The Ultimate Guide to Booking and Maximizing JetBlue Vacations [2021]

BY 

Katie Seemann

- UPDATED: April 26, 2021   |    12

1. Travel  / 
2. Airlines

12

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When you think of JetBlue, you might just think it’s another low-cost carrier. But this airline, founded in 2000 with the goal of “bringing humanity back to air travel,” has become a customer favorite known for great service and an awesome in-flight experience.

Like many other airlines, JetBlue offers vacation packages. These package deals consist of flights and hotels that offer greater savings over booking everything individually.

JetBlue Vacations offers packages to destinations in the U.S., Canada, Central America, the Caribbean, and even a few locations in South America.

In this post, we will show you how to book with JetBlue Vacations and why it’s beneficial to you.

Why JetBlue Vacations?

With all of the vacation package options out there, why book one with JetBlue?

1. Best Price Guarantee: If you find the same price for your vacation package on another website within 48 hours of booking, JetBlue will refund the price difference. This guarantee only applies to the flight and hotel portion of your package. The lower-priced itinerary must be identical in every way and not utilize any unpublished fares, opaque fares, promo codes, or special discounts. To submit a best price guarantee claim, call JetBlue Customer Support at 800-JETBLUE (538-2583) and choose option 3.
2. Earn Bonus Points on Your JetBlue Vacation: You’ll earn 6 TrueBlue points per eligible dollar on your JetBlue flight and 1 TrueBlue point per dollar on accommodations and car rentals. Things like taxes and insurance aren’t included. However, if you are booking with Cash + Points, you will NOT earn any TrueBlue points.
3. Points Pooling: Earn and redeem your TrueBlue points faster by utilizing Points Pooling. When you use Points Pooling, you and your group can transfer each person’s TrueBlue points to the pool with no transfer fee. Then the Pool Leader can redeem those points.
4. No Phone Booking Fee: JetBlue offers a U.S.-based reservations crew that can help you book your vacation package 24/7 with no additional fees. It can be reached at 844-JB-VACAY (528-2229).

How to Book a JetBlue Vacations Package

To book a JetBlue Vacations package, visit jetbluevacations.com.

From the home page of JetBlue Vacations, you’ll see a simple search box. Input your departure and destination cities, dates of travel, and the number of rooms and people, then click on Search flights + hotel.

The search results page might look a bit different than other websites. You’ll find the sorting at the top of the results and filtering options on the left side of the page.

You can filter your results list by many different options:

• Price range
• Tripadvisor rating
• Star rating
• Distance from the center of town
• Amenities
• Hotel type (resort, condo, inn, etc.)

Then you can sort your results by best picks, price, star rating, Tripadvisor review, and hotel name. You’ll find these options to the upper right of the search results.

If you prefer to choose a hotel based on location, you can click on the Map View tab at the top left of your search results.

This is a really helpful tool when you know the general area you want to stay in but aren’t sure about a specific hotel.

Search Results

Each listing in the search results gives you a lot of information.

You’ll see a small price highlighted in blue. While this is important, it’s good to realize that this is the price per person. If you want to know the total package price, including taxes and fees, look at the larger number underneath it.

Underneath the package price, you’ll see the number of TrueBlue points you’ll earn when you book the selected vacation package.

To see more details about the hotel, including pictures and room types, click on Choose this Deal.

The next page will be for Hotel Details & Room Selection. Click Select Room at the top which will jump you further down the page to select your preferred room type. Any upgrades to the room will indicate a change in the price. Click Book to proceed.

You will next be able to select your departing flight. At the top of the screen, you will see the preselected flights at the previously indicated price. If you are happy with these flights click Continue to Checkout. Otherwise, scroll down.

If you’d like to explore departing flight times, you can see availability at the bottom of this page, including any incremental costs. Select Keep this Flight or Select this Flight to continue.

You’ll follow the same steps for return flights, then click Continue to Checkout.

Complete Your JetBlue Vacations Purchase

Next, you’ll be prompted to fill out your passenger information. If you have a promo code, enter it at the top below the total due and click Apply.

A Trip Hold allows you to hold your itinerary until 11 p.m. EST of the same day for a $25 deposit. If you choose to purchase the held itinerary, you need to call JetBlue to complete the purchase. If you don’t complete the purchase by 11 p.m. EST, your $25 deposit will be forfeited.

You can also reserve your package price with a non-refundable $200 per person deposit with the balance paid at a later date. Call 844-528-2229 or click here to learn more.

Hot Tip: You will select your seats after your booking is complete.

After you decide about trip insurance (more on that below), all you need to do is decide how you’ll pay for your trip and input your payment information. When that’s finished, click Purchase Trip & Book and your purchase is complete!

Travel Insurance

Right before the final payment step, you’ll be prompted to purchase trip protection. Purchasing travel insurance is a personal choice and coverage varies based on where you purchase it.

JetBlue’s coverage offers reimbursement from Allianz for a canceled or interrupted trip due to things like illness or injury. It also offers coverage for emergency medical care while abroad and a 24-hour emergency hotline.

If you’re using the right credit card, an extra insurance policy might not be necessary. Lots of credit cards come with different types of travel insurance.

Here are a few of the most popular credit cards that offer travel insurance:

Hot Tip: For a full list of credit card insurance options check out our guide to credit card insurance.

Changing or Cancelling Your JetBlue Vacations Package

Changing Your Package

Changes to your JetBlue Vacations package (excluding tours and activities) must be made over the phone at least 1 day prior to departure to avoid a JetBlue Vacations fee. Some hotels have a different penalty period, so be sure to refer to your package’s exact terms.

There are no change fees when you book roundtrip flights + hotel together. If the change involves an increase in price, payment is due at the time of change.

Canceling Your Package

Cancellation policies vary by hotel, so it’s important to know your specific terms. If you need to cancel your vacation, call 844-JB-VACAY (528-2229).

JetBlue Vacations has eliminated its cancellation fees for cancellations made at least the day before departure. Customers are responsible for any increases to the price (including increases in airfare) resulting from canceling.

The remaining funds, after the cancellation fees are deducted, will be held as a JetBlue Vacations Credit for 1 year from the date of cancellation. These funds can be applied to another JetBlue Vacations package, but not for individual flights on JetBlue.

Bottom Line: Changing or canceling your JetBlue Vacations package at least 1 day prior to departure no longer results in any JetBlue Vacations fees. Any increase in price as a result of the change is due at the time of change. 

JetBlue Vacations Deals

If you’re looking for a great deal and also have some flexibility in your travel plans, check out JetBlue Vacations Deals. You can find these by clicking Deals in the main menu bar.

These deals may offer great prices, but they’re also offered on very specific dates and often from a select airport only. Be sure to read the specifics of each deal.

While these deals are a good starting point, they aren’t always the absolute best deal you can get.

Using TrueBlue Points to Pay for Your JetBlue Vacations Package

You might be wondering if you can use your TrueBlue points to pay for a JetBlue Vacations package. The answer is yes — sort of.

You can opt to pay for your vacation package using cash and points, however, there’s no option to use TrueBlue points to pay for the entire package.

When you’re doing your initial search, click the box that says Use TrueBlue Points right above the Search flights + hotel button.

Then, you’ll see the price in cash and TrueBlue points instead of just cash.

Hot Tip: When you use TrueBlue points to pay for your JetBlue Vacations package, you’ll get a 1.3 cents per point value, slightly more than our regular valuation.

How to Earn More TrueBlue Points

If you like the idea of using TrueBlue points to help pay for your vacation package but are short of the points you need, you’re in luck. There are lots of different ways to earn the extra TrueBlue points you need for your next vacation without stepping foot on an airplane.

JetBlue Credit Cards

JetBlue offers 3 credit cards through Barclays — 2 personal and 1 business. Using these credit cards for your everyday purchases helps you to earn TrueBlue points.

CREDIT CARD	CARD INFO
The JetBlue Plus Card Learn More (at Barclays' secure site)	Limited-Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. Earn 6X points on eligible JetBlue purchases, 2X points at restaurants and eligible grocery stores, and 1X points on all other purchases. Earn 5,000 bonus points every year after your account anniversary Enjoy Mosaic benefits if you spend $50,000 or more on purchases each calendar year with your card. Enjoy an annual $100 statement credit after purchasing a JetBlue Vacations package of $100 or more with your JetBlue Plus Card. 50% inflight savings on cocktails and food purchases. Annual Fee: $99
The JetBlue Card Learn More (at Barclay's secure site)	Earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days. Earn 3x points on eligible JetBlue purchases. Earn 2x points at restaurants and eligible grocery stores. Earn 1x points on all other purchases. 50% inflight savings on cocktails and food purchases. No foreign transaction fees. Annual Fee: $0
The JetBlue Business Card Learn More (at Barclay's secure site)	Earn up to 60,000 bonus points! Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days, and earn 10,000 bonus points when a purchase is made on an employee card. Earn 6x points on eligible JetBlue purchases Earn 2x points at restaurants and office supply stores Earn 1x points on all other purchases Free first checked bag for you and up to three companions on the same reservation when you use your card to book JetBlue-operated flights No foreign transaction fees Annual Fee: $99

Additionally, if you have The JetBlue Plus card, you can enjoy an annual $100 statement credit when purchasing JetBlue Vacations of $100 or more!

Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to JetBlue at a 1:1 ratio.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

There are also a number of Chase business credit cards.

Citi ThankYou Credit Cards

You can transfer Citi ThankYou Points to JetBlue at a 1:1 ratio.

You’ll need either the Citi Prestige® Card or the Citi Premier℠ Card to transfer at that ratio. Cardholders of the Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card and Citi Rewards+® Card, which otherwise cannot transfer points to airline miles, can transfer to JetBlue at 1:0.8 ratio.

Amex Membership Rewards Credit Cards

You can transfer Amex Membership Rewards to JetBlue at a rate of 1:0.8. Sometimes you can take advantage of promotional periods that bump up the transfer rate to 1:1.

Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)

Business owners have a choice of Amex business credit cards to choose from.

Capital One Miles

You can transfer Capital One miles to JetBlue TrueBlue at a 2:1.5 ratio.

Make sure you have a Capital One card that has the transferable miles feature. Here are our picks:

Bottom Line: All of the major transferable currencies — Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Capital One miles — transfer to JetBlue TrueBlue points.

Earn TrueBlue Points Through Partners

JetBlue has lots of partners that you can earn points from.

• Amazon (in-flight purchases)
• Avis
• Budget
• jetOpinions
• IHG Rewards
• Marriott Bonvoy

While JetBlue is not part of an airline alliance, it does have airline partners that allow you to earn JetBlue TrueBlue points.

• Emirates
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Icelandair
• JSX
• Silver Airways
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways

Shopping and Dining

You can also earn TrueBlue points on your everyday shopping and dining.

Before you make an online purchase, be sure to click through the TrueBlue Shopping portal. You’ll be able to earn TrueBlue points on all of the purchases you make through this portal.

You can also earn points each time you dine out through the TrueBlue Dining program. Once you sign up, register your credit card and use that credit card at participating restaurants. You’ll earn 3 points for every dollar you spend.

Bottom Line: For a comprehensive guide to earning JetBlue TrueBlue points check our list of ways to earn lots of TrueBlue points.

Are JetBlue Vacations a Good Deal?

Let’s get to the dollars and cents now. Will booking a JetBlue Vacations package actually save you money? We’ve priced out a few examples to see how the money all works out.

The first example is for a week-long stay at the Holiday Inn Resort and Casino Aruba Beach for 2 people plus roundtrip flights from Philadelphia (PHL) to Aruba (AUA).

JetBlue’s package deal beats out booking the flight (through JetBlue) and hotel (through Booking.com via Kayak) separately, but not by much.

The package deal on Priceline doesn’t include identical flights, but they’re similar and direct on American Airlines, compared to JetBlue’s stopovers. With a savings of over $300 over the JetBlue Vacations package, Priceline is the clear winner here. But, booking through JetBlue would still save you money over booking the hotel and flight separately and you’d receive a $125 resort credit.

JetBlue Vacations also has a Best Price Guarantee, so if you find the same price for your vacation package on another website within 48 hours of booking, JetBlue will refund the price difference.

The next example is for roundtrip flights for 2 from Atlanta (ATL) to Montego Bay (MBJ) plus a 3-night weekend stay at the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall.

In this example, JetBlue Vacations will save you money versus booking the hotel and flights separately and versus booking the package through an online travel agency (OTA) like Orbitz or Travelocity. By booking this package through JetBlue, you’re saving over $470 over booking separately and over $60 compared to the OTAs.

One thing to note is that you’ll generally not earn any hotel loyalty points when you book through an airline or online travel agency. If you’re loyal to 1 brand like Marriott Bonvoy or Hyatt and the price difference is negligible, it’s often better to just book directly through the hotel’s own website so you can earn points for your purchase.

Bottom Line: Booking a package deal through JetBlue Vacations can save you money — but not always. It’s a good idea to price out the package separately and through a metasearch engine or OTA like Kayak, Priceline, or Expedia before booking.

Final Thoughts

JetBlue is more than just a low-cost carrier. Like many other airlines and online travel agencies, it offers vacation packages — deals consisting of a hotel and flights booked as a bundle to save money.

In addition to destinations in the U.S., JetBlue Vacations can take you to Canada, Central America, the Caribbean, and even South America.

JetBlue Vacations can save you money, but it’s not always guaranteed. It’s a good idea to price out a package separately before you purchase, to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible.