I’m a member of the free airline rewards programs offered by JetBlue, American Airlines, United Airlines and Cayman Airways. When I joined I quickly received free flights, upgrades and discounts. I always use one of these airlines rewards programs when booking flights and vacations to the Caribbean.
Airline rewards programs are wonderful. They provide frequent travellers with exclusive perks and can help them save money on flights. With that said, there are things I like and things I don’t like about each airline rewards program.
Here are the pros and cons of my top two airline’s rewards program:
jetBlue
jetBlue’s TrueBlue rewards program is my favorite. You can get the best deals on flights if you join the FREE TrueBlue rewards program. After you join you’ll be assigned a TrueBlue number to use when booking flights. When you set up an online profile your number will be linked to your account. When you book directly on jetBlue.com you’ll earn three points per dollar. After your flight the points will be automatically sent to your rewards account where they’ll quickly add up for you to use for your first free flight.
It’s so easy to redeem points for free flights. You can even use them to upgrade to seats that have more space. With Even More Space Seats you have additional room to stretch out plus you get early boarding and through the security fast lane. If you supply your email address when you sign up you’ll receive discounts and flight and vacation package offers sent directly to your email.
The top jetBlue vacation packages to the Caribbean are: Aruba, Barbados, Cancun, Dominican Republic, Grand Cayman, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and St Lucia. You’ll have an option of choosing the flight of your choice along with the hotel of your choice. If you book a vacation package that includes air and flight you can get an even cheaper or discounted rate. The best part is you can make easy monthly payments until your package is paid off.
Apply for the jetBlue credit card for even more perks
You can earn points quickly by applying for the jetBlue credit card. The great thing about it is you earn 10,000 bonus points after you spend 1000.00 on purchases in the first 90 days.
I have the jetBlue Plus credit card. It has an annual fee of $99.00 but for me this is the smartest and best travel credit card. After receiving the card and using it to make $1000 worth of purchases in the first 90 days you’ll earn 30,000 points you can use to book your first free flight. I booked my trip to Grenada using my free points that I’ve earned using the jetBlue Plus credit card.
The jetBlue Plus card gives you 6X points on JetBlue purchases, 2x points on restaurants and grocery shopping and 1 x points on all other purchases. Every time you redeem points you get 10% of them back and you can use them toward your next redemption. When you pay with your card you’ll receive 50% off anything you purchase in-flight. You’ll also get a credit in the amount of $100.00 when you buy a Vacation package.
Another reason I like the card is that it’s linked to my free TrueBlue rewards card so whenever I use my credit card the points are automatically added to it. You can log onto your rewards account and it clearly breaks down all the points you’ve earned.
These are the top 10 reasons I love jetBlue airlines:
- No Blackout dates EVER!
- Points do not expire. EVER!
- Family pooling is FREE! You can link a family member to your account and share points to use for a free flight or upgrade.
- You can use a combination cash and points when you book a vacation package
- FREE first checked bag
- FREE Directv and Sirius XM radio
- FREE unlimited snacks and non-alcoholic drinks
- FREE wifi on most planes
- You can use points to upgrade to Plenty Room Seats
- When purchasing in flight cocktails, food and in flight movies with your credit card you receive 50% off.
Cons:
- jetBlue’s hub is not in my home airport so I can’t get a direct flight to the Caribbean. I sometimes travel to the next nearest airport to get a direct flight.
- First class and jetBlue’s Mint cabin aren’t available on flights to my favorite Caribbean destinations.
American Airlines
American Airlines has my second favorite airline rewards program. You can join the AAdvantage loyalty program for free and you’ll receive benefits right away. After you fill out the form you’ll receive your AAdvantage number that you can use to book flights.
These are the top 4 reasons I love the American Airlines rewards program:
When you have the credit card you can board the plane in the first group which gives you a chance to put your luggage in the overhead bin first.
- You have the option to upgrade 24 hrs before your flight
- You can book a vacation package and put 100.00 down per person and pay the balance 45 days before the flight.
- Checked luggage is free for you and up to 3 companions when you book your flight with you AAdvantage credit card and on the same reservations.
Cons
- Black out dates when using your points
- When using points only certain flights selected by AA will be displayed even if there are seats on a flight that you want.
- There’s a fee to buy and share your miles
United Airlines and Cayman Airways also have great free rewards programs that offer special perks and discounts to their members.
I love the 2 free one-time passes that I receive each year with the MileagePlus program, giving me access to the United Club lounge.
Cayman Airways Sir Turtle Rewards Frequent Flyer program offers perks like giving Gold members access to their Club Lounge for free.
Want to know more about airline member rewards programs. What are your favorites and why? Let’s chat about it in the comments.
Check out my other blog posts https://caribbeantravelqueen.com/
Contact me, Subscribe or Download my FREE E-Book “10 Tips for planning your Romantic Caribbean getaway” HERE https://caribbeantravelqueen.com/contact
