What are JP miles good for?

What are JP miles good for? Not much, would be my first response. But then, that's not entirely accurate. Here's why.

The Indian travel and aviation, particularly as regards loyalty programs, are not as mature as overseas markets such as the USA, and they don't compare favourably with emerging markets such as the Middle East. Same goes for co-branded credit cards. As far as airlines are concerned, to begin with, there aren't many full-service carriers with good loyalty programs. And hotels - the only decent loyalty programs rest with international hotel chains. [That said, do read my earlier post on Airline FFPs 101 - they are particularly relevant in India].

But that's a general rant. The specific case of Jet Airways can be quickly analysed. The miles are good for domestic redemptions, since the fuel and other surcharges are included in the miles to be redeemed, and you only pay the applicable taxes. For Economy class tickets, the taxes rarely exceed Rs 1000 (~US$ 18). Also, Jet runs promotions (though not very visibly) for discounted miles by up to 20%. This is a great deal. For Business class redemptions, Jet offers good value if you're able to book reasonably well in advance, given the limited award seats they release.

International redemptions, however, are an entirely different kettle of fish. The surcharges are not built into the miles required for redemption. So for a BOM-LHR or DEL-LHR ticket, for instance, you pay anything up to Rs 30k (~US$ 550) in taxes, in addition to 27,000 miles. Compare this to getting a revenue economy class ticket for around Rs 35-40k (~US$ 600-700). The differential cash isn't worth the 27k miles.

The one reasonable option for international redemption using JP miles, is actually on partner airlines. There's a whole list of them. Just remember that they need to be booked at least 2 weeks in advance of travel, cancellations are non-refundable (both cash and miles) and changes are not permitted. That's a lot of restrictions, but if you're very sure of your travel plans, this may well be a good option.



You may also want to read:

Discussing Citibank PM and Jet Privilege miles
What's the value of a Citi PM or a JP mile? My value for them is...
Redeeming Citi PMs and JP miles for award tickets
Some insane JP mileage earning opportunities
Extra JP miles (but you've got to buy them at Rs 1.25 per mile)

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 15, 2013 at 6:32 AM

    I have a coupon code for JetAirways. You can use it to travel to get 0 base fare !!
    Call me on 9821983811 for details.

    ReplyDelete

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