The most basic, day one rule of business is that it’s much more cost effective to lock in an existing customer than it is to spend money to find a new customer.
Basically, everyone in every industry understands this, which is why nearly every company has some sort of loyalty program, from the local sandwich shop that gives you a punch card to get that eventual free lunch, to the biggest banks in the world.
But loyalty isn’t free. It’s very arguable that no one gives their customers more perks than the airline industries, which are willing to give miles, flight upgrades, free flights (if you work hard enough) and even free Starbucks swag.
Not all loyalty programs are made the same, and some are just unnecessarily complicated, such as Delta’s overly complex Medallion program, which requires a combination of flying and spending to earn Diamond, Platinum, Gold or Silver tiers, when really people just want the free miles.
When it comes to films and books, complex is nice. But when it comes to loyalty programs, people don’t want something so complex that it requires explainer articles. Simple is the better call here. So kudos to JetBlue (JBLU) for introducing a new loyalty program that's designed to be simple to use and easy to track while still giving fliers plenty of reasons to sign up.
JetBlue Makes It Easier Earn Mosaic Status
JetBlue has announced an upgrade to its TrueBlue program, its first in a decade. And it’s designed to be easier to use, and to help you earn the elite Mosaic status, which includes benefits such as free same day flight switches, two free checked bags, early boarding, and free wine, beer and liquor.
The most significant upgrade is that Tiles will be the way to track your journey to Mosaic status. Starting next year, you earn 1 tile for every $100 you spend on JetBlue, JetBlue Vacations, Paisly by JetBlue. You will earn 1 tile for every $1000 you spend on all JetBlue credit cards.
You get a perk when you collect 10, 20, 30 and 40 tiles, and once you collect 50 tiles, you unlock Mosaic status. These perks will be customizable and will include perks such as early boarding, priority security, a free alcoholic beverage, double bonus points on a JetBlue Vacations package and 5,000-point bonus.
Customers can, starting next year, use a dashboard to track progress once the new program launches, just by logging in to their TrueBlue account.
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JetBlue Stays True To Existing Perks
The change to the Mosaic system is the big change, but there’s other perks to be had as well.
JetBlue will combine spend counts with all JetBlue credit cards. Add JetBlue travel spend and any JetBlue credit card spend to unlock perks, and there will be credit card enhancements on select cards bring that bring (as of now unspecified) new perks to cardholders.
But JetBlue has indicated that TrueBlue will retain many features fliers have come to enjoy, including:
All TrueBlue members will still earn TrueBlue points on JetBlue and eligible American Airlines flights, and can redeem those points for award travel on JetBlue, including seats at any time, with no blackout dates or expiration dates.
- The TrueBlue points do not expire.
- Fliers can use cash and points to pay for JetBlue flights and JetBlue Vacations packages.
- Pool points with family and friends.
- Earn double points on jetblue.com or the JetBlue app.
- You will continue to earn select reciprocal loyalty benefits for Mosaic members that travel on American Airlines.
