As you can see, JetBlue practically begs travelers not to buy a basic economy fare. Theyre also rebranding their flexible fares. Get more smart money moves straight to your inbox. For same-day switches, youll pay a $75 fee and no fare difference, similar to other JetBlue fares. Blue Basic customers board the plane last, behind everyone else. She has been published in U.S. News & World Report, USA Today and elsewhere, and has spoken at conferences like that of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. apiece, so you know you're getting a decent value for your points every time you redeem them for a Blue fare. Each currency values its points slightly differently when it comes to transferring them to JetBlue: American Express Membership Rewards: 125 Membership Rewards = 100 TrueBlue points. Featured image courtesy of JetBlue Airways. Blue Basic means being in the last boarding group, and to choose a seat . JetBlue doesn't operate any airport lounges, but if you have a. membership through a credit card, you can enter one of those lounges with a same-day JetBlue ticket. She has been published in U.S. News & World Report, USA Today and elsewhere, and has spoken at conferences like that of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Aside from that, you get the same number of carry-on and checked bags, pay no cancellation or change fees and earn rewards at the same rate on both fares. You can change a Blue Basic fare for $100 on routes within the U.S., Mexico, Caribbean, and Central America (or $200 for other flights). How To Use Polymailers For First Class Packages. Those solve nearly all the major pain points of JetBlue Basic Economy. BUT I will say that a lot of this is because airlines don't appear at the top of the flight price comparison site and need to; B6 in particular are nowhere near the top even though they are competitive once you price in the cost of Well this really sucks. jetBlue also have a $206 fare but that is a Basic Economy fare. The $382 fare is a regular economy fare which allows for normal size carry-on and personal item in addition to advance seat assignment. Her writing has since been featured in numerous publications, including Forbes, Business Insider, and The Balance. This information may be different than what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider or specific products site. Wine, beer and spirits are available for purchase for those who are at least 21. Its a sad development, but I guess it shouldnt come as a surprise. $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. It depends. A First-Class upgrade for the same flight, from $499 to $599, includes the same route, and the same destination. But just about everything else about JetBlue basic economy is a major bummer. Here are several other ways to find value when flying JetBlue, from transferring points to earning elite status, to looking at other fare options. The reason most of us view basic economy fares with suspicion is that it's a stealth price increase. Nov 12, 2019, 12:09 PM. These transatlantic flights allow both a personal item and a carry-on bag. Passengers with a JetBlue Blue ticket receive one free checked bag on flights to London, with a second bag costing $105. But you can also get those two bags for free. Status members' bonus percentages will apply to the base mileage rate of 2 miles per dollar on American and other select partner airlines. However, this article is focusing on the actual published fare classes from airlines. In case things go wrong or you need to make a change, knowing your fare class can tell you if your ticket is refundable and if any change fees are required, and it can help you plan your strategy for making changes before talking to the airlines. But now that they ban carry-on bags onboard unless you hold JetBlue Mosaic status, it makes them among the worst. When evaluating offers, please review the financial institutions Terms and Conditions. But yes, this is still very bad news. All of these options incur an additional fee. By signing up for one or more of these travel cards, you can get a good start on earning enough points for an award ticket on a JetBlue flight. with American Airlines; on these flights, Blue Basic is not offered. Economy passengers are served complimentary in-flight snacks and hot and cold non-alcoholic beverages. Meanwhile, upgrades from economy to business fall under the C fare class, while the W fare class is for premium economy AAnytime awards. Economy class seats are up to 18.4 inches wide and will vary depending on the aircraft youre flying. Note that JetBlue partners with American Airlines; on these flights, Blue Basic is not offered. Each currency values its points slightly differently when it comes to transferring them to JetBlue: : 125 Membership Rewards = 100 TrueBlue points. Yeah this is bad news. If you book a round-trip flight from Mexico City (MEX) to Atlanta (ATL), youll cover a total distance of 1,331 miles. Knowledge is power, and the more you understand about how the airline industry works, the better positioned youll be to get the maximum value out of your points and miles. These include the lack of a carry-on bag, boarding the plane last and fees when changing or canceling your ticket. Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. Most airlines will set aside specific fare buckets for these awards. There are no changes allowed and a cancellation will result in a forfeited fare (meaning no refund). CH: Childs fare, varies from 0%-50% savings depending on the airline. JetBlue has today announced that theyre revamping their fare structure, with the introduction of Blue Basic fares, along with newly rebranded Blue Extra fares. JetBlue emphasizes that no matter which fare you choose, you receive JetBlues spacious economy seats, free brand name snacks and drinks, free high speed Wi-Fi, DIRECTV, and movies at your seat. What is the difference between JetBlue Basic and Blue? jetBlue Blue Basic try saying that 10 times fast!! Megan Lee joined the travel rewards team at NerdWallet with over 12 years of SEO, writing and content development experience, primarily in international education and nonprofit work. Required fields are marked *. Basic economy fares promise to do just that, unbundling the benefits of regular economy tickets like carry-on baggage, seat selection and standard boarding. Enrollment required. A premium economy is what the W and P stand for. Blue fares and above, meanwhile, earn 3 TrueBlue points per dollar in either scenario. Once youve selected your preferred flight, youll be prompted with a notice that reviews all of the restrictions for Blue Basic tickets. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Why fight for the armrest when you can rest easy? As an additional benefit, you receive JetBlue's basic amenities in addition to great legroom, snacks, Wi-Fi, movies (flights are more than two hours), and many others. That puts JetBlue in some bad company with United basic economy, the only other major U.S. carrier that bans basic economy flyers from bringing a carry on. This information may be different than what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider or specific products site. Note on Combinability: Certain fares (including "Blue Basic"), are not combinable with other fares. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. Blue Basic fares only include one carry-on item that fits under the seat. I have a jetblue card so get mosaic from card spending. How does JetBlue basic economy compare with other airlines? F - First Class. From here, you can enter your desired flight route and dates. Catch 22 I feel. Pre-qualified offers are not binding. JetBlue partners with three different flexible point currencies, which means its easy to earn plenty of TrueBlue points. For example, if you'd like to switch your Blue ticket to another same-day flight (both confirmed and standby), you have to pay $75. Although its cheap, it also features several restrictions. As you might expect, the airline that's made a name for itself by giving passengers more legroom, gate-to-gate WiFi, and live streaming TV at every seat does things a bit differently with basic economy. It beat out heavy-hitters like Delta and United, but placed behind American and Alaska. All passengers have access to movies and live TV, and on-demand TV shows are available on planes equipped with a touchscreen. And while earning airline status isn't right for everyone, it's clearly the best way to beat JetBlue basic economy. JetBlue's standard economy fare gets you a free carry-on, seat selection, and no change or cancellation fees. Note: These letters are also commonly used as abbreviations on message boards like FlyerTalk to refer to the generic class of service (e.g., Im flying in Y from New York to London and want to upgrade to J means Im traveling in economy from New York to London and want to upgrade to business class). You can pay an additional fee to pick a seat in advance. The free checked bags is not impacted by this move. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Just keep in mind you'll have to pay for those spacious seats on every segment: Two times for a round-trip fare and four times for a round-trip fare with one connection. D - Business Class Discounted. Unlike United basic economy, a co-branded credit card won't let you bring a carry-on bag, either. All financial products, shopping products and services are presented without warranty. We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. That's undeniable. You can expect such benefits as lie-flat seats, priority boarding and check-in, premium beverage and food options, and more on business class. On jet aircraft, passengers normally travel first class in the front, where the business class section or large section of the aircraft are located. So how do we make money? Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023, including those best for: Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, No annual fee: Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card, Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve, Luxury perks: The Platinum Card from American Express, Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, About the author: Carissa Rawson is a freelance award travel and personal finance writer. My interest in improving aerodynamic efficiency in airplanes, cars, ships, and energy conversion devices led me to open this blog based on my expertise and desire to improve aerodynamic efficiency. That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. JetBlue basic economy fares were in the works for more than a year. All passengers have access to movies and live TV, and on-demand TV shows are available on planes equipped with a touchscreen. First, it can tell you whether youll earn 100% of your frequent flyer miles from a purchased ticket. In short, Mint is JetBlue's premium option, while Blue fares will get you a standard economy seat and are one step above Blue Basic, JetBlue's basic economy fare. The amount youll pay for a specific seat assignment will depend on where youre sitting, as the example shows below. For starters, it's not called JetBlue Basic Economy: The airline calls these fares Blue Basic.. A K fare with United is a deeply discounted non-basic economy fare that still earns 5 miles per dollar for non-elite members and is upgradeable using cash, miles, PlusPoints or a space-available Complimentary Premier Upgrade for MileagePlus Premier members. So in order to have Mosaic work to There are several differences between a JetBlue Blue Basic and. G - Conditional Reservation. Y is generally used on tickets for full fare economy classes. Generally upgradable fares to Business are available for economy and coach classes. You can find the fare class code either when you display your advanced details at the time of booking or after you check the receipt. Citi ThankYou Rewards: 100 ThankYou points = 100 TrueBlue points (Prestige and Premier cardholders) or 80 TrueBlue points (Preferred cardholders). Instead, Blue Basic fare prices have largely taken the place of more-inclusive main cabin fares. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. First, youll want to navigate to JetBlues homepage at Jetblue.com. The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards. JetBlue charges $35 per bag for all routes (except for London, which is $65). What to expect flying a JetBlue Blue fare, How to book a Blue fare ticket with JetBlue, JetBlue Blue compared to other fare types, Picture this: You seek to buy a JetBlue Airways ticket and see multiple fare types listed as options; Blue Basic, Blue, Blue Plus, Blue Extra and. Basically, this warning serves as the point of no return. E - Shuttle Service (no reservation allowed) or Economy/Coach Discounted. You want a travel credit card that prioritizes whats important to you. Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Can you please explain why this is bad for mosaics? OK92033) Property & Casualty Licenses, NerdWallet | 55 Hawthorne St. - 11th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. This is complete and utter BS - Longtime Mosaic Member - Turning a decent airline into Southwest, which I wont fly under any circumstances -, Thanks for the explanation. Blue Basic: With Blue Basic, you get a personal item but no checked bag or carry-on. *Basic Economy tickets issued on or after January 1, 2023, for travel starting March 1, 2023 will earn award miles at a rate of 2 miles per dollar in addition to Loyalty Points. Bag allowance: Passengers with a JetBlue Blue ticket receive one free checked bag on flights to London, with a second bag costing $105. This may also affect you when you go to take the flight, as your fare class will sometimes dictate the number of miles you earn on the flight, from both a redeeming and elite-qualifying standpoint. All financial products, shopping products and services are presented without warranty. So how do we make money? At that price, it's worth considering whether going the basic economy route is worth it or if you should just get a standard economy fare from the outset. When not traveling, Megan adventures around her Midwest home base where she likes to attend theme parties, ride her bike and cook Asian food. It beat out heavy-hitters like Delta and United, but placed behind American and Alaska. Here are our picks for the. For this reason, you can save miles by, flying on dates when airfare is less expensive, You want a travel credit card that prioritizes whats important to you. The only real way to beat a Blue Basic fare is by holding top JetBlue status. Ways to get good value on JetBlue flights. Example: Fare basis code WH7LNR tells me the following: Deciphering fare basis codes takes practice and knowledge specific to the airline, as each one has its own style for writing codes.