You Can Now Redeem JetBlue Points on China Airlines Flights, and the Pricing Is Pretty Good

JetBlue and China Airlines have been interline partners for a while, but until now, the relationship has been mostly one-sided when it comes to loyalty perks. TrueBlue members could earn points on China Airlines flights, but they couldn’t actually redeem them for travel on the airline.

That just changed.

JetBlue announced today that members can now redeem TrueBlue points for China Airlines flights. This works in the other direction, as China Airlines Dynasty Flyer members can now use their miles on JetBlue’s flights. But for most readers in the U.S., the bigger story is the long list of Asia destinations now bookable with TrueBlue points — let’s take a look.

JetBlue and China Airlines Expand Partnership

The interline agreement between JetBlue and China Airlines isn’t new. What is new, though, is that points and miles now flow both directions, according to a press release.

TrueBlue points can now be redeemed for China Airlines flights directly on jetblue.com or in the JetBlue app. No calling in, no hassles.

Better yet, both standard and premium cabins are bookable with points, which is what makes this useful for long-haul flyers. A 17-hour flight to Asia in economy is one thing, but the option to use points for premium cabins is what most people will care about.

There’s also a nice deal for those with the JetBlue Premier World Elite Mastercard^®. The card is adding a 15% redemption rebate on award flights, which includes partner redemptions like China Airlines. On a 39,000-point ticket, for instance, that’s nearly 6,000 points back.

Redeem TrueBlue Points on China Airlines

China Airlines is based at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in Taiwan. For those using points and miles, China Airlines is a SkyTeam member, so Delta SkyMiles, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Korean Air SKYPASS, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club all provide access.

For example, a China Airlines flight from New York-JFK to Taipei — more than 17 hours long — costs just 39,000 TrueBlue points plus $215.60 in taxes and fees.

For comparison, Delta is charging 62,000 SkyMiles for the same seat. That’s a 23,000-point difference.

Here’s the bad news: JetBlue isn’t showing the full inventory yet.

Search Delta SkyMiles and you’ll find business class awards to and from Taipei, plus awards in economy to and from the U.S. Right now, JetBlue is only offering this single route — and only in economy. Hopefully, more inventory will be loaded soon, as TrueBlue members should have “access to China Airlines standard and premium cabin experience … using their points.”

Final Thoughts

This is one of the better TrueBlue partner additions in a while, especially if you’re flying economy from the East Coast to Asia. At 39,000 points one-way to Taipei, JetBlue has priced itself well below Delta and most other SkyTeam programs. The upcoming 15% points rebate from the JetBlue Premier card will make it even better.

For now, award space on JetBlue’s side appears limited compared to other partners, and business class availability is nonexistent at the moment. Hopefully, that will change soon, as the initial pricing in economy gives us something to get excited about so far.