Bilt Adds JetBlue Transfers At 1:1—54,000 Points Can Get You Business Class To Europe

Bilt has just added JetBlue as a 1:1 transfer partner, and says “we look forward to doing more and more with TrueBlue and JetBlue in the Bilt neighborhood ecosystem over the coming months.” So we may see transfer bonuses and even status matches coming up, though they’ve kept a tight lid on what ‘doing more and more’ will actually look like. This makes a lot of sense as an add for Bilt: Bilt and JetBlue have strength in major cities like New York and Boston They’re another U.S. airline – though Bilt needs them less than other credit card currencies that lack U.S. airline cobrand partners, since Bilt partners with United, Southwest and Alaska already. However, I’m generally not going to transfer to JetBlue. Flights on JetBlue are based on ticket cost and you’re usually not going to get more than about 1.3 cents in value per point. A significant Rent Day transfer bonus could change that. Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Rove all transfer 1:1 to JetBlue. American Express is 5:4 (250:200) and Capital One is 5:3. So 1:1 is a good transfer rate for this currency, even if in most cases it’s not a high value currency. The best redemptions are generally partner business class awards, where the points price can be much lower relative to the cash fare. That includes Condor to Europe. I’ve covered East Coast–Frankfurt business class for 54,000 TrueBlue points each way. Condor’s Airbus A330neo offers a good business class product. Consider also Qatar Airways business class. It prices around 90,000–98,000 TrueBlue points one-way, depending on the U.S. city. But Bilt already transfers directly to Qatar which generally prices these awards for less. Note that JetBlue cardholders do even better. The JetBlue Premier card now rebates 15% of points redeemed on JetBlue and partner award flights. If you already have that card, a 54,000-point Condor award returns 8,100 TrueBlue points. You still need the full 54,000 to book, and the rebate comes back as JetBlue points. TrueBlue also offers redemptions on United, China Airlines, Icelandair and Cape Air. I wouldn’t transfer speculatively for United Polaris since the pricing and limited premium cabin availability tend to make that unattractive. I value my Bilt Points deeply. A value floor is 1.25 cents apiece when spent through their travel portal, but they have more and better transfer partners than other programs and frequently run Rent Day transfer bonuses up to 125%. Star Alliance: Air Canada Aeroplan, Turkish Miles & Smiles, United Airlines MileagePlus, Avianca LifeMiles, TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go oneworld: Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Iberia Plus, British Airways Club, Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, Qatar Airways Privilege Club SkyTeam: Air France KLM Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Non-alliance: Emirates Skywards, Southwest Airlines, Aer Lingus Aer Club, JetBlue TrueBlue Hotels: World Of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Accor ALL – Accor Live Limitless, Wyndham Rewards, Preferred Hotels I Prefer Other: Amtrak Guest Rewards This is a great add, even if for me a marginal one, that continues to build the points currency whose balance I value more than any other. Topics on this page