JetBlue announced today that it has become the first airline to accept Venmo for online flight bookings. It is currently available on jetblue.com and will be rolling out on the JetBlue mobile app in the coming months.
While this isn’t something I ever thought we needed, it is a nice feature for some I’m sure. Carol Clements, JetBlue’s Chief Digital and Technology Officer, had this to say about the new feature:
“We’re continually looking for ways to make it easier to book a JetBlue flight on our website and mobile app. Adding Venmo offers a seamless payment option for customers who enjoy the ease and convenience of the Venmo platform.”
John Anderson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Consumer at PayPal, Venmo’s parent company, championed the use of Venmo Groups to allow for ease of divvying up expenses when traveling with a group.
While I’d love to book all of the travel for my friends when traveling (and getting paid back obviously), I wouldn’t be using Venmo to make the purchases. With travel focused credit cards like the American Express Platinum Card, I’d rather have 5x points by booking using that instead.
Summary
JetBlue has added the ability to book flights using Venmo on its website. The option is expected to roll out to the mobile app in the coming months. While it may be a useful feature for some, I don’t see myself using this option when booking flights.