Buying points is often a tough value proposition to justify. For program where the redemption value is fixed (or relatively so) such as JetBlue‘s TrueBlue program it is even harder to realize good value from such a purchase. From now through March 15, 2013 the game changes a bit as JetBlue is offering up to a 50% bonus on purchased points, depending on how many you buy to begin with.
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Buy 5,000-9,500 to get 20% bonus points
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Buy 10,000-19,500 to get 30% bonus points
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Buy 20,000-29,500 to get 40% bonus points
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Buy 30,000 to get to 50% bonus points
The bad news is that at the top end you’re still paying around 1.9 cents per point when the maximum redemption value is around 1.6 cents each. If it was possible to just buy a few at that rate to top off an account for an award it might be reasonable. But you have to spend a lot to get to that level. That’s not nearly as helpful.
Not a great deal, but better than nothing if you’re in the market to top off an account anyways.
