Delayed or Canceled JetBlue Flight? Soon, You’ll Get Points Instead of Vouchers as Compensation.

Airlines regularly offer compensation to passengers when something goes wrong — think sitting on the runway for multiple hours inside the plane, a canceled flight that made you miss your connection, etc.

When this happens, you’ll likely receive a voucher from the airline, which you can use to book future flights. Unfortunately, this compensation is very rarely issued in cash.

Now, JetBlue is letting customers know that it will stop issuing vouchers in these situations. Soon, customers will receive points.

Is this a good change or a net negative for customers? It depends on how savvy you are.

Current JetBlue Compensation Plan

Currently, passengers who experience issues when flying with JetBlue can receive flight vouchers as compensation.

Covered issues are those JetBlue can control, such as delaying or canceling a flight, as well as passengers waiting inside the plane for a lengthy period before departing or deplaning. In these situations, customers can receive between $50 and $250 in future travel credit.

The amount of compensation depends on the issue and its severity.

Unfortunately, these future travel credits can’t be redeemed as cash, are only valid toward future JetBlue flight bookings, and expire within 6 months. These credits can’t be used for ancillaries like seat upgrades or checked bags.

JetBlue Will Issue Points as Compensation

Earlier this year, JetBlue improved compensation for passengers denied boarding on oversold flights — making its compensation better than what other airlines offer. Now, it’s making another change, and this one is rather unique.

Starting in October, JetBlue will stop issuing vouchers as compensation for travel irregularities. Instead, the airline will provide TrueBlue points to customers.

This information appeared today on the page for JetBlue’s customer service plan.

So far, there’s no specific date for when this change will occur — just some time in October. Additionally, we don’t know how many points will be issued.

Will JetBlue provide points at a value of 1 cent each, treating them like cash value? That would mean receiving 10,000 points instead of a $100 voucher.

This creates a potential win for customers who know how to use their points well. Assuming JetBlue issues an equivalent number of points rather than vouchers in the new system, customers could come out ahead if they use their points above a 1-cent-each value.

Moreover, these points may not have the same restrictions as the vouchers, letting customers use them to fly on JetBlue’s partners, redeem them for vacation packages, and avoid expiration. While vouchers expire after 6 months, JetBlue’s points don’t expire.

Time will tell how many points JetBlue will issue as compensation and whether they’ll come with any restrictions. We’ve reached out to JetBlue for clarity around this change but haven’t received a response as of the time of publication. Should we receive additional details from the airline, we will update this post.

Final Thoughts

Starting on an unknown date in October, JetBlue will stop issuing vouchers to affected passengers who endure delays or cancellations and will instead start issuing points to customers.

Travelers who know how to use these points well may come out ahead, even though some customers will be unhappy with this change.