Jet Card Cost: NetJets, Flexjet, Wheels Up and Sentient Priced Side by Side

A jet card is a prepaid block of private flight hours, and the price starts in the low six figures. Per Private Jet Card Comparisons, NetJets’ Card275 was $215,000 for 25 hours on a Phenom 300 in January 2025, and Luxe Digital put Flexjet’s 25-hour card at roughly $198,425 in 2026. Add the fees that sit outside the headline and the real number is higher.

This guide compares jet card cost across the main programs, explains what is inside the price and tells you when a plain charter is cheaper.

What a Jet Card Is

A jet card sells you hours instead of seats. You deposit money, usually for 25 hours, and each flight draws the balance down at a stated hourly rate. In exchange you get a guaranteed aircraft type, a known price per hour and a promise that a jet will be available on short notice outside the blackout days.

Fixed Hourly vs Debit Card vs Membership

Three structures share the “jet card” label. A fixed-rate card locks the hourly price for a specific aircraft class. A debit-style card holds a deposit and charges each trip at market rates, often with a discount. A membership, like Wheels Up, adds an annual fee and a deposit in exchange for capped or discounted rates. Always ask which one you are buying, because the three behave differently when fuel prices rise.

Guaranteed Availability and Peak Days

The promise of a jet on short notice has limits. NetJets’ Card320, for example, comes with 45 blackout days and 45 additional peak days, per Private Jet Card Comparisons (January 2025). Blackouts are days the program may not fly you at all. Peak days are days you may fly with a longer callout, and in some programs a surcharge.

Jet Card vs Fractional

A card gives you access without owning anything and ends when the hours do. A fractional share is a stake in an aircraft with monthly fees and a buy-back at the end. Luxe Digital’s rule of thumb is that under 25 hours a year you should use charter or pay as you go, 25 to 50 hours suits a card or membership, and 50 to 100 hours is where a fractional share or a subscription like VistaJet’s starts to make sense. Our NetJets cost guide walks through the share side in detail.

Jet Card Cost by Program

Published prices are rare. Most operators quote privately, and Luxe Digital’s own comparison notes that several of its figures are broker estimates. Each row below carries its source and date. Where no published number could be confirmed, the cell says “Quote only.”

Private Jet Card Comparisons reported in March 2022 that Sentient Jet, which is part of Directional Aviation, had added a fuel surcharge to its hourly rates, listed then at $440 for light jets and up to $840 for large cabin. Sentient’s own card page describes the company as an air charter broker that books flights on direct air carriers in its network.

CRAFT, which published the Wheels Up figures, is a competitor of those programs, so confirm them with the provider before you rely on them.

The Fees Inside Jet Card Pricing

The quoted rate is the start of the bill. The extras are where programs differ most.

Minimum Daily Flight Time

Some programs bill a minimum number of hours per day or per leg, whatever the real flying time. Private Jet Card Comparisons reported that NetJets’ Phenom 300, Excel/XLS and Latitude carry no daily minimum, so you pay actual flight time plus taxi time, while the article states no minimum for the larger aircraft. Ask for the rule in writing for the cabin you will use.

Fuel Surcharges

Fuel is often billed separately and moves with the market. Luxe Digital notes that VistaJet passes fuel-price changes through to customers, and lists fuel surcharges among extra charges across programs. Sentient’s card page says a fuel surcharge and federal excise tax apply on top of its listed prices. Whether your quoted hourly rate includes fuel is the first question to ask.

Taxes

Under 26 U.S.C. 4261, a 7.5% tax applies to amounts paid for taxable air transportation of persons. Card flights generally pay it, and NetJets’ Card275 rate of $8,600 includes it, per Private Jet Card Comparisons. Fractional flights are treated differently: they pay a fuel tax instead, per Luxe Digital.

Peak Day Surcharges

Luxe Digital lists peak-day surcharges of up to about 50% among extra charges in the NetJets context. Private Jet Card Comparisons’ January 2025 article says there is no surcharge on the peak days of Card275 and Card320. The two descriptions differ by product and date, which is a reason to check the contract for the card you are actually buying.

Private Jet Membership Cost vs Jet Card

A private jet membership adds an annual fee to a lower hourly rate. Wheels Up is the clearest example: Luxe Digital lists a pay-as-you-go charter with no membership fee, and a membership at $8,500 a year with a $100,000 minimum deposit and capped light-jet rates from around $7,395 an hour. A higher tier with a $200,000 to $1 million deposit, called Signature, has published fixed rates.

Membership suits people who fly less than a full card and want better prices than the open market. A card suits people who want one guaranteed rate on a specific aircraft. Either way, do the arithmetic on the hours you will realistically fly, not the hours you hope to fly.

How to Pick the Best Jet Card

There is no best jet card, only the best match for your hours, routes and cabin.

Check the aircraft first. The Phenom 300 is the light jet used for the NetJets card rates above, and our guide to the best private jet charter companies lists operators that also quote one-off trips for comparison.

When Charter Beats a Card

Charter wins when your flying is irregular, when you need a cabin bigger than your card covers or when a trip falls on a blackout day. You pay only for the trip, with no deposit to tie up and no hours to lose. The private jet charter cost guide shows what a typical one-way costs, and a broker can price your route against a card in minutes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a jet card cost?

A 25-hour jet card on a light jet costs roughly $200,000 to $280,000 among the programs we could source: Flexjet near $198,425, NetJets Card275 at $215,000 and Card320 near $280,000. Larger cabins cost more, and taxes, fuel and fees may sit outside the headline.

What is the best jet card program?

It depends on your hours and cabin. For 25 to 50 hours on a light jet, compare NetJets, Flexjet and Wheels Up on the same aircraft and add fuel, peak days and expiry. Under 25 hours, charter usually beats any card on cost.

How much is a 25-hour jet card?

About $198,425 for Flexjet's card in 2026 per Luxe Digital, and $215,000 for NetJets' Card275 on a Phenom 300 in January 2025 per Private Jet Card Comparisons. Prices rise with cabin size and may exclude fuel or tax, so ask for a total.

Do jet card hours expire?

Usually yes. Private Jet Card Comparisons reported that NetJets card hours must be used within 24 months. Other programs set their own limits, so read the expiry clause before you deposit.

Is a private jet membership worth it?

Only if you fly enough to earn back the fee. Wheels Up's annual fee is $8,500 with a $100,000 deposit, per Luxe Digital. Under about 25 flight hours a year, pay-as-you-go charter is usually cheaper than a membership.