From Caribbean/ Mexico/ Central America | 39,000 | 59,900 | 79,900 |
The rates from the East Coast to Frankfurt especially stand out — at 19,000 points in economy, 34,000 in premium economy, and 54,000 in business class. The fees to Europe are around $14 in all classes, which is very reasonable.
Note that the example below from Toronto (YYZ) has higher taxes at $67.
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards is another way to book Condor flights, and in this case, JetBlue wins. TrueBlue points go further in every class, even if by a small margin — and with lower fees.
The chart isn't as compelling from the West Coast, where these Condor flights from Los Angeles (LAX) are nearly twice the cost, coming in at 39,000 points in economy, 59,900 in premium economy, and 99,900 in business. However, flights from Las Vegas (LAS) are somewhere in the middle; business class at 79,900 is more reasonable.
From Las Vegas (LAS), Alaska is a slightly better option for booking Condor flights, especially in premium cabins. But if you only have access to JetBlue points, its prices on this route aren't over-the-top high.
Condor boasts a nice business-class product, so having it as another option to fly to Europe using TrueBlue points is helpful.
Related: How To Find Airline Partner Award Flight Availability
JetBlue awards for China Airlines
JetBlue has an interline agreement with China Airlines, but recently added the ability to use TrueBlue points for these flights. We are not seeing a ton of availability yet, but hopefully that improves as this partnership rolls out.
China Airlines flies from its hub in Taipei (TPE) to Seattle (SEA), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Ontario (ONT), Phoenix (PHX), and New York (JFK) in the U.S. For example, economy flights from New York cost 39,000 points and $215. This is a great deal for a 17-plus hour flight. Unfortunately, we aren't seeing business-class awards yet.
Oddly, shorter flights from San Francisco are starting at 46,800 points. It will be interesting to monitor these awards to see what outsized value TrueBlue points can get when flying China Airlines.
Best Ways To Earn JetBlue TrueBlue Points
If you’re not already sitting on a pile of JetBlue TrueBlue points, there are plenty of ways to grow your balance. Aside from flying or buying points when there’s a lucrative bonus or discount, the best options come via JetBlue credit cards.
TrueBlue is also a transfer partner of multiple major credit card rewards programs, although rates vary by partner:
That means the easiest round-about way to earn JetBlue points is through the following cards that earn transferable points:
$95Rates & Fees
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
$95Rates & Fees
- 5X points per $1 spent with hotels
- 4X points per $1 spent with airlines
- 3X points per $1 spent on other travel and restaurants
- 1X points per $1 spent on other purchases
$95Rates & Fees
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
Related: Do JetBlue TrueBlue Points Expire?
Bottom Line
Having more award booking options is always a good thing, and the ability to book Qatar, Etihad, Icelandair, China Airlines, and Condor Airlines flights through JetBlue gives travelers multiple ways to lock in award flights.
While the award charts aren’t overly exciting, JetBlue can occasionally deliver compelling value — sometimes even more than you’d get by redeeming points for JetBlue-operated flights.
However, JetBlue isn't always the best option. We recommend comparing redemption rates across multiple programs before transferring any points to JetBlue. You may be able to pay fewer points by transferring to another loyalty program.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
