50% Transfer Bonus from ThankYou Points to JetBlue

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Transfers of Citi ThankYou Points to JetBlue TrueBlue points will have a 50% bonus through 11:59 PM ET April 30, 2017.

This could be a very good deal if you have an immediate use for TrueBlue points. In other words, if there’s a cheap JetBlue flight you want to book and you have ThankYou Points, pay attention.

You must transfer ThankYou Points in 1,000 point increments, so until March 2, ThankYou Points earned by the Citi Prestige, Premier, or Chairman Card transfer at the following rate:

• 1,000 ThankYou Points = 1,200 TrueBlue points

If you have ThankYou Points earned by the ThankYou Preferred or Citi Forward Card, then the transfer rate after factoring in the bonus is 1,000 ThankYou Points = 750 TrueBlue points.

And if you have JetBlue Plus Card, you’ll get a further 10% rebate on redemptions.

I probably wouldn’t transfer ThankYou Points speculatively as they be can be redeemed via programs like Singapore or Flying Blue for a much higher, outsized value, but perhaps if you have some ThankYou Points on the verge of expiration and you live in a city served by JetBlue it would be a good idea.

How the TrueBlue Works

JetBlue’s loyalty program is revenue based, meaning the number of points you need is based on the ticket price. JetBlue points are worth roughly 1.5 cents each toward a ticket. Read this post to learn the basics about JetBlue awards.

The highest value award is for transcontinental Mint Class. For example, you can get a fully flat bed in a fully enclosed Mint Suite for 50,000 TrueBlue points (there are four of them in the front of the plane, first come first serve). With the current transfer bonus, you’d only need 42,000 TrueBlue points to book Mint Suite across the continent.

Getting ThankYou Points

Note that you wouldn’t have time to earn ThankYou Points from scratch in time to take advantage of the transfer bonus to TrueBlue, but if you want ThankYou Points for the future, the fastest ways to get them are the:

• Citi Prestige Card: 50,000 bonus ThankYou Points after $4,000 in purchases made with your card in the first 3 months the account is open. The card also earns 3x points on airfare and hotels, 2x points on dining out and entertainment, and has a host of benefits like lounge access and $250 in free airfare per year.
  • Note that there are two public offers out there right now for the Citi Prestige, 40,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in three months, as well as 50,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in three months. If you don’t see that offer when you pull up the application page, try opening it in an incognito window or a different browser. I have seen both the 40k and 50k offer.
• Citi ThankYou Premier Card: 30,000 bonus ThankYou Points after $3,000 in purchases made with your card in the first three months the account is open. The card also earns 3x points on travel and gas and 2x points on dining and entertainment. The $95 annual fee is waived the first year.

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Transferring ThankYou Points

Check out this post to learn how to transfer ThankYou Points step-by-step.

Bottom Line

You have until the end of April to transfer Citi ThankYou points with a 50% bonus to JetBlue TrueBlue points. The cutoff is 11:59 on April 30.

If you’re planning a trip to somewhere that JetBlue serves, I would check the prices of redeeming TrueBlue points. Normally transferring ThankYou points to JetBlue doesn’t make much sense with the 1,000:800 transfer rate, but with the current bonus the rate is 1,000 ThankYou Points: 1,200 TrueBlue points. If the flight is cheap enough this could be a good deal for you, although I probably wouldn’t transfer points speculatively.