The Current 25% Transfer Promo from Chase Ultimate Rewards to JetBlue is the Best Option Since 2019 Among Transferable Currencies to JetBlue

Adam Garrett
Jan 2, 2024
1 min read

I just transferred a few hundred thousand points from Chase Ultimate Rewards during the current transfer promo for a client. Some would scoff at a transfer to JetBlue, but below I'll make a case for why it's a good idea for some, but not for others. In short, it's hard to beat an option to fly 667 miles for 2380 Chase Ultimate Rewards +$5.60 when doing something like a combination of this promo, sale fares, and holding onto a Jetblue Plus Credit Card or Jetblue Business Card, with the credit cards offering the least savings in the equation, but still worth mentioning.

Consider if JetBlue is Near You & You Don't Always Get >$.021/pt on Chase Ultimate Rewards (>$.023 if You Have Certain CC's) & Have a Jetblue Airport Near You

Some people regularly get over $.023/pt on Chase Ultimate Rewards. For those people, there's no reason to consider this transfer. Also, some people live too far away from a Jetblue airport, with other viable alternatives much closer, where it wouldn't make as much sense except in more rare cases where you might be willing to drive extra.

I've seen JetBlue Points worth as much as 1.7 cents per point during a sale, and effectively 1.9 cents per point if you had a Jet Blue annual fee incurring card that provides a 10% rebate on redeemed points. While 1.7 cents per point is higher than typical, with a TPG valuation of only 1.3 cents per point, it's not a bad idea when considering a transfer to do your math based on max potential value, though I know some would disagree.

If basing off of 1.7 cents, 1.7*1.25=2.125.

If you have a 10% rebate from a card, 1.7*1.1*1.25=2.3375

Another case of an exception is those with Mosaic status, where their Jetblue points would be worth more than those without it.

Jetblue Cards w/ 10% rebate

Both the Jetblue Plus Card & the Jetblue Business Card offer a 10% points rebate on redeemed points. Below I'll be simplifying the points rebate with Jetblue as worth 10% In reality, it's worth 11.111111111...% when you factor in the stacking of the rebate assuming you hold onto the card, with a solid value proposition for doing so, including but not limited to 5k points per year & a free checked bag for holding onto it.

A 25% transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards is Better than a 25% Transfer from Amex Membership Rewards, Worth Considering, & the Best Transfer Promo to Jetblue Since 2019

With Amex Membership Rewards, who has offered the 2 most recent transfer promos to Jetblue, the beginning ratio is weak, at 250:200

Image courtesy Amex

Conversely, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi Thank You Rewards transfer to Jetblue at a 1:1 standard ratio.

As you can see below, courtesy Frequent Miler, 1:1.25 transfers from points currencies to Jetblue don't come often, with the last one from Citi in 2019:

Note on Jetblue Economy Quality

When you're talking about a $33 flight, it's important to keep in mind that we're talking Jetblue. We're not talking about Spirit Airlines or Frontier. While not the most timely airline (to put it lightly), Jetblue ranked #1 for economy seating for travel experience in TPG's ratings & comfort in Forbes ratings.

Example: $54 in basic economy for 1 Ways Currently Available

While in the past I've gone over an option as low as $33 for a 1 way flight on Jetblue that was 806 miles flown, we're not seeing options that low this time. However, we're still seeing options in the 50's with a sale ending tonight:

Example: $54 in basic economy or 4.7k points (Before Bonus) in economy for 1 Ways Currently Available Richmond, VA to Boston for $.019-$.021/Chase UR

When considering flights from Richmond VA to Boston, we're seeing as low as $54 as well,

The above are basic economy fares pricing, with no carry-on bag and no seat selection.

Here that is broken further down:

Here's a round-trip example in economy:

You can't get basic economy fares with Jetblue miles. You can get standard economy fares with Jetblue miles, & here is that pricing:

Here's how round-trip pricing looks in this example:

($156.19-$11.20)/9400=$.0154

The value is a bit higher going there than returning in this case.

($79-$5.60)/4700=$.0156

If you stack the 25% transfer promo onto the $.0154 value, that's $.01925/Ultimate Reward

If you stack the 10% rebate from certain Jetblue CC's, that's $.021/Chase Ultimate Reward

Example: $63 in basic economy or 5.9k points (Before Bonus) in economy for 1 Ways Currently Available Richmond, VA to Boston for $.0185-.02/Chase UR

Here's an example basic economy pricing flying over 800 miles from Richmond, VA to Fort Lauderedale, FL:

Here it is with standard economy:

Here it is in miles:

That's ($186.20-$11.20)/11800=$.0148

If you stack the 25% transfer promo, that's $.0185/Ultimate Reward

If you stack the 10% rebate from certain Jetblue CC's, that's $.02/Chase Ultimate Reward

How to Maximize: Flying 667 miles for 2380 Chase UR+$5.60)

With several points currencies, expensive flights are some of the best times to maximize, and you can essentially waste points on cheap flights easily. With Jetblue, that's not the case, and one of the best times to take advantage of these points is during sales and when $ flights are very cheap. Versatility like that adds options that wouldn't be present otherwise.

Especially during sale fares, due to their dynamic pricing, you can find some lower mileage cost itineraries vs those that have more standard pricing models, especially those that are based on miles flown. For instance, going from Richmond to Orlando is 667 miles flown. I've seen options with Jetblue for 3400 Jetblue miles.

Image courtesy Jetblue

If you were to stack this 25% promo into the equation, that's 2720 Chase UR. If you were to stack a 10% rebate from a Jetblue annual fee-incurring card, that's 2380 miles. That's even lower than the effectively 4029 Capital One Miles I transferred to Capital One (as part of a few hundred thousand miles transfer) to later book a flight on AA using Etihad miles, and with that option, while the value per point was higher (>$.10/Capital One Mile), a 667-mile flight on AA using Etihad miles would have been around 12k Etihad miles, or 8k Capital One Miles post the 50% transfer I made. For a good quality economy experience, 667 miles flown for effectively 2380 Chase UR is hard to find.

Jetblue flies some places that other carriers might not, like Richmond to Fort Lauderdale during times when Spirit doesn't, with Spirit being the only alternative for a direct flight in this case. A direct flight can be lower cost in miles, and means less time in transit. Compared to Spirit in this case, the in-flight experience can be significantly superior on Jetblue.

Image courtesy Flight Connections

How to Maximize: Flying Multi-Leg to Mexico from SE VA (1355 miles) for Under 7500 Chase UR from VA +47.24

By using a 25% transfer promo, the above is brought down to 7680 Chase UR. If you stack the 10% rebate on points, that brings things down further to 6720 Chase UR. That's an indirect flight that doesn't take forever and where it's not from a major airport (i.e. Dulles - IAD). That's fantastic, and hard to find elsewhere.

Compared to the $ rate, that's $.0156/Jetblue Reward.

By stacking the 25% transfer promo, that's $.0195/Chase Ultimate Reward.

By stacking the 10% rebate from Jetblue, that's $.0215/Chase Ultimate Reward.

6720 Chase UR is a better rate than the 10k I would spend using Turkish Air Miles & Smiles to fly United, and my United Business credit card checked bag benefits wouldn't even apply in that case even if I use the card for the fees from Turkish. If I want to depart from SE VA, Turkish would probably be the next lowest cost option for an economy ticket in most cases (unless $ rates turned dirt cheap, when Chase UR could be used for pay with points with my Chase Sapphire Reserve at a rate of 1.5 cents per point, but that's a waste of UR in comparison to the value achievable even in this case, much less with much higher value per point options), and if I wanted to do that, I'd also need to call in to book if I wanted to book more than just myself, while with Jetblue, that's not necessary.

Transfer Promo Terms (Ends Jan 10)

Promotional details

Offer is valid for points transfers to JetBlue TrueBlue completed between 12:00 AM ET on November 15, 2023 and 11:59 PM ET on January 10, 2024. Minimum transfer is 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points. Bonus TrueBlue points will be deposited by JetBlue in your JetBlue TrueBlue account up to 7 days after the points transfer is completed.

For this 25% bonus offer, you will receive 25% additional JetBlue TrueBlue bonus points for each Ultimate Rewards point transferred during the promotional period listed above. For example, if you transfer 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points, you will receive a total of 1,250 TrueBlue points. You must be enrolled in TrueBlue with your membership in good standing and your Ultimate Rewards credit card account open and not in default in order to participate in this offer. Join HERE to enroll.

Once you have transferred Ultimate Rewards points, they become JetBlue TrueBlue points subject to the terms and conditions of the TrueBlue program and cannot be transferred back to your Chase Ultimate Rewards Program account. Taxes, government-imposed fees and all applicable charges apply on TrueBlue points redemption and upgrades. Individual restrictions may apply. All TrueBlue program Terms and Conditions apply; for complete Terms and Conditions, including TrueBlue redemption requirements, visit HERE. Redemptions are subject to availability. Chase is not responsible for availability or accommodations with respect to the JetBlue TrueBlue program.

Chase UR Transfer Terms Generally

"All Ultimate Rewards points transferred to your TrueBlue account will be subject to the Terms and Conditions of TrueBlue and cannot be transferred back to your Chase Ultimate Rewards account.
Taxes, government-imposed fees and any applicable charges may apply on all TrueBlue points redemptions and upgrades, subject to your TrueBlue agreement.
Individual restrictions may apply.
Chase is not responsible for the availability of specific flights, routes, travel dates or other promotions or considerations of TrueBlue.
Redemptions are subject to availability.
Visit trueblue.jetblue.com for more information including full terms and conditions.
JetBlue and all TrueBlue Partners reserve the right to change any aspect of the TrueBlue Program at any time without notice.
Point transfers via Ultimate Rewards do not count towards earning Mosaic status."