What is a jet card?

A jet card is a prepaid charter product: you deposit a fixed sum for a set number of flight hours on a defined category of aircraft, at an hourly rate fixed when the card is purchased (Jet Card).

• How it works: the deposit is drawn down as you fly. You fly on aircraft of the category the card specifies (such as light, midsize or heavy jet), not on one named tail number (Jet Card).
• Who flies you: some card providers operate their own fleet. Others are reseller or broker programmes drawing on third-party operators. Either way, the aircraft is operated by a certificated air carrier: Part 135 in the US, a CAA-issued AOC in the UK, or an AOC under EU Regulation 965/2012 in the EU. This was the position as of 22 September 2026 (Jet Card).
• How it differs from related products (Jet Card):
  • Charter is paid trip by trip, with no prepayment and no locked rate.
  • Fractional ownership is an equity share in a specific aircraft.
  • Membership programmes typically charge an annual or joining fee without prepaying a large block of hours.
  • A jet card sits between charter and fractional ownership: money committed in advance, but no ownership stake.
• Costs beyond the hourly rate: these can include a daily minimum flight time, peak day surcharges, positioning costs, FBO handling fees and taxes. Whether a separate fuel surcharge applies varies by provider. None of these are standardised, so check the card's rate sheet (Jet Card).
• Expiry: hours not flown within the card's term can be forfeited in whole or in part (Jet Card). The term is a commercial clause set by each provider, not by a regulator. Some contracts allow extensions or rollover, others cancel the remaining balance (Jet Card Expiry).

We also publish the terms of specific programmes, such as the Northern Jet Private Advantage Card, the PrivateFly Jet Card and the GlobeAir One Million JetCard, if you'd like to look at one in detail.