Winners and losers in JetBlue’s revamped loyalty program

JetBlue Airways just announced a completely revamped TrueBlue loyalty program, and there are some big changes coming to the loyalty experience.

Everyone is now eligible to earn perks, even if you don’t travel enough to hit Mosaic status.

Those who do qualify for elite status will find themselves in one of four tiers, all of which include a suite of valuable benefits. Plus, elite travelers will be able to select from a pick of additional perks that should make Mosaic more rewarding than ever.

That said, not everyone is a winner in the revamped program. Here’s the breakdown.

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Losers: Long-time Mosaics

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Perhaps the biggest losers are long-time Mosaic members who’ve grown accustomed to their Even More Space benefits.

Historically, Mosaics have been able to assign extra-legroom Even More Space seats at any time after booking using TrueBlue points.

The redemption rate was always quite favorable, with prices coming in at around 600 points for a $55 seat. JetBlue quietly devalued this benefit during the pandemic, but the points redemption rate was still more favorable than outright purchasing a seat.

For 2022, JetBlue gave all Mosaics free access to the Even More Space seats, and now the airline is essentially cutting this benefit for all entry-level Mosaics.

Going forward, Mosaic Level 1 will only include free Even More Space seats during check-in, and there won’t be any option to redeem points for these seats before the 24-hour window.

Mosaic Level 2 and above will enjoy free access to these seats at any time after booking.

Those who’ve been long-time Mosaics will now need to hit Level 2, which requires 100 Tiles (equivalent to $10,000 in spend on JetBlue or $100,000 on a cobranded card), to unlock the Even More Space perk.

As a long-time Mosaic myself, this is the change that stings most. Unless I double my investment in JetBlue, I’ll no longer be able to get free (or significantly discounted) Even More Space seats.

And if I wait until check-in to select one of these seats, odds are that I’ll end up in a middle.

Losers: Mosaics who flew a lot

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

In JetBlue’s old program, the airline offered a fast track to Mosaic status for those who flew 30 segments each year.

Instead of needing to earn 15,000 Mosaic Qualifying Points (MQPs), which is equivalent to $5,000 in spend on JetBlue flights, you could earn 12,000 MQPs (equivalent to $4,000) to qualify for Mosaic.

In the new program, there are no longer any reduced requirements for those who fly a lot. All that matters is how much you spend — a trend that’s emerged at all major U.S. airline loyalty programs in recent years.

Losers: Mosaic+ members

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

This year, JetBlue debuted a new Mosaic+ tier that was specially designed for 2022 (and 2022 only).

Mosaic+ required 45,000 MQPs (roughly $15,000 in JetBlue spend) or $150,000 in cobranded credit card spending.

The benefits included all of the standard Mosaic perks, in addition to four Mint upgrade certificates and four complimentary seats on Blade’s helicopter flights between Manhattan and JFK and Newark.

In the new program, Mosaic+ is being replaced with the Mosaic Level 3 tier. The spending requirements are exactly the same, but the benefits aren’t as rich.

You won’t receive any Blade certificates (these are being reserved for Mosaic Level 4), and the upgrade certificates are getting overhauled.

This year, upgrades to Mint for Mosaic+ members were confirmed on a space-available basis within 24 hours of departure. While the details of the new Move to Mint certificates are limited, JetBlue says that you may need to use multiple vouchers to confirm a single upgrade, which would represent a downgrade from the current model.

JetBlue wasn’t willing to disclose any more details about the revamped upgrade certificates in advance of the program launch.

While JetBlue made it abundantly clear that Mosaic+ was only available for just one year, those who qualified for this tier may find JetBlue’s updates, and, in particular, the Mosaic Level 3 perks to be somewhat underwhelming.

That said, once the transition to the new program happens in the spring, Mosaic+ members will receive a new pack of upgrades that will likely (temporarily) compensate for the change in benefits.

Winners: Everyone else

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Nearly everyone else is a winner in the revamped program.

Perhaps the biggest change is that JetBlue will become the first major airline to offer a selection of benefits to those who don’t actually earn status. Even though the offerings aren’t as good as the Mosaic elite perks, something is certainly better than nothing.

Additionally, those who use the JetBlue credit card are in for a big upgrade with the revamped program.

For one, all cobranded cards now help you earn status — you won’t just need to have the JetBlue Plus Card or the JetBlue Business Card. This even includes cards issued internationally.

All card spending also counts toward earning Tiles, and you can mix and match spending on cards and on JetBlue travel to earn status. Previously, you could either spend $50,000 on cards or hit the flying requirements in order to earn status.

So, all in all, there’s a lot to love about JetBlue’s new program, even if it’s not an across-the-board upgrade for everyone.

The information for the JetBlue Plus Card and JetBlue Business Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.