How I Redeemed JetBlue Move to Mint Certificates To Upgrade Flights to London

It isn’t easy to score an upgrade to JetBlue Mint, and that’s largely by design. Likewise, the airline has made redeeming your points and miles for the premium class difficult, restricting partner award availability altogether.

JetBlue remedied the first issue by introducing Move to Mint certificates earlier this year, exclusively for its top-tier Mosaic elite status holders. Though I didn’t fly the carrier enough (or spend enough on my co-branded credit card) to earn Mosaic status naturally, I was able to match my top-tier Delta SkyMiles Platinum Medallion status during a limited-time promotion last fall.

Among many terrific perks, such as complimentary Even More Space seats, free same-day changes, and even a free Blade helicopter ride in New York, I was most excited to redeem the Move to Mint certificates. With the airline’s expansion into transatlantic routes, I set my sights on upgrading an upcoming flight to Europe.

It certainly wasn’t the most straightforward process, but I did learn insider tips and tricks to maximize these coveted awards. Here’s an overview of my experience redeeming them for a flight between Boston (BOS) and London Gatwick (LGW) for others looking to do the same.

Overview of JetBlue Move to Mint Certificates

JetBlue overhauled its Mosaic elite status program earlier in 2024, introducing 4 new membership tiers to its TrueBlue loyalty program. As with most airline frequent flyer programs, the higher your status level, the more benefits you enjoy. Once you earn the level, it’s valid for the remainder of the calendar year and the entire following year.

You need to earn a set number of “tiles” to qualify for the next status level of Mosaic. Here’s a list of eligible activities:

• JetBlue flights (1 tile for every $100 spent)
• JetBlue Vacations (1 tile for every $100 spent)
• Paisly by JetBlue for hotels, car rentals, activities, and more (1 tile for every $100 spent)
• Spending on The JetBlue Card, The JetBlue Plus Card, or The JetBlue Business Card (1 tile for every $1,000 spent)

JetBlue elite status holders enjoy benefits such as 2 free checked bags, complimentary Even More Space seats, free same-day changes, and more. But where the elite status gets really valuable is with the 4 Move to Mint certificates awarded starting at Mosaic 3, and an additional 2 certificates granted when you reach Mosaic 4.

These Move to Mint certificates are an exciting new development for the loyalty program, which long did not offer a way to upgrade to the coveted business class — at least for free.

How To Get JetBlue Mint Upgrade Certificates

You need to earn 150 or 200 tiles to qualify for Mosaic 3 and 4, respectively, to earn Mint upgrade certificates. You can check your progress on earning JetBlue tiles by visiting My Dashboard when logged onto your account.

I fly with JetBlue a few times yearly and have The JetBlue Plus card, but I likely wouldn’t qualify for elite status on the normal path. After all, earning Mosaic 3 requires $15,000 spent on JetBlue flights or $150,000 spent on a JetBlue credit card.

However, Delta SkyMiles Medallion members had a limited-time opportunity to status match to JetBlue TrueBlue Mosaic last fall. It was limited to the first 30,000 flyers, so I didn’t think twice about applying. As a Delta SkyMiles Platinum Medallion member, I received automatic Mosaic 3 status.

At the time of writing, I still have Mosaic 3, as the status for those with The JetBlue Plus card or The JetBlue Business card has been extended until the end of 2024.

Redeeming Move to Mint Certificates for Transatlantic Flights

Let’s start with the logistics. To confirm your upgrade with your space-available Move to Mint certificates, you need to book a Blue or Blue Extra fare with the airline, which seems straightforward at first.

However, there are a few restrictions. Mint certificates must be used for travel before their expiration date. For instance, if your awards expire on December 31, 2024, you can’t redeem them for flights in 2025.

Furthermore, you cannot use a Mint upgrade certificate on Blue Basic tickets, group bookings, or flights booked via JetBlue Vacations. Likewise, you cannot upgrade your ticket to Mint if you have an unaccompanied minor or pet on your booking.

Once you’ve got your certificates, you can redeem them online after booking — anytime before check-in but up to 2 hours before departure. By seeing your trip details under JetBlue’s Manage Trips page, you’ll see a Move to Mint button if the itinerary is eligible for an upgrade. That’s where the complicated part comes in.

“The number of certificates required to redeem will be dynamic and change based on the route and other factors, like flight prices,” according to JetBlue’s website.

Therefore, it’s not as easy as redeeming 1 Mint certificate for 1 flight. Even worse, you can’t find out how many upgrade certificates are required before booking, making matters even more tricky.

While it’s frustrating that you can’t see the number of Mint certificates required before purchasing a flight, JetBlue has recently added a way for travelers to know beforehand. Simply call customer service (800-JET-BLUE); Mosaic 3 and 4 members will automatically connect to the Mosaic desk.

The conversation was easy enough. I chatted with the friendly agent, letting her know that I was interested in booking a certain flight but wanted to know how many upgrade certificates I needed. She put me on hold for a few minutes before letting me know the number of certificates I required for my flight, and in my case, for 2 passengers on the same reservation.

Upgrading to JetBlue Mint From Boston to London

Almost a year ago, my friend and I began to mastermind our trip to the U.K. after scoring VIP floor seats to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour in Edinburgh, Scotland. We decided to go all out and treat ourselves to business class — with points and miles, of course.

For this trip, we decided to fly in (and out of) London, simply because there were more flights to choose from out of the city’s 2 major airports. We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to redeem those Mint upgrade certificates, at least for a one-way ticket.

In January, I booked 2 one-way flights from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) for roughly $500 apiece, not knowing how many upgrade certificates I’d need to use. Immediately after booking my flight, I navigated to Manage My Trip and found out that this flight required 4 certificates per person. I also ran a few test runs on other JetBlue transatlantic flights in June 2024 with varying dates and times, and they all required 4 certificates.

Since we wanted to fly together, I scrapped this plan to fly JetBlue Mint altogether — which led us to Plan B. Fortunately, my friend is an American AAdvantage Executive Platinum member and had systemwide upgrades to burn, so we put ourselves on the waitlist for a flight from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) to New York JFK to London Heathrow.

The upgrade prospects looked promising on the transatlantic leg, with more than a dozen business class seats still available a few days before departure. Unfortunately, these seats quickly disappeared once we got closer to the check-in window. (Perhaps the airline had cargo and needed to restrict seats, or other business class flyers confirmed a same-day change to our flight — who knows?)

We were still booked in Main Cabin Extra seats, which would have fared us well for the 6-hour flight, even if we weren’t able to use the systemwide upgrades. But I was curious to know if JetBlue reduced the number of Mint upgrade certificates required closer to booking — in this case, the same day of travel.

By reading online threads, I discovered that JetBlue customer service agents could now look up the number of certificates required before booking, avoiding the need for me to pay for the flight upfront. Instead of 4 certificates, she let me know that a flight from Raleigh-Durham to JFK to London Gatwick only required 2 certificates.

After confirming this amount, I booked the one-way flight, which cost $700 per person. We felt this was worth the cost for the lie-flat seats to London, and we received a trip credit for the original American Airlines booking.

When I attempted to upgrade my flight with the 4 certificates at my disposal, I got the following error message: “Ack. This flight isn’t eligible for a Move to Mint.”

This cued another call to the Mosaic desk, but one that took much longer for the customer service agent to process. After we spent 30 minutes on hold, she was able to process our tickets and upgrade our itineraries to Mint.

What was particularly interesting was that we weren’t charged for additional taxes and fees despite the terms and conditions of JetBlue’s Move to Mint program (found here). Perhaps we would have been charged if we had booked a flight departing London instead.

Is It Worth Upgrading to JetBlue Mint?

Flying JetBlue Mint was an absolute treat — and we splurged for the 2 Mint Studio seats that were up for grabs for a $299 gate upgrade. Sure, I could have paid with The JetBlue Plus card to earn 6x points on JetBlue purchases, but I paid with The Platinum Card^® from American Express Card, which triggered the $200 airline fee credit (enrollment is required).

My colleague Daniel Ross has written a fantastic review on the JetBlue Mint Studio experience, a one-of-a-kind product that truly felt like a miniature apartment in the sky. My friend and I were able to eat dinner and watch a movie together in the pod, which I’ve never experienced before.

Ultimately, if you’d like to upgrade your flight with a Mint certificate, there are a few main takeaways from my experience:

• Booking in advance? Expect transatlantic flights to require 3 or 4 certificates and transcontinental flights to require 2 certificates. The rates may drop closer in to the actual flight, such as only requiring 2 certificates for my same-day ticket.
• You should always call the Mosaic desk to ask how many certificates you need for your flight before booking.
• Even if you can redeem your certificates online, the system isn’t perfect, and you may run into glitches. Again, the Mosaic desk comes to the rescue.

Final Thoughts

JetBlue debuted its Mint business class a decade ago, offering a premium flying experience that’s a cut above the rest. Now, it’s possible to upgrade your standard ticket to one of these aspirational seats for top-tier elite flyers.

However, the process can be convoluted, as the certificates required are dynamic by nature. That said, it’s quite generous that JetBlue confirms your upgrade if any Mint seats are available. The same principle can’t necessarily be said for other airlines that require you to be put on a waitlist first.