How to Get a JetBlue Refund

Before booking any travel ticket, it's important to understand the refund rules and change and cancellation policies that are in place. This way, if your plans change or something unexpected happens, you'll know if you're able to get a full refund or get credit for a future trip. This helps avoid the awful feeling when you realize you won't be able to get a refund or you'll have to pay a hefty change fee because your travel plans changed.

Whether you’re planning to fly soon or pursuing a refund, we have the information you need to understand the JetBlue refund policy.

JetBlue’s refund policy

As long as you’ve booked travel at least seven days before the scheduled departure date, you’ll be eligible for a full refund for up to 24 hours from the time of booking. You’ll be charged no fees, and your refund will be given back to the original form of payment. This is policy mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation and applies to all fares on all airlines.

How to change or cancel a reservation

If you need to cancel or change your travel plans, you have a couple of options. The easiest way to make changes to your trip is to log in to your TrueBlue account. In the top menu area, click on Manage Trips. Under Upcoming Travel, click on the trip that you want to manage.

If you prefer to make changes over the phone, that’s possible too. You can call 1-800-JET-BLUE (538-2583) to speak with a customer service representative and make a JetBlue refund request.

Ticket types and refund eligibility

Which tickets are eligible for refunds on JetBlue? It depends. It's important to pay attention to whether your ticket is refundable or nonrefundable before you go through the checkout process at the time of booking.

Refundable tickets

Refundable JetBlue tickets are always fully refundable. If you're buying a ticket that is marked as refundable, you'll be able to cancel at any time before the scheduled departure for a full refund. If you opt instead to change and rebook your reservation, you'll be responsible for the airfare price difference.

What else you need to know

When you cancel refundable JetBlue tickets, you’ll get all of your money back to the original form of payment; however, you must change or cancel your ticket before the departure time. If you don't meet this stipulation, your refund will be placed in your JetBlue Travel Bank as credit (rather than remitted as a proper refund). You can then use this credit for future travel.

Nonrefundable tickets

Nonrefundable ticket cancellation and change fees depend on the ticket fare class that you buy. Fees may apply if you decide to change or cancel your reservation outside of the previously mentioned 24-hour booking window mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Most travelers won’t have to pay fees, but some will.

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll be expected to pay, depending on the ticket type:

• Blue Basic: A fee applies for changes or cancellations. The fee is $100 for U.S., Caribbean, Mexico and Central America routes and $200 for all other routes.

• Blue, Blue Plus, Blue Extra, Mint: No fee for cancellations and changes — only pay the difference in airfare for changes.

If you've purchased travel insurance, you may be eligible for reimbursement if you cancel or change your flight for a covered reason.

» Learn more: When should you book basic economy?

What else you need to know

As for your JetBlue credit, the remaining balance (after fees) will be placed in your JetBlue Travel Bank as credit (as opposed to a traditional refund), which can then be used toward future travel. If you make changes or cancel after the scheduled departure time, all money will be forfeited.

Award tickets

What if you booked a JetBlue award ticket and you need to change your travel plans?

JetBlue’s award ticket cancellation policies state:

• Changes: You’re not able to change your award flight. Instead, you’ll need to cancel the unflown segments of your trip. Then, you can rebook new flight(s) at the current fare.

• Cancellations: You may cancel unflown award ticket reservations, but you’re unable to cancel a single leg of a trip. Instead, you must cancel all flight segments. There are no fees when canceling your unflown award ticket.

What else you need to know

When you cancel an award ticket, you’ll get a JetBlue refund in the form of credit. Your TrueBlue points will be returned to the original TrueBlue account, and any money paid as part of the booking will be placed in your JetBlue Travel Bank as credit. Be sure to take a look at the expiration date of your statement credit so that you use it before it expires.

You’ll be able to navigate to your Travel Bank after logging into your TrueBlue account.

Note: One thing to remember is that TrueBlue award flight redemption rates can fluctuate because redemption rates are based on airfare prices. So when you cancel an award flight, be aware that the airfare price may go up when it’s time to rebook. That means that the flight might cost you more TrueBlue points than the award flight originally cost.

» Learn more: Plan your next redemption with our airline points tool

Same-day flight switch

If you make a same-day flight switch, you may have to pay a fee. A $75 fee will apply to Blue Basic, Blue, Blue Plus and Mint tickets. There is no fee for a same-day switch for Blue Extra tickets.

If you decide to fly the same day on standby, you’ll also pay a fee in most cases. A $75 fee will apply to Blue Basic, Blue, Blue Plus and Mint tickets. There is no fee for a same-day standby for Blue Extra tickets.

Book refundable JetBlue tickets from the get-go

If you want to feel confident that you’re not booking a nonrefundable ticket, all you need to do is filter your flight search results on the JetBlue website to show only refundable ticket options.

While these tickets usually cost more money, it can be worth it to have greater flexibility. Simply filter your search results under Fare Type by refundable or nonrefundable to see all of your flight and price options.

» Learn more: The basics of travel cancellation refunds and vouchers

Now you know how to navigate JetBlue refund requests

While the JetBlue refund policy isn’t the most flexible in the industry, you won’t pay cancel or change fees for most ticket fares. It’s a simple process to change or cancel your flight and get a refund. If you need to cancel a flight that is refundable, you’ll get all your money back to the original form of payment.

If you need to cancel a nonrefundable ticket, you’ll get travel credit after any applicable fees are taken out. If you need to cancel an award flight, you’ll get your points back and no fees will be charged.