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JetBlue and Emirates have been long-time partners, and that relationship has improved over time. The icing on the cake has finally been added: you can book JetBlue Mint (business class) between New York and London using your Emirates Skywards miles without having to call. Best of all, this can actually be a really good deal. Let's take a look at the latest development and how to book.
Back Story on JetBlue and Emirates
JetBlue and Emirates are not new partners. You've been able to earn miles on one when flying the other for a while now. And while you've been able to book JetBlue flights using your Emirates Skywards miles for a while now, the first few years of that partnership only allowed for booking economy flights on JetBlue.
Then, in the middle of 2021, we started seeing the ability to book JetBlue Mint (business class) using Emirates Skywards miles. However, JetBlue's premium transatlantic flights from New York-JFK to London (both LGW and LHR) weren't bookable online.
Until now.
JetBlue Mint to London Now Bookable Using Emirates Miles
JetBlue's premium business class (Mint) can be booked with Emirates Skywards miles on all available routes — now including JFK to LHR or LGW. And it's actually a good deal for using your miles when considering the whole picture.
Mileage Requirements
Emirates uses a distance-based award chart for flights on JetBlue. Prices are one-way, so double the number for round-trip bookings.
No matter which London airport you fly to from JFK, the distance will fall into the 3,001-4,000 mile band (Zone 6) on the chart. Economy flights on JetBlue will cost 32,000 Emirates Skywards miles each way per person. Flying in Mint will cost 64,000 miles.
In all fairness, it's true that there are other programs that charge less than this for a business class flight between New York and London. What makes booking JetBlue Mint with your Emirates Skywards miles such a great deal is the availability and the lack of award fees. The latter is one of the biggest headaches people typically experience with award flights involving London, so this is a big part of the value here.
See also: Best Points & Miles to Fly Between New York and London
Taxes and Fees
Another great thing about the ability to use Skywards to book JetBlue Mint to London is that the fees aren't as bad as other airlines.
While you will pay fewer frequent flyer miles to fly to Europe with programs like Korean SKYPASS and JAL Mileage Bank (and sometimes British Airways Flying Club), you'll pay a lot of cash in taxes, fees, and carrier surcharges.
With Skywards, the fees on the outbound flight (New York to London) cost only $10.10. The return leg has $291.67 in fees, which seems like a lot but is still cheaper than many other awards departing the UK for the US.
JetBlue Mint Award Availability
Another strong point here is that availability is quite good. Here are the dates for flights between New York-JFK and London Heathrow (LHR).
Availability is even better for flights to London Gatwick (LGW).
Transfer Partners
Lastly, the main selling point here is how easily you can amass Emirates Skywards miles to book your JetBlue Mint flights.
If you have a popular credit card earning points or miles, there’s already a chance that you are sitting on thousands of Skywards miles. Here’s a list of the partners from which you can transfer points into Skywards miles:
- American Express Membership Rewards
- Bilt Rewards
- Brex Rewards
- Capital One Venture Miles
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Citi ThankYou Points
- Marriott Bonvoy Points
On top of those options, those wanting to pad their stash of Skywards can consider applying for the Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard®.
You can also buy Emirates Skywards miles, which sometimes has bonus miles promotions. However, purchasing Skywards to book JetBlue Mint isn't the best way to maximize the value of miles. Emirates also requires customers to have already earned miles before allowing them to purchase miles. So, buying miles isn't the most feasible option or plan for most AwardWallet readers.
How to Book JetBlue Mint with Skywards
Once you've racked up enough Skywards for award travel in JetBlue Mint, here's how to book your flight.
First, you will need to be logged in to your Emirates Skywards account. It is not possible to search for partner award availability without logging in first. Before you can do that, you will need a Skywards account.
Upon logging in to your Emirates Skywards account, navigate back to the home page. In the “Search Flights” section, be sure to click the red link that reads “Advanced search: multi-city, promo codes, partner airlines.” Next, you will want to change the award type from “Book Flights” to “Book Classic Rewards Flights.” Then, select “Search Partner Flights Only.” This will allow you to start searching for available JetBlue award flights.
Award Pricing for other Mint Routes
Emirates uses a distance-based system to determine the number of miles required for award travel. Here's how many miles you'll need for travel in JetBlue Mint when using Emirates Skywards miles:
| Zone | Distance | Sample Route from New York City | Economy | Mint Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0-250 | Boston (BOS) | 8,000 | 16,000 |
| 2 | 251-500 | Raleigh/Durham (RDU) | 10,000 | 20,000 |
| 3 | 501-1,000 | Orlando (MCO) | 14,000 | 28,000 |
| 4 | 1,001-2,000 | St. Thomas, USVI (STT) | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| 5 | 2,001-3,000 | Libera, Costa Rica (LIR) | 26,000 | 52,000 |
| 6 | 3,001-4,000 | London-Heathrow (LHR) | 32,000 | 64,000 |
JetBlue's most popular domestic routes with Mint, such as New York (JFK)-Los Angeles (LAX) and Los Angeles (LAX)-Fort Lauderdale (FLL), will run you 52,000 Skywards miles each way. That seems like a lot. So, is using Skywards miles to book Mint a great use of points?
The answer is “kind of”. If you're transferring points from a partner, Skywards miles could be a reasonable way to book JetBlue Mint. For example, American Express Membership Rewards transfer to Skywards at a 1:1 ratio. That means 1 Membership Rewards point can be converted to 1 Skywards mile. So, you'd need 52,000 Membership Rewards points to book a route like JFK-LAX in JetBlue Mint.
While JetBlue Mint starts at $548, it's not uncommon to see routes priced over $800 one-way. For example, the lowest price between JFK-LAX is currently $898 each way. The highest price is $1,698 each way. So, depending on how you value points, Skywards may be a good use of points, depending on the cash price of your desired flight and the transfer partner you plan to use.
The Bottom Line
JetBlue and Emirates have been partners for years, and you can now book the most premium Mint routes to London using your Skywards miles. Compared to other options for booking business class awards from New York to London, you may pay a little more in miles, but you'll save a lot in cash, availability is strong, and Skywards are pretty easy to get.
While not always the best value, Skywards miles almost always beat cash fares when booking Mint. This is especially the case when booking a flight just a few days out. That being said, be sure to check award rates if you were to use TrueBlue points before you book with Skywards miles.
Are you considering using Skywards to book JetBlue Mint award flights? If so, which route?
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