Basic fare w/EMS vs Blue fare w/EMS
 

Seems to me the only difference will be in price. I booked Blue today and was now curious how much basic would be and basic w/EMS is $40 less each way.

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Thanks for starting this discussion. I am only an occasional B6 flyer but I just booked a trip with them and couldn't figure out why I would want to book Blue rather than Basic, if I planned to purchase EMS. The only difference I can see is $100 change fee vs $0 with Blue, and 1 point vs 3 points. But in my case the difference in fare is about $100. So again, assuming I was going to book EMS either way (which I was), I can save $100 to forgo $10ish worth of points and the (unlikely) possibility of a free change.

I've been trying to understand and untangle all Jetblue's new fare rules too. Glad someone experimented with this. It makes no sense, just like their whole new approach makes little sense.

I realize they are trying to maximize revenue, but now, I cannot differentiate between Jetblue and United anymore when it comes to ticket features.

Doesn't basic incur change/cancellation fees and Blue doesn't ? That to me would be the only difference

Doesn't basic incur change/cancellation fees and Blue doesn't ? That to me would be the only difference

Yes, that's a difference. Also, points earning. Blue earns 3(+3 if you book directly through JetBlue) points per dollar spent on airfare, but Basic earns 1(+1 for booking direct) points per dollar spent on airfare. The points earnings won't make or break any particular fare combination, but it is a difference.

I had noticed this, too. During the pandemic while JetBlue was waiving change fees on Basic fares (through 7/20), there was REALLY no reason to book a Blue fare if planning to purchase an EMS seat. The point earnings alone were definitely not worth the cost differential.

With change fees now returning to Basic fares, I suppose that's enough of a reason (along with the boost in point earnings) to justify booking the Blue fare with an EMS seat for some customers. But, to answer the OP's question... unless you need that flexibility (or want to pay for peace of mind), there's currently no reason to pay a Blue fare if you plan top purchase an EMS seat.

They might need to calibrate the fares a little, too. In my case, Basic + Change fee was <= Blue. So (assuming an EMS purchase), Blue wouldn't be worth it unless I was essentially certain that I was going to make multiple changes.