JetBlue Business Card Review: A Competitive Rewards Card for JetBlue Fans

Although it's a relatively young airline, JetBlue is already well known for its top-tier product. So it's little surprise that the airline has so many fans. If you regularly travel JetBlue for your business you can get even more value from your flights wit this card. Cardholders not only earn TrueBlue points on their purchases, but they also get perks like free checked bags. Read our full JetBlue Business Card review to see what this business credit card can do for your business travel.

This credit card is a good fit for: JetBlue fans who want to earn loyalty points with the airline for business travel.

Top perks

If you're a JetBlue regular, this card has a lot to offer. Other travelers will see a lot less value.

Earn up to 6x TrueBlue points per dollar on purchases

The main perk of the JetBlue Business Card is that you can earn TrueBlue points on your purchases. You'll earn:

• 6x points per dollar on eligible JetBlue purchases
• 2x points per dollar at restaurants
• 2x points per dollar at office supply stores
• 1x point per dollar on other purchases

TrueBlue points' value varies a bit depending on how they're redeemed, but they average $0.01 and $0.015 per point. This makes the 6x points on JetBlue flights a much better return than you'd get with nearly any other credit card. And the 2x points categories can give you an effective 3% back with the right redemptions.

Now, this assumes you fly JetBlue often enough to make redeeming those points easy. If you're only a sporadic JetBlue customer, a travel rewards card with more versatile points may be a better value.

Sign-up bonus

The JetBlue Business Card offers 80,000 TrueBlue points and a $99 statement credit after you spend $2,000 on your new card within the first 90 days of account opening.

This is a pretty decent credit card sign-up bonus, especially considering the low spending limit on the initial sign-up bonus. The 80,000-point bonus alone can be worth at least $600 in free JetBlue flights.

First checked bag free

Baggage fees seem to be big business these days, so getting your bag checked for free can be a big savings. JetBlue Business Card members get their first checked bag free on JetBlue flights. Additionally, up to three companions traveling on the same reservation also enjoy a fee waiver on their first checked bag. Note that this only applies to flights operated by JetBlue; partner flights and codeshares aren't eligible for the checked bag fee waiver.

50% savings on in-flight food and cocktails

Airline food isn't reputed to be great, but going hungry on a long flight can be worse. The JetBlue Business Card can't make the food taste any better, but it can make it easier on your wallet with a 50% savings. The savings applies to in-flight purchases of food and cocktails made with your JetBlue Business Card on JetBlue-operated flights. The discount doesn't apply to any other in-flight purchases. The discount is applied in the form of a statement credit that will show up on your card statement within four to six weeks.

Read more: Best Airline Credit Cards

Annual 5,000 points bonus

JetBlue Business Card members will receive a 5,000 points bonus each year after their cardholder anniversary. (Points can take four to six weeks to post after your anniversary date.)

5,000 TrueBlue points are worth at least $50 in JetBlue travel, though they could be worth more depending on how you redeem them. This is just over half of the annual fee, which could make it easier to justify keeping the card even if you're not maxing out the value each year.

Get Mosaic status when you spend $50,000

You'll earn a year of Mosaic status if you spend at least $50,000 on your JetBlue Business Card in a calendar year. Mosaic is JetBlue's elite status. It unlocks some potentially useful perks, including:

• Extra 3x bonus points on JetBlue flight purchases
• Free same-day switches
• First two checked bags free
• Free beer, wine, and liquor on board
• Early boarding
• Expedited security in some airports
• Dedicated customer service line

Without this perk, you'd need to earn 15,000 Mosaic-qualifying points or accrue 30 segments and 12,000 points within a calendar year to get Mosaic status.

No foreign transaction fee

This is a bonus perk on regular cards, but it's a must-have on travel rewards cards. In fact, browsing through our credit card reviews will show that nearly all travel rewards cards we've seen have no foreign transaction fees. Why is it so important? Foreign transaction fees are extra fees charged for purchases made in a foreign currency or that route through a foreign bank. Since many folks use travel cards to travel abroad, foreign transaction fees can be an expensive problem. It's also useful for business cards, as many businesses rely on foreign suppliers.

Read more: Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards

Free employee cards

The JetBlue Business Card offers free employee credit cards. This allows you to give an employee card linked to your business card account to employees who need to make purchases on your company's behalf, at no extra cost. Plus, employee cards earn the same purchase rewards as your main card. You can also assign individual spending limits for each card, right down to individual purchase limits. You'll get a consolidated statement of transactions, and employees can also see individual statements, making it easier for everyone to track expenses.

What could be improved

There are only a few major downsides to this card, but they're still worth consideration.

Annual card fee

Any annual card fee should be enough to make you pause before applying, but the JetBlue Business Card charges a $99 annual fee. As such, you really need to consider if you'll get at least that in value out of the card each year. Ideally, you'll get more than $99 in value, otherwise having the card isn't particularly worthwhile.

After the first year, the anniversary points bonus adds a quick $50 value to the card (assuming you can use those points). So, do you get more than $49 in value from the card otherwise? That value could come from purchase rewards, or the free checked bag -- or a combination thereof. If the answer is "No," consider a different card.

No 0% intro APR on purchases or transfers

If interest fees are the bane of credit card users, then intro 0% APR deals are the balm. The best offers provide a 0% interest rate on purchases (and sometimes balance transfers) for a year or more. Many cards now offer them, even in the business credit card world. So the lack of one does count against the JetBlue Business Card. That being said, it's not unusual for a travel card to forgo an intro APR offer. And if you pay your card in full each month, you won't need to worry about the interest rate anyway.

It's recommended that you have excellent credit when you apply for the JetBlue Business Card. In numerical terms, a FICO® Score of 700 or higher will offer the best chances of approval. Barclays -- the credit card issuer -- will look at both your personal and business credit history when making a decision.

If you're already a JetBlue fan and use the airline for your business travels, the JetBlue Business Card is a solid pick. It earns a great rate on JetBlue flights, and the few extra perks could be useful for cardholders who can maximize them. The annual fee is a bit steep, however, especially if you won't fly often enough to make use of the card's perks and rewards. If you only occasionally fly JetBlue, you may be better off with a more flexible travel rewards cards.

Keep reading: Best Rewards Credit Cards

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.