How a jet card works
A jet card is a prepaid account for private flying. You pay a deposit or buy a block of hours, then each flight is charged against it at a fixed hourly rate for a set aircraft size. In return, most cards promise guaranteed availability with a fixed amount of notice, outside listed peak days.
Cards suit people who fly regularly and want to know the price and the aircraft in advance. Flexjet, for example, says its card suits people expecting around 25 hours of flying a year, while GlobeAir aims its largest card at people flying about 120 hours a year in Europe.
Programmes sold in the UK and Europe
- Wheels Up JetCard: prepaid hours deducted after each flight, with no peak-day surcharges according to Wheels Up. Aircraft are arranged on 72 hours' notice, and flights can be cancelled free up to 72 hours before departure. Hours do not expire. The fleet shown runs from the Phenom 300 and Pilatus PC-24 to the Global 6000.
- Flexjet jet card: a debit-style card with fixed hourly rates for specific aircraft types, plus a monthly fuel adjustment. When Flexjet relaunched its European card in 2024 it was reported as a 25-hour card on the Praetor 600, guaranteed on 24 hours' notice outside 10 blackout dates and 25 peak days, with a 60-minute daily minimum.
- VistaJet: the Program is for members flying 50 or more hours a year, with a fixed hourly rate and availability guaranteed every day of the year. VJ25 covers 25 to 49 hours a year, with availability guaranteed on all non-peak and most peak days.
- GlobeAir One Million JetCard: a €1,000,000 deposit held as flight credit for up to 36 months, priced at €2,900 per hour for round trips and €3,900 for one-way flights, with flights confirmed on 72 hours' notice.
- NetJets Europe sells a Private Jet Card alongside its fractional shares, and Bookajet, a Farnborough charter company, offers a JetBlack Card. Ask each provider for current terms.
Prices and terms change often. The figures above come from each provider's own website or from published reports, listed in the sources below.
What to compare
Headline hourly rates are only the start. Line up these terms for each card:
- Hourly rate by aircraft size, and whether it includes fuel or adds a monthly fuel adjustment.
- Daily minimums: many cards charge at least 60 minutes per flight day, even for a short hop.
- Peak and blackout days: how many there are and what changes on them.
- Notice: the callout time for guaranteed availability, often 24 to 72 hours.
- Cancellation windows and charges.
- Positioning: whether one-way flights or flights outside the provider's service area cost extra.
- Deposit size, expiry and whether unused funds are refunded.
- Taxes: whether Air Passenger Duty, VAT and airport charges are included or passed on at cost.
UK taxes apply on top of most cards. Air Passenger Duty is charged per passenger on departures from UK airports, and the higher rate extends to private jets of 5.7 tonnes or more from April 2027. Our guide to UK charter taxes and fees has the rates.
When charter works out cheaper
A card needs money up front and often adds daily minimums and fuel charges. If you fly fewer than about 25 hours a year, or mostly one way, on-demand charter is often cheaper. You pay only for the trips you take, and you can pick the right aircraft for each one.
As a guide, a light jet charter typically costs £3,500 to £5,500 per flight hour for the whole aircraft, and a midsize jet £5,010 to £7,000, before taxes and fees. One-way empty legs can cut that sharply when your dates are flexible. See our private jet charter page, or compare the main models in our guide to private jet companies in the UK.
