JetBlue schedule extended through Oct. 24, 2020
If you've been holding out on booking vacation flights, today is the day you've been waiting for. JetBlue just extended its flight schedule where you can now book flights through Oct. 24, 2020. Previously, you could only book flights through Sept. 8, 2020, so this fully opens up the schedule for the rest of the summer and into the fall, including the popular Columbus Day Weekend.
For peak travel days, you'll often find the best prices available the day the schedule is extended. Although, with JetBlue's generous policies, depending on your status, you can get your flight repriced if it happens to come down. All members have a five-day grace period, while Mosaic members have this benefit up until the day the flight departs. And similar to many other airlines, you can book now and cancel within the next 24 hours for a full refund, if needed.
Tips to finding the best fares
Here are two tips to help you find the best JetBlue fares:
Use JetBlue's Fare Finder
JetBlue's Fare Finder tool gives you a monthly view of the lowest fare for a particular route. If you have flexible dates, this can help you pick the least expensive vacation schedule for your family.
Tip: Open up two different browsers so you can see pricing for the outbound and return at the same time.
Search nearby city pairs
Sometimes your home airport is not always the cheapest option and if you just travel a few extra miles away, you can save some money or points on your flight. JetBlue's site is very easy to use and allows you to search for all airports within a particular region at once. For example, instead of putting FLL (Ft. Lauderdale) into your destination, you can search for "Miami area." This will open up search results for Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach to expand your search.
Tip: Fly out of one airport and into another (as long as logistics work out). Other popular cities with nearby airports include: New York, San Francisco, Ft. Lauderdale, Boston and Los Angeles.
There are no blackout dates for redemptions
One of the best perks of JetBlue is that you can use your points for peak dates. Yes, that means if you want to book the day before a long holiday weekend, you can do that. While many other airlines blackout these peak dates for redemptions, JetBlue allows you to use its points 365 days a year. The only difference is that the number of points required for a free flight is directly tied to the price of the ticket. A higher revenue tickets means more points for that free flight.
Special privileges for JetBlue Mosaic members
As mentioned above, those with JetBlue Mosaic status have many privileges that regular members don't. Not only can you get a flight repriced an unlimited number of times for you and everyone else on your reservation up until the flight's departure day, you also have the ability to change or cancel a flight with no fees. This makes booking now for travel many months out an easy decision — even if you are not 100% sure of your travel plans.
For no fee at all, you can cancel if you …
- Paid for the flight: You will receive a voucher for the amount paid or the difference in the fare price (if you are changing your flight). The voucher will be deposited into your JetBlue TrueBlue travel bank and you have one year from when you receive the voucher to use the credit. One of the best benefits of JetBlue vouchers is that you can use your voucher to book a flight for any passenger — you just need to book through your JetBlue account.
- Used points for the flight: The difference in points will go back into the account from which those points were deducted. Note: Taxes paid will be deposited into your JetBlue TrueBlue travel bank.
This is by far one of my favorite benefits of having JetBlue Mosaic status. It is also one of the reasons my family makes sure to earn Mosaic status year after year. With a family of four, we can book now and if our schedules change (which happens more so than we'd like) we have baked in "insurance" that allows us to cancel. And if you notice your flight drops in price, call the JetBlue Mosaic line and the representative can reprice the flight for you.
You can earn JetBlue Mosaic status two different ways:
- Flying with JetBlue: Flying 30 segments plus earning 12,000 base points ($4,000 in spending) or earning 15,000 base points ($5,000 in spending) in a calendar year
- Credit card spend: Spending $50,000 on the JetBlue Credit Card in a calendar year
Bottom line
Now is the perfect time to book your JetBlue flights for the rest of the summer and into the fall, especially for those desirable holiday weekends. If you are low on points, JetBlue is a transfer partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1 transfer ratio) American Express Membership Rewards (1.25:1 transfer ratio), Citi ThankYou Rewards (1:1 transfer ratio) and Capital One (2:1.5 transfer ratio).
Fortunately, all four programs transfer instantly, which will allow you to have the number of points required to book. And remember, with all points reservations, if you have the JetBlue Credit Card, you'll receive 10% of your points back after you complete your flight. This is a great rebate and really helps lessen the total number of points used.
For the future, make sure to keep an eye out for when JetBlue is going to extend its schedule next. Flying during peak times can definitely add up, especially for a family, and being able to get the best flight price — regardless if it is a paid fare or with points — can be significant.