JetBlue revamps TrueBlue Mosaic elite status program

JetBlue is very much not the same airline it was a decade ago when the its Mosaic program launched. And now the elite status portion of the company’s TrueBlue loyalty program will change, reflecting the carrier’s evolution as well as shifts in the overall airline loyalty market.

The new Mosaic program adds more tiers, changes qualification metrics, alters what travelers will receive at each tier (for good and ill), and generally makes a lot of sense for the company’s future.

No two travelers are alike, which is why we’ve redesigned TrueBlue to let customers customize their perks as they soar toward Mosaic status, choosing the ones that are most valuable to them along the way. – Jayne O’Brien, head of marketing and loyalty, JetBlue

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More granular qualification and tiers

Mosaic qualification today requires $5,000 in spend on JetBlue fares or $50,000 on one of the company’s premium co-branded credit cards. Under the new program rules qualification will come from earning “tiles” in $100 travel or $1,000 credit card spend increments. Benefits begin to accrue at 10 tiles (i.e. $1,000/$10,000), a move the company expects will improve engagement and drive more customers into the Mosaic ranks.

On the way to Mosaic status (50 tiles) members get to select a new benefit at each 10 tile milestone. The benefits on offer are:

• Group B Priority (ex-Basic Economy)
• Priority security
• One free alcoholic drink per flight
• Double points on one JetBlue Vacations® booking
• 5,000-point bonus.

Only one of these (the bonus points) really seems compelling, but the ability to offer literally anything to members at those lower tier levels is a win for the program.

This shift also increases the value of co-brand cards for loyalty, allowing members to mix everyday and travel spend to more easily hit the target. And the new program extends tile earning to all JetBlue cards, including the no annual fee option. This could erode some of the co-brand value as members might shift to the free card rather than keep the paid version for the elite earning.

More Mosaic Benefits

For JetBlue’s big spenders there were few substantive benefits in the Mosaic program. This revision changes that, or at least it tries. Alas, one of the biggest changes is the removal of a benefit at the “Mosaic 1” 50 tile tier.

Mosaic members today have complimentary access to Even More Space (extra legroom) seats at booking. That goes away under the new program, replaced with access to those seats at check-in. It is unfortunate that the company chose to take away a benefit from existing Mosaic members as part of the shift. The consolation is that the regular core seats still offer more legroom than other US carriers, so the squeeze isn’t as bad.

The “Mosaic 2” tier (100 tiles; yes, the 1/2/3/4 numbering method is silly, but at least the sequence is obvious even if you’re not familiar with precious metals or gemstones) adds back access to Even More Space seats at time of booking. That’s not a huge benefit relative to the additional spend requirements, but it beats the company taking away other options from Mosaic 1 to give out here.

Mosaic 3 members (150 tiles) gain access to Mint upgrades. Travelers will receive 4 upgrade certificates to redeem on eligible flights. Alas, JetBlue did not see fit to disclose how many certificates will be required to upgrade. My guess is one for flights within the Americas and two for Europe. They will almost certainly be capacity restricted and something like a double cert redemption to remove that restriction seems unlikely to me, but that’s not based on any specific insight.

Finally, Mosaic 4 members (250 tiles; there’s nothing at 200 tiles) earn another two Mint upgrade certificates and credits towards four BLADE helicopter transfers between JFK and Manhattan.

In addition to the benefits assigned to everyone at each Mosaic level, members will also get to choose an additional benefit at each qualification. The options include:

• FoundersCard Blue Membership
• Pet Fee Waiver
• $99 Statement Credit on Select JetBlue Cards
• 20-Tile Bonus
  to gift or keep
• 15,000-Point Bonus

Similar to the 10 tile qualifications, most of these seem to be of minimal value. At least the bonus point option (granted immediately on qualification today) remains.