I was going to wait and mention this deal next week, but this is just too good! You’ve probably heard about an incredibly generous offer from Jet Blue. Basically, if you currently have Virgin America points ( 500 or more), you can get at least 5,000 Jet Blue points after taking one paid flight by 8/31/16.
Those points would be worth $55-$70 toward Jet Blue flights. You’ll have to email a screenshot with your Virgin America account balance to Jet Blue by 07/04/2016.
Jet Blue program is similar to Southwest and is revenue-based, so you don’t have to worry about award availability. See the map of coverage here So, if you haven’t yet booked your airline tickets for summer travel, I strongly recommend you look into flying on Jet Blue. Of course, I’m assuming you currently have Virgin America points or are able to transfer them from Citi, Amex or SPG.
I wrote a post on why Virgin America/SPG partnership is the best thing since sliced bread. I also mentioned that it’s a great option for families looking to visit Hawaii. In other words, if you decide to transfer points from SPG to Virgin America in order to take advantage of Jet Blue match, it would be a win-win. Of course, it does depend on whether you have Jet Blue coverage where you live.
You can see the full terms of this offer here And here is how the offer stacks up:
So, if you have a lot of SPG points, definitely consider it. If you can find a cheap flight on Jet Blue, it could make for a fun getaway, and you would have a nice surprise waiting for you when you get home.
If both spouses transfer a little over 40,000 SPG points each, it could potentially give them 150,000 Jet Blue points. That amount is good for close to $2,000 in flights. Wow! Spend less than $300 on two roundtrip tickets, and this is definitely mileage-run worthy.
Plus, remember, you will also have a ton of points in Virgin America program, arguably, SPG most valuable transfer partner. You can combine points with your spouse for free by calling SPG, but it does take a few days to go through. If only one person is flying, then it makes sense to pool points together in order to get the maximum payout (75,000 points).
If both spouses are traveling, then see if you can get to 50,000 points’ level as specified by Jet Blue. It would require you to transfer a little over 25,000 SPG points into respective account since you get 5,000 points bonus on each 20,000 SPG points transfer.
Unfortunately, I won’t be doing it because I have other plans for my SPG points (another post on it later). And there is a decent chance it’s not right for you either. But I strongly recommend you at least think about it. Jet Blue has a good coverage to Caribbean, so you can potentially visit St. Thomas and Maui out of this deal.
Who is considering it?
Hat tip to The Points Guy.
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Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
I am REALLY considering this as I have the SPG points and fly JetBlue more than any other airline. I’m a little trigger shy as I fear that they will take it away before my transfer would go through. I will probably go for it in the next 24 hours after I see a few more data points.
@Doug I can definitely see why you are tempted. I can’t guarantee that the promo will not be pulled soon but personally, I wouldn’t wait too long if I were you. I’ve seen some data points and so far, everyone got approved for this match challenge as long as they emailed the screenshot.
I feel the longer you wait, the more likelihood there is of Jet Blue pulling the offer. Hmm, I know it’s a tough one. I guess the question is: how bad will it be for you to end up with Virgin America points (and no Jet Blue promo)? Can you see yourself utilizing their network to visit friends or family?
Virgin America is a very lucrative partner in its own right, but only if you can use the points. You can redeem their currency on few foreign airlines, and soon they should be redeemable on Alaska Air and possibly its partners like American. It’s hard to say exactly how all of this will play out, of course. Good luck and let me know how it goes for you!
I decided to go for it and transferred the 40,001 SPG points to Virigin Elevate. I will let you know what happens in terms of when the points hit my account and what I hear back from JetBlue. Fingers crossed!
@Doug Fingers crossed for you! I hope it works out and please, do update. Sometimes in this hobby we have to take risks. Worst case scenario: you’ll end up with Virgin America points, by far, the most lucrative SPG partner.
Leana, am considering, am considering! A couple of questions though: if I buy 25,500 spg points (since I’d need 30001 to get 50k bonus) do I get a 5k transfer bonus? Also, I’ve read spg transfers are not instant – is it possible I’d miss the 7/4 deadline for this promo?
Thanks as always!
Audrey, your plan should work! Yes, if you transfer 25,500 SPG points to Virgin America, you should get a 5,000 points bonus. I’ve seen several data points, including one from my reader, that the transfer to Virgin America takes less than 24 hours. I can’t guarantee that it will happen in your case, but I don’t believe you’ll miss the deadline. Obviously, if you plan on doing it, don’t delay buying SPG points. Seems like a good arbitrage opportunity to me if you can afford it.
Thank you! For ~$600 I’d get 50k jet blue and 30k virgin america – worth it I think. Wish I could swing the 75k/50k but am brand new to spg so am limited to what I can buy.
Have encountered several instances of jetblue points yielding more than 2 cpp value btw.
Audrey, no problem! I do think it’s a great deal and will follow up with a post later today and mention your plan to readers. A word of caution, though. It looks like Jet Blue has to approve you for this match. So far, they seem to be approving everyone, but that could change. I have a feeling they will be swamped with requests and may pull the plug on this promo. Personally, I would do it as soon as possible because it will take an extra day to get your points in Virgin America account. Maybe I’m paranoid, but airlines sometimes change their mind if they see that the offer is too generous. Which it is in this case.
Thanks for the cautionary words. In the end I can’t do it because your account must be open for 14 days to buy points. 🙁 Funnily, my mom has an account but I can’t see how I’d be able to make that work. Oh well…
Audrey, I’m so sorry! Well, there will be other deals. Have you considered buying points for your mom’s account? Of course, you will also have to comp her ticket because she would be the one flying. Does she have friends she could visit by using Jet Blue?
Then she could redeem the points for you and your kids. I don’t believe there are any restrictions as to who can use points in either program, but double check. Of course, you would have to handle everything other than her flight. And hopefully, your mom won’t jet off somewhere after burning your points on her own ticket!:)
It’s complicated, yes, but at this point, it’s probably your best option. Of course, there is also nothing wrong with letting it go.
🙂 Indeed.