TrueBlue vs. New RR?
 

Hi all,

I primarily fly UACO but use Southwest for short hops up and down the west/east coast (always on cheap fares). I have always preferred JetBlue's product over WN's, but the complexity of the new TrueBlue program turned me off. Now that RRs 2.0 has arrived, I am thinking of flying JetBlue instead.

Is anyone aware of the major differences between the B6 and WN programs? They both seem to award points at the rate of 6 miles/dollar.

Thanks!

Analysis of TrueBlue vs Rapid Rewards
 

Here is a good analysis of it .
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewan...wards-program/

If you travel on the cheapest fares it is a downgrade from current product.
If you like the Jetblue product then you are better off with them.

I appreciate the plug. I've been working on a more specific TB2vRR2 comparison (along with about a dozen trip report posts I'm behind on :eek:) and hopefully will have something soon. Generally speaking, yes, fly the product you like. WN has some advantages for frequent fliers, including the elite status benefits and bonuses on higher fares. At the same time, however, the redemption costs can skew higher than they do in TB2 (I think; I need to confirm that still).

I'd probably use AS/WN/VX on the west coast and B6 on the east coast, assuming the cities/schedules/fares work.

Dave Canty says:

"Just looking at the new SWA program, it's almost identical to the
JetBlue TrueBlue program, we are flattered and you're welcome Mr.
Kelly"

Full details on RR 2.0 are at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/15593625-post1.html

Thats the flaw with point/fare based FFP. You never truly know how many points you'll need for redemption until you actually redeem.

The same is true of a legacy program, too. In theory a 25K award might be available. But it might be 40K. Or 50K. Or 60K. Or not available at all (even the "rule buster" awards have rules in some programs).

With JetBlue if you know that the most expensive fare is ~$700 and that the points are worth at worst .95 cents then you can somewhat reasonably guarantee a seat with a truckload of points. Or a small fraction of that load.

As mentioned above, I finally did complete my comparison of TrueBlue v Rapid Rewards 2 and posted it this morning. The Cliff's Notes version is that JetBlue has fewer partners and worse rates with the ones it has but otherwise probably better earnings rates and better redemption rates. Give it a read and let me know if you agree.