JetBlue’s Premium Credit Card is Here

The easiest way to access JetBlue’s planned lounges in Boston and New York City (JFK) will be via the carrier’s newly announced premium credit card, issued in partnership with Barclays US. But is it worth the $499 annual fee?

The primary benefit of the card is the lounge access. In addition to the JetBlue lounges (JFK expected in late 2025, BOS “soon after”), the card includes a Priority Pass Select membership, similar to other premium cards. Also similar to other premium cards it includes up to $120 in credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee once every four years.

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The card also includes up to $300 in statement credits for purchases on JetBlue’s Paisly booking engine. That mostly covers hotels and rental cars, with some activities and suitcases also on offer. But the fine print there is significant. The credit is earned $50 at a time, with a $250 spend minimum on up to six transactions. That’s far different from similar travel spend credits with CapitalOne or Chase cards.

Beyond that the benefits seem to match the $99 JetBlue Plus card. These include: Group A Boarding, First Checked Bag Free, 5,000 bonus points annually, 10% of redeemed points back after traveling on a JetBlue-operated Award Flight, 50% savings on eligible food and drink purchases aboard JetBlue-operated flights and No Foreign Transaction Fees.

Even the bonus points intro offer – 70k points and 5 Mosaic Tiles – comes at a premium price of $5k spend in the first 90 days.

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There’s roughly zero reason to buy in to the high annual fee until JetBlue’s lounges are actually open. And even then it is not an open-and-shut case. In Boston, for example, the Chase Lounge is not far from the JetBlue gates and the Chase Sapphire Reserve annual fee is only $51 higher, but with easier access to the $300 travel credit.