Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard Review

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4.8
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Quick Take: With plenty of features, including points for JetBlue purchases, restaurants and groceries, JetBlue Plus Mastercard from Barclays might offer the travel benefits you need. Enjoy 5,000 points on your anniversary, as well as 80,000 introductory bonus points when you sign up, as well  10% back when you redeem points for Jet Blue flights, with only a $99 annual fee.
  • Travel
    4.8
How did we calculate this?

Pros

  • Cardholders receive 3X points on JetBlue purchases.
  • The 80,000 introductory bonus points are easy to earn and are worth $800.
  • The card provides excellent bonuses and travel benefits.
  • An introductory APR provides 12 months of interest-free financing on balance transfers.

Cons

  • The card comes with a $99 annual fee.
  • Opportunities to earn and redeem points are limited mostly to JetBlue travel.

Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard Overview

If you like flying JetBlue, there’s a good chance you’ll also like the JetBlue Plus Mastercard from Barclays. It’s a feature-rich travel rewards card that earns 6X points on JetBlue purchases, 2X points at restaurants and on eligible grocery purchases and 1X point on all other purchases. Cardholders also receive bonus rewards, such as an 80,000 introductory bonus, 5,000 anniversary points each year and 10% points back on points redeemed for travel on JetBlue-operated Award Flights.

Read: If Your Credit Score is Under 740, Make These 4 Moves Now

The most frequent fliers can qualify for Mosaic, JetBlue’s highest loyalty tier. It requires $50,000 in spending each calendar year, and with that, you’ll get a 3X-points bonus on JetBlue flights, upping the total reward to 9X points. Two free checked bags, free in-flight alcoholic beverages, American Airlines A-List perks and a long list of additional benefits come with the program.

It’s almost a given that a card with rewards like these would come with an annual fee, and this one does: $99 per year. However, there’s no foreign transaction fee, and balance transfers made within the first 45 days of account opening are eligible for a 12-month 0% introductory APR.

Key Features

GOBankingRates awarded the Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard 4.8 stars for its outstanding features and benefits. Here are a few of the areas where it really shines:

Cap on Rewards

The Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard doesn’t cap rewards. That means you never have to keep track of how much you’ve spent in a particular category or do math backflips to compare one rewards card to another. Barclays’ straightforward approach ensures that you always know how many points your purchases earn.

Foreign Transaction Fee

Foreign transaction fees can add around 3% to the cost of everything you purchase when you’re traveling across the U.S. border or overseas. Depending on the rewards a card earns and how you spend while you’re away, 3% could mean the difference between accumulating points toward your next trip and wiping out the points you’ve earned. Barclays doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee for the JetBlue Plus Mastercard. You pay the actual cost of your purchases and enjoy the full benefit of your reward points.

Accessibility Score

Barclays makes it a priority to provide products and services everyone can enjoy, online and off.

One useful accommodation is access to the AbilityNet My Computer My Way site, which is linked to this page on the Barclays website. Just click the “Ability settings” button to navigate instructions for adjusting accessibility settings on all your devices. You don’t have to be a Barclays customer to use this site.

Barclays has ways to make all your interactions easier, whether you manage your account online or in person. For example, you can reverse the colors in the Barclays mobile app to make the screen easier to read, and adjust the text size and screen contrast when you’re logged into the website. Cardholders with deafness, hearing loss or speech impairment can use Next Generation Text relay, relay calling or British Sign Language interpretation via SignVideo for help calling any of Barclay’s phone numbers.

Here are some other accommodations you can expect:

  • Private in-branch meeting rooms and accessible quiet areas
  • Low-level counters in many branches
  • Ability to conduct some day-to-day banking at post offices
  • PINsentry card readers for easier login to online banking
  • Large-print, audio CD, Braille and online statements
  • Chip-and-sign cards for signature access to debit and credit cards
  • Signature templates and stamps.

Highest Travel Reward

If you’re used to seeing rewards max out at 3X points or miles, you’ll appreciate the Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard’s top-level reward. Cardholders get 6X points on all eligible JetBlue purchases. There are no caps on earnings, and your points never expire as long as your account is open and in good standing.

How the Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard Stands Out

Excellent perks like points bonuses and travel benefits make the Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard stand out from competing cards. For example, for a limited time, new cardholders get 80,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee within the first 90 days of account opening. Other points bonuses include 5,000 anniversary points per year and 10% points back after you redeem points for — and travel on — a JetBlue-operated Award Flight.

Here are other perks:

  • $100 statement credit after using the card to purchase a JetBlue Vacations package of $1,000 or more
  • 50% off eligible in-flight food and drink purchases
  • Free first checked bag
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Points pooling
  • No blackout dates on JetBlue-operated flights.

Comparable Travel Reward Cards

The JetBlue Plus Mastercard has a lot going for it, but it’s not the only travel rewards card out there. Here are two more to consider.

TD First Class Visa Signature Credit Card

The TD First Class Visa Signature Credit Card earns 3X points on all travel, so you’re not restricted to a particular airline. What’s more, it offers an outstanding 15.49% APR on purchases and a 0% promotional APR for 12 months on balance transfers, and there’s no transaction fee. However, the 25,000-point introductory bonus is relatively low and difficult to earn — you’ll have to spend $3,000 in the first six months you have the card. The card has an $89 annual fee — $10 less than the Barclays card.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2X miles on all other purchases. New cardmembers only need to spend $4,000 in the first three months to earn a 75,000-mile bonus — which equals $750 in travel. There’s a annual fee.

How To Apply

You can apply for the JetBlue Plus Mastercard from this page on the Barclays website. The form will ask for general information and identifying information such as your Social Security number, date of birth and mother’s maiden name. You’ll also supply details about your job, income, homeownership status and years at your current address.

Who the Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard Is Best For

The Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard is best for frequent JetBlue fliers. The $99 annual fee is reasonable for a card with the number of points and travel benefits this one offers — as long as you can take full advantage of them.

Final Take

Getting the most from an airline travel rewards card can be a little tricky when the airline is a smaller one like JetBlue. A small fleet and limited destinations mean you must plan your travel carefully. If that’s not a dealbreaker, you’ll most likely appreciate having this card. Barclays gives cardholders plenty of ways to make up for the $99 annual fee.

More on Barclays Bank

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions with more information about the Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard.
  • Is the JetBlue card Barclays?
    • Yes, Barclays issues two JetBlue cards: JetBlue and JetBlue Plus.
  • Does the JetBlue Mastercard charge international fees?
    • Neither the JetBlue nor the JetBlue Plus Mastercard charges international transaction fees.
  • Does the Barclays JetBlue card have an annual fee?
    • The JetBlue Plus card has a $99 annual fee. The JetBlue card has no annual fee.
  • What is a JetBlue Plus card?
    • The JetBlue Plus card is Barclays' higher-tier travel card. It's designed to help JetBlue fliers earn points they can redeem for future JetBlue travel.

Rates are subject to change; unless otherwise noted, rates are updated periodically. All other information on accounts is accurate as of Oct. 18, 2022.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.

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