The Private Jet Card: What Is It, And What Are the Benefits

If you’ve flown on private jets or picked up an airport lounge magazine, you’ve probably heard of a private jet card. And if you charter private jets frequently, friends or jet brokers may have suggested a private jet card could be a good option for you.

But what is a private jet card, and what are the benefits of having one? How much does a private jet card cost? How can you figure out the best private jet card to purchase? Our quick guide will answer all your questions.

What Is a Private Jet Card?

Think of a private jet card as a pre-payment program. Rather than booking individual charters, a jet card allows you to fly while ‘spending’ either pre-paid hours at a fixed rate or deposited funds. 

Types of Private Jet Card

Not all private jet cards work in the same way, so it’s important to know the types available before doing a jet card comparison.

Flight Access Hours Cards

The original jet cards were usually access hours cards, and this style of card still exists. They give you access to a specified jet category or model for a set number of flight hours. Some cards start from 10 hours, but typically, you buy 25 hours, and pay a fixed hourly rate. 

Deposit (Cash Denomination) Jet Cards 

With this style of private jet card, a certain denomination of money (e.g., $150,000) is ‘deposited’ to pre-pay for flights. When a charter flight is taken, its cost is debited against the funds on the card. Pricing can be dynamic or, sometimes, capped.

Is a Private Jet Card Right for Me?

Generally, if you’re flying by private jet for more than 25 hours per year, purchasing a private jet card makes sense. It can save you money and guarantee your access to aircraft and flights when you need them.

What Are the Benefits of a Private Jet Card?

You may wonder why you would want to prepay for your flights. What’s the advantage? Actually, there are several that apply to most jet card programs—and if you ensure you buy the best private jet card for your needs, you’ll discover even more! 

The Five Biggest Advantages of Private Jet Card Programs

While these benefits apply to the majority of private jet card programs, always check the specific terms and conditions of your program. There’s a lot of variance between programs.

• Jet card programs usually provide priority access to a curated list of aircraft. When you book one-off charter flights, there may be times when by the time you fill out the charter agreement and process the paperwork and the payment, the preferred aircraft has been booked by someone and is no longer available, especially at peak times. Jet card memberships allow clients to sign off with a push of a button, saving you time and allowing the provider to immediately book an ideal aircraft option available in the market.

• A higher level of service, consistent customer care, and sometimes, additional membership benefits. 

• No repositioning fees (usually).

• Guaranteed pricing for every flight, so you’ll always know the exact cost before you fly.

• Only paying for your flight time, rather than paying—as you may do with one-off charters—for return trips you don’t need, pilot wait time and landing fees.

How Much is a Private Jet Card?

Of course, there’s no single answer to this! Private jet card prices vary depending on the company, what the program offers, and the style of card. Some companies offer different card levels.

Your Private Jet Card Comparison: What’s the Best Card for You?

This will depend on your requirements and your budget. We recommend reading our article, Choosing Your First Private Jet Card: Five Practical Tips Before You Buy. This advises you on what to consider when doing a private jet card comparison, ensuring you get the best value and ‘fit’ for your needs.

Of course, we like to think one of our Paramount Private Jet Cards will tick all your boxes, so here’s what you need to know about them!

How does the Paramount Jet Card Work?

Our Private Jet Card Membership is a pre-paid program, giving you access to the finest and safest private jets in the world.

You can:

• charter any size aircraft on a per-trip basis

• give as little as 4 hours of notice

• access aircraft worldwide, 365 days a year

• choose the program tier that’s right for you, allowing you to tailor your deposit level to your charter use; we offer Emerald, Gold, and Platinum private jet cards

• tailor your card to your preferences for aircraft size and age, catering options, and ground transportation, with the help of our friendly advisors

How is Paramount Jet Card Membership Different From its Competitors?

Paramount Jet Cards offer a level of flexibility and service that sets it apart from other private jet card programs. We believe it’s the best private jet card because:

• we offer the most transparent pricing in the industry; we pass wholesale charter quotes from our top-quality, approved operators directly to you—letting you see the cost of the operator wholesale price as well as our service charge

• pricing is dynamic, meaning you get the best possible price for your trip at the time of booking

• there are no additional fees or hidden costs

• we offer three levels of Jet Card to suit different requirements and budgets

• we hold operators, and their fleets, to the highest standards in the industry, reviewing the safety history and margins of the aircraft, operator, and crew before each and every flight

• we have access to over 4,000 aircraft, from turboprops to ultra-long-range jets—meaning that you do too

• it offers global coverage

• it offers you direct access to your own private aviation advisor—and our 24/7 customer service team

• there’s a fixed management fee 

• there are no upfront fees, no cancellation fees, and no monthly fees—even if you don’t fly (a novel feature in the industry!)

• membership funds are refundable anytime with no penalty 

• there’s no expiration date, so you can’t ‘lose’ unused flights or money, as you can with many other jet cards

• Jet Card deposits are secured in a separate client bank account and drawn upon on a per-trip basis.

How Much Does the Paramount Jet Card Cost?

There are no fixed hourly rates with the Paramount Jet Card. Rates are based on the best prices available for each trip at the time of booking. Of course, they will vary by the aircraft type and size, trip route, market demand at the time, and other factors. A low, transparent trip management fee is added—and nothing else. The quote you will get is all-inclusive.

The Paramount Jet Card’s dynamic pricing model is one of its biggest advantages, as it represents great value. It means you can take advantage of empty leg trips, off-peak savings and other discount opportunities—something you can’t benefit from with fixed rate jet cards. Clients typically pay close to twice the charter market rate per hour for the same model of aircraft with fixed-rate jet cards. That is because the fixed-rate model factors in market-driven costs that may be variable for the operator, but not the customer.

All the Value and None of the Hassle: The Paramount Jet Card

Paramount Business Jets was the first company to offer a fully transparent pricing model for jet card memberships in 2010. If you’re a frequent flyer, our private jet cards can provide you with access to the jets and flights you require and save you money. 

If you have any queries about the program or want us to start tailoring your private jet card to your needs, just contact our friendly customer service team. You can call them on +1-877-727-2538 ext. 1., or send an email to charter@paramountbusinessjets.com. They will be happy to help.