How I Scored a Round-Trip JetBlue Mint Flight With Just 1 Amex Platinum Bonus

Years have passed since I last experienced JetBlue Mint, the airline’s premium business class product that offers lie-flat seats, elevated dining options, and personalized service.

The idea of relaxing in a lie-flat seat, enjoying curated cocktails, and savoring a high-end dining experience at 35,000 feet was just too enticing to ignore. That’s why I decided to make it my short-term goal to fly JetBlue Mint again, especially since my last Mint flight from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Los Angeles (LAX) was 10 years ago.

However, there was only one minor issue: Mint fares are not usually affordable. But with some savvy travel card planning, I was able to book a round-trip Mint ticket using the welcome bonus offer on the Platinum Card^® from American Express. Here’s how.

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Platinum Card^® from American Express

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The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

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Platinum Card^® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

Welcome Offer

You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

As High As 175,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $3,850

Annual Fee

$895

APR

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Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than the Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,550 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com

Cons

• $895 annual fee (rates and fees)
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)

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Card Highlights

• You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
• Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards^® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel^®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts^® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel^® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
• More Value! With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection^®, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 complimentary Delta Sky Club^® visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations), Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges. * As of 07/2025.
• More Value! $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card^® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card^® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card^® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
• More Value! $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $25 in statement credits each month after you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card^® at participating partners. Enrollment required.
• More Value! $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel^® using the Platinum Card^®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• New! $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights by Resy: When you use the Platinum Card^® to pay at U.S. Resy restaurants and to make other eligible purchases through Resy, you can get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter with the $400 Resy Credit benefit. Plus, with Platinum Nights by Resy, you can get special access to reservations on select nights at participating in demand Resy restaurants with the Platinum Card^®. Simply add your eligible Card to your Resy profile to book and discover Platinum Nights reservations near you, enrollment required.
• More Value! $209 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: CLEAR^® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR Plus Membership* with up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR Plus with the Platinum Card^®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to the Platinum Card^® Account*. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
• Start your vacation sooner, and keep it going longer. When you book Fine Hotels + Resorts^® through American Express Travel^®, enjoy noon check-in upon arrival, when available, and guaranteed 4PM check-out.
• New! $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card^® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That’s up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Receive a statement credit* for one monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) after you pay for Walmart+ each month with the Platinum Card^®.*Up to $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups not eligible.
• $100 Saks Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or saks.com on the Platinum Card^®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits from January through June and up to $50 in statement credits from July through December. No minimum purchase required. Enrollment required.
• Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
• $895 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

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• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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Amex Platinum Card Welcome Bonus Offer

Here’s the current public welcome offer for the Amex Platinum card:

However, some applicants have reported targeted welcome offers of up to 175,000 points after spending $8,000 within the first 6 months. These elevated welcome bonus offers can usually be found through targeted channels, like the CardMatch tool or specific referral links from a friend or family member.

I checked CardMatch first but had no luck with a higher-targeted welcome offer. However, when I logged into my American Express online account, I saw an elevated welcome offer of 125,000 points with the same minimum spending requirement as the public offer.

I applied and was approved immediately. Upon receiving the card, I immediately worked on meeting the minimum spend requirement in 1 swoop. Since I pay my own quarterly taxes as a 1099 filer, I paid my taxes using my Amex Platinum card through the tax-payment processor Pay1040, which charges a fee of 1.75%.

Although I had to cough up $140 in fees to use a credit card to pay my taxes, we value Amex points at 2.2 cents apiece. Therefore, my welcome bonus offer of 125,000 points is worth more like ~$2,750, which felt like a small price for a heap of points!

How I Booked JetBlue Mint With Amex Points

When I first flew JetBlue Mint a decade ago, I paid just 25,000 TrueBlue points to travel across the country from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Los Angeles (LAX). Since then, airfare pricing has risen significantly, as this would be an incredible deal today.

Typically, I can find more affordable flights from U.S. East Coast cities to Caribbean destinations such as Fort Lauderdale to Barbados or New York (JFK) to Aruba, among others. These Caribbean routes usually offer lower Mint fares than transcontinental flights, such as those from New York to Los Angeles or Boston (BOS) to San Francisco (SFO).

JetBlue also operates European flights from the East Coast to Amsterdam, London, Dublin, and Paris, along with newer routes to Madrid and Edinburgh. However, these flights are typically priced much higher than the Caribbean routes.

I wanted to find the lowest Mint award rates I could book, so I began checking rates for travel in April 2025 from the East Coast to the Caribbean, focusing on finding the lowest fares in points available.

Since I had already planned to be in New York City in April, I researched all the JetBlue Caribbean destinations that offer Mint business class from New York (JFK), like Aruba, St. Thomas, St. Martin, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Then, I used JetBlue’s Best Fare Finder tool to search by month and find the lowest rates.

After researching, I found Mint award space from New York (JFK) to San Juan (SJU) in mid-April for just 68,000 points round-trip and $11.20. This was the absolute lowest rate I could find, and even better, the dates worked for my schedule.

Since Amex Membership Rewards points can be transferred at a 1:0.8 ratio to JetBlue, I transferred 74,000 Amex points (1:0.8) to cover the cost of my JetBlue Mint award flight of 68,000 points. Even though the transfer ratio isn’t 1:1, and I’d usually refrain from transferring Amex points to JetBlue, this option was the most suitable for my travel plans.

Even though JetBlue is operating its original Mint business class with the alternating 2-2 and 1-1 layout to Puerto Rico, I’m still really looking forward to the comfort of a lie-flat seat and excellent inflight cuisine.

Final Thoughts

I used fewer than 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards points to book JetBlue’s swanky Mint business class from the East Coast to the beautiful Caribbean — and for a round-trip ticket. What’s more, I earned all those points from a single welcome bonus offer on the Amex Platinum card, and I still have plenty left to plan my next adventure.