AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Offers for the JetBlue Business Card, JetBlue Card and JetBlue Plus Card are not available through this site. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers
JetBlue has announced an overhaul to its fare structure, introducing a lower-cost basic economy option for price-sensitive travelers. The new changes came into effect on all fares booked after November 12, 2019.
The New Fare Structure
The new JetBlue fare structure has five levels of tickets:
- Blue Basic
- Blue
- Blue Plus
- Blue Extra
- Mint
With the new Blue Basic fares, the main drawback is that you do not have any checked bags included in your ticket. However, you can still bring one carry-on and one personal item on board. Like other basic economy offerings, Blue Basic fares don't allow cancellations or changes, and you will only earn one TrueBlue point per dollar spent on airfare with an additional one point per dollar earned for mobile or online bookings.
Basic Fares For Mosaic Members
Mosaic members can use their status to leverage some additional value out of these new fares. If you hold Mosiac status (achieved with 15,000 base flight points or 30 segments + 12,000 base flight points), Blue Basic tickets will still come with two checked bags, one carry-on, and one personal item. However, Mosaic members will still only earn one point per dollar when traveling on Blue Basic tickets.
JetBlue Card Holders
Holders of the JetBlue Plus Card and the JetBlue Business Card can still check one bag, and bring one carry-on and one personal item on board when traveling on the new Blue Basic fares. All other restrictions are the same, including one base point and one bonus redeemable point earned for online bookings. However, if you use your cobranded card to pay for your ticket, you will still earn an additional six points per dollar on any fare, including Blue Basic.
The Same Level of Service!
When it comes to the level of service you receive when flying, JetBlue has taken pains to emphasize that regardless of your fare, you will still receive the usual service, including free high-speed Wi-Fi, brand-name snacks and drinks, and DIRECTV® and movies at your seat.
While this isn't necessarily different from other carriers that offer a basic economy fare, JetBlue does distinguish itself by allowing Blue Basic ticketholders to select seats for an additional fee more than 24 hours in advance of departure.
Our Take
How this new fare structure, ahem, fares will depend on how JetBlue's prices evolve over time. If the Blue Basic fares are genuinely cheaper than the current lowest fares, then the move is positive and offers an attractive option to price-sensitive travelers. However, if JetBlue prices the new Basic tickets similarly to its current lowest fare, then this new structure would be disappointing since it reduces the number of points earned for flying and eliminates checked bags for non-elites without a cobrand credit card.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
