The Truth about TrueBlue Point Value
 

I've read through the dashboard and numerous posts hoping to gain enough information as a B6 newbie to understand what TrueBlue points are really worth. Excuse me if this is clearly explained somewhere else, but I haven't seen it.

So far I am earning points rapidly by commuting on their Mint product which is among the best transcon premium products in the sky today. With that, my points are racking up quickly, but how much they are worth is not clear.

I can see the range of points required for B6 network flights. But calling to determine the number of points needed for a First Class booking on Hawaiian only yielded disappointing news that goes unaddressed on the JetBlue site. I'm being told that you cannot use TrueBlue points for first class on Hawaiian. True or False? Can I use points on partner Emirates for the first class suite product to the middle east? How about South Africa?

Is there a chart? A 3rd party thoughtful interpretation of the points value and how many are needed to use on partner airlines etc?

What are the smartest uses for the TrueBlue points?

Upgrading a rev ticket to the even more room portion of cabin as a mosaic?

Pure point award ticket on Mint?

I'd be grateful for any context and clarity that can be shared to give me a true value of these points and how to best use 'em. Thank you very much.

I can only help with upgrading to EMS. Don't do it. The values needed to do so are nuts.

This article is good.

Can't help you with the other questions, sorry.

Zippy.. Great article. Much thanks.

Sadly the awesome Mint redemptions appear to be gone. :(

^ The point redemption is pretty awful, couldn't agree more, but I've found that I've been using them lately to book EMS seats to Florida and a few other spots because the points bank just keeps growing and growing. Redeeming points for flights... well, the last full redemption I did was for MSY and at 80K r/t, it felt like a lot. Since you only get 200 points for EMS seats versus the points for the flight, I'll use them for EMS rather than an award flight. That said, I've had to call the Mosaic line a lot lately to change flights due to the weather in Boston and do mention displeasure with the EMS/Mosaic redemption. I guess they assume people will pay for them regardless. Still, it would be nice if it was discounted in cash; say $20 instead of $30. 'For your loyalty, we give you ours'...:rolleyes:

Great article, thanks for sharing.

Conclusions in that article are no longer valid. There has been a stealth devaluation since.

Back this assertion with some data, if you please. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to be enlightened.

Other than the Mint devaluation - which I mentioned in a comment above - what other data has TPG provided to show real redemption values?

I'm coming up on 6 months since I last did the research and plan to run the data again at some point relatively soon, but other than the change in Mint I do not expect to see an across-the-board "stealth devaluation" in the numbers. And there is no one else producing any comprehensive collection of information to show otherwise.

Looking forward to your findings.

On some routes you can redeem at ~1.8 cpm or better for last minute bookings. Recent personal data points are BOS-PIT last summer and JFK-SXM in the next few weeks.

I couldn't agree more with your complaints over the outrageous increase in points needed for EMS. I've complained as well. It seems our complaints are falling on deaf ears. Too bad Mosaic members can't band together somehow and complain with a voice loud enough to make B6 listen.