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Flying private

Jet card vs membership vs charter: which fits you?

By the JetChalet editors · Updated · How we check facts

  • 25 hoursthe usual jet card block, prepaid at a fixed hourly rate1,3
  • $183,100–$191,250a 25-hour light jet card, published 2026 prices2,3
  • $100,000the smaller deposit at flyExclusive's Jet Club; $200,000 covers all 365 days4

Photo by Chris Leipelt on Unsplash

Most first-time flyers simply charter, with nothing up front and the market price for each trip. A jet card prepays a block of hours, typically 25, at a fixed rate, and a deposit membership is money you fly against at set rates.1,4 Published 2026 prices for a light jet card are about $183,000 to $191,000 for 25 hours.2,3

25 hours, the usual card block1,3 · $183,100–$191,250 a 25-hour light jet card2,3 · $100,000 the smaller Jet Club deposit4

Details

Most first-time flyers simply charter. Once you fly more than a few trips a year, jet cards and memberships trade money up front for fixed rates and guaranteed access. This guide compares the three with the prices the programs publish.

  • 25 hoursthe usual jet card block, prepaid at a fixed hourly rate1,3
  • $183,100–$191,250a 25-hour light jet card, published 2026 prices2,3
  • $100,000the smaller deposit at flyExclusive's Jet Club; $200,000 covers all 365 days4

The short answer

  • Charter: no commitment, you pay the market price for each trip. Our pick for a first flight and for a few trips a year.
  • Jet card: you prepay a block of hours, typically 25, at a fixed hourly rate. Published 2026 prices for a light jet card are about $183,000 to $191,000 for 25 hours.
  • Deposit membership: you leave a deposit you fly against, $100,000 or $200,000 at flyExclusive's Jet Club, and pay per trip at set rates.
  • Fractional ownership: you buy a share of a jet, usually for 50 hours a year or more, over several years.

What would it cost?

Pick a route and your group. You see the one-way ranges a broker publishes for the whole jet, and what that is per person. Routes without a published range say so.

Passengers
4
How to get quotes Open the full calculator

Three ways to pay for private flying

With charter you pay the price of the day for each trip; a jet card is prepaid flight time; a membership is a deposit you fly against at set hourly rates.

Details

With on-demand charter, you ask an operator or broker for a quote for each trip and pay the price of the day, including any repositioning and peak-date premium. Our guide to what a private jet costs shows the published hourly ranges.

A jet card is prepaid flight time. You buy hours, often 25, at a rate fixed in advance for a jet size, and the program guarantees an aircraft on a set notice. A membership, in the sense most programs now use, is a deposit you fly against at set hourly rates.

Charter, card and membership side by side

The same questions for each way of paying, answered from the programs' own pages. Charter rates are Monarch Air Group's 2026 table for a light jet.

Charter, card and membership side by side
What you getCharterJet cardDeposit membership
Up frontNothing$183,100 to $191,250 for 25 light jet hours$100,000 or $200,000 deposit
Light jet, per hour$2,100 to $3,300, plus positioning$7,324 to $7,650, fixedSet rates per jet size
Price on peak daysRises with demandFixed; Fly Alliance adds no peak surchargeflyExclusive: $100,000 tier flies 330 days a year
Guaranteed aircraftNo, depends on the dayYes; Fly Alliance on 8 hours' noticeYes, on the program's terms
Unused moneyNone to loseSentient hours never expire; Fly Alliance refunds an unused balanceflyExclusive credit does not expire

Card hourly rates include guaranteed access and no repositioning, so they are not directly comparable with a charter range that leaves positioning out.2,3,4,6

For your first year: charter

Until you know how many hours you will really fly, paying per trip is simplest. A card or membership is worth a look once you fly more than a few times a year.

Our pick for a first year

On-demand charter

$2,100–$3,300per hour, light jet, 2026

Best for: one to a few trips a year, and anyone who is not sure yet.

6 to 8 seats

  • No money up front
  • No guaranteed aircraft6
More
  • Prices rise on peak dates
  • No money up front and nothing to lose if you fly less than planned.
  • Light jet charter costs $2,100 to $3,300 an hour in Monarch's 2026 table, far below the card rates.
  • You can take an empty leg when one fits your dates.
  • No guaranteed aircraft, and prices rise on peak dates.
  • Positioning and a one-way empty return are added to the price.

If you fly 25 hours a year

Jet card

$183,100–$191,25025 hours, light jet · per hour $7,324–$7,650

Best for: frequent flyers who want a fixed price and a guaranteed jet on busy dates.

6 to 8 seats

  • Fly Alliance guarantees an aircraft on 8 hours' notice
  • No repositioning fee at Fly Alliance2,3
More
  • Before the 7.5% excise tax
  • A fixed hourly rate: $7,324 (Sentient SJ25 Light) to $7,650 (Fly Alliance) for a light jet.
  • Fly Alliance guarantees an aircraft on 8 hours' notice with no repositioning fee.
  • Over $180,000 up front for the cheapest light jet cards.
  • Before the 7.5% excise tax; Sentient also adds a fuel surcharge.

If you fly often but unevenly

Deposit membership

$100,000deposit, covers 330 days a year

Best for: people who fly regularly but not 25 hours a year on one jet size.

  • $200,000 covers all 365 days
  • The deposit is flight credit that does not expire4,5
More
  • A fractional share suggested above about 50 hours a year
  • flyExclusive's deposit is flight credit that does not expire.
  • flyExclusive says its Jet Club has no fuel surcharge.
  • The $100,000 tier covers 330 days a year; all 365 days take $200,000.
  • flyExclusive suggests a fractional share instead above about 50 hours a year.
A table laid for a meal with glasses and plates
Photo by Oskar Kadaksoo on Unsplash

What jet cards and memberships cost

Only programs that publish their numbers on pages we may use are included. The large programs that do not publish prices there are left out rather than guessed.

What jet cards and memberships cost
OptionPublished range (USD)Source, checked
Light jet card, 25 hoursSentient Jet SJ25 Light and Fly Alliance light$183,100 to $191,250 for 25 hours2,3 3 Nov 2026 to 6 Nov 2026
Light jet card, hourly ratethe same two cards$7,324 to $7,650 per hour2,3 3 Nov 2026 to 6 Nov 2026
Midsize to ultra-long-range card, hourly rateFly Alliance, medium to ultra long range$8,895 to $16,905 per hour3 3 Nov 2026
Midsize to ultra-long-range card, 25 hoursFly Alliance; Sentient's multi-size SJ25+ starts at $235,850$222,375 to $422,625 for 25 hours1,3 3 Nov 2026
Deposit membershipflyExclusive Jet Club ($100,000 for 330 days a year, $200,000 for all 365)$100,000 to $200,000 deposit4 3 Nov 2026

Card rates are before the 7.5% federal excise tax: Sentient adds a fuel surcharge and the tax, Fly Alliance includes fuel but not the tax, and flyExclusive says its Jet Club has no fuel surcharge. Prices as published; not quotes.

Tax on cards, memberships and shares

Card and membership flights pay the same federal taxes as a charter, and the published card rates leave them out. Fractional shares are taxed differently.

  • Federal excise tax7.5%

    On card and membership flights within the US, on top of the card rate: none of the published cards above includes it.2,3,7

  • Segment fee$5.30 per passenger

    For each domestic segment (one takeoff and one landing) in 2026; none to or from a rural airport.7

  • Fractional ownershipfuel surtax instead

    Flights in a qualifying fractional program pay a fuel surtax instead of the 7.5% tax and segment fees.7

What a trip costs on charter

To weigh a card against paying per trip, price the trips you would actually fly. Published one-way charter ranges for two common routes:

  • New York → Miami

    1,091 mi · 2 h 30 to 2 h 47

    • Light jet$18,300–$23,400
    • Midsize jet$17,500–$28,000
    • Super midsize jetRecommended by evoJets$26,900–$34,300

    One way, whole jet. evoJets, checked 3 Nov 2026, and Mercury Jets, checked 6 Nov 2026. Not a quote.

  • Los Angeles → Aspen

    747 mi · 2 h to 2 h 30

    • TurbopropNo published price yet
    • Light jetBest value, per evoJets$10,000–$13,200
    • Midsize jet$12,300–$15,200

    One way, whole jet. evoJets, checked 3 Nov 2026. Not a quote.

Los Angeles to Aspen takes about 2 to 2.5 hours. At a light jet card's $7,324 to $7,650 an hour, those hours cost about $14,600 to $19,100 before tax (our arithmetic), more than the $10,000 to $13,200 charter range, but with a guaranteed jet. Fly Alliance adds no surcharge on peak days; Sentient has a fixed hourly rate and adds a fuel surcharge and the tax.

What to compare before you sign

Check whether the price is fixed, what peak days cost, how much notice you must give, what happens to unused money, and whether fuel and the 7.5% excise tax are inside the hourly rate.1,3,4

Details

  • Fixed or market price

    Fixed-rate cards such as Sentient and Fly Alliance set the hourly or city-pair price in advance.1,3 With charter, the price moves with demand.

  • Peak days

    flyExclusive's $100,000 tier covers 330 days a year and the $200,000 tier all 365.4 Fly Alliance says it has no blackout dates.

  • Notice and guarantee

    Fly Alliance guarantees an aircraft on 8 hours' notice and adds no repositioning fee or peak-day surcharge.

  • What happens to unused money

    Sentient says its hours never expire; flyExclusive's deposit is flight credit that does not expire; Fly Alliance refunds an unused balance under its guarantee. Read the exact terms of the contract.

  • Fuel and tax

    Check whether fuel surcharges and the 7.5% excise tax are inside the hourly rate. On the published cards above, the tax never is.

A private jet flying among the clouds
Photo by Everson Vansoski on Unsplash

Fractional ownership, briefly

A fractional share is part ownership of a specific aircraft with a set number of hours a year, and flyExclusive does not publish share prices.5

Details

A fractional share is part ownership of a specific aircraft with a set number of hours a year. flyExclusive's shares start at 50 guaranteed hours a year on a five-year term at a fixed hourly rate, and it suggests its Jet Club below about 50 hours a year and a share above that.5 It does not publish share prices or monthly fees.

Before you choose a program

Ask for the contract, not just the brochure: which aircraft and operators fly you, how much notice you must give, what peak days cost, and what you get back if you stop.

Questions people ask

How much is a jet card?

Published 2026 prices for a 25-hour light jet card are about $183,100 (Sentient Jet SJ25 Light) to $191,250 (Fly Alliance), before the 7.5% excise tax. Larger jets cost more: Fly Alliance lists up to $422,625 for 25 hours on an ultra-long-range jet.

What is the difference between a jet card and a membership?

A jet card prepays hours at a fixed rate. A membership usually means a deposit you fly against at set rates, such as flyExclusive's Jet Club.

Is a jet card cheaper than charter?

Not per hour: card rates in this guide are above the charter ranges brokers publish, because they include guaranteed availability and fixed prices. A card can still save money on peak dates or when repositioning would otherwise be added.

Does JetChalet sell jet cards?

No. We are an independent guide and earn nothing from flights, cards or memberships. We name programs only because they publish their prices.

Where every number comes from

JetChalet is an independent guide: we do not sell or operate flights and we do not book hotels ourselves. Every number on this page comes from the source named next to it, in our own words, with the day we read it. Prices are published ranges, not quotes. The small numbers next to each fact link here.

All 11 sources
  1. Sentient Jet: private jet cards, checked 3 Nov 2026
  2. Sentient Jet: SJ25 Light jet card, checked 6 Nov 2026
  3. Fly Alliance: jet card memberships and rates, checked 3 Nov 2026
  4. flyExclusive: Jet Club, checked 3 Nov 2026
  5. flyExclusive: fractional ownership, checked 3 Nov 2026
  6. Monarch Air Group: private jet charter cost (rates as of 2026), checked 3 Nov 2026
  7. IRS: Instructions for Form 720 (rev. June 2026), checked 6 Nov 2026
  8. evoJets: New York to Miami route page (route page updated 10 Sep 2026), checked 3 Nov 2026
  9. Mercury Jets: New York to Miami, a second source for midsize jets, so the range shown covers both (no date on page), checked 6 Nov 2026
  10. evoJets: Los Angeles to Aspen route page (route page updated 10 Sep 2026), checked 3 Nov 2026
  11. evoJets: pricing basics (seats and example aircraft per jet size), checked 3 Nov 2026

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