A jet card sells the promise of a fixed hourly rate and a phone call away from departure. The fixed rate is real; it simply is not the whole bill. Here is the candid arithmetic before you wire the deposit.
The pitch is seductive: deposit a sum, lock an hourly rate, and fly without the friction of quoting each trip. What the glossy deck rarely sets out plainly is the stack of surcharges, taxes and conditions that sit on top of that headline rate — and the clauses that quietly govern what happens to money you have already paid.
Most card programmes are funded up front. You deposit a lump sum — commonly $100,000 to $500,000, sometimes more for larger cabins — and draw flight hours against it at a contracted rate. The deposit is not a fee in itself, but the terms wrapped around it are where the economics turn. Some programmes treat the balance as fully refundable on notice; others impose a cancellation or administration charge, a minimum holding period, or a non-refundable initiation component baked into the first tranche.
Read what the deposit guarantees. A genuine card fixes your hourly rate and your access; a weaker one merely pre-pays for charter you could have bought ad hoc, with none of the rate protection that justifies tying up six figures. The question to ask before wiring funds is simple: if I never fly, how much of this comes back, and on what notice?
The advertised rate applies on ordinary days. Programmes designate a set number of peak days — typically 30 to 60 dates a year clustered around holidays, major sporting fixtures and the Thanksgiving-to-New-Year corridor — on which different rules apply. On a peak day you may face a percentage surcharge on the hourly rate, a longer call-out or guaranteed-availability window, a higher daily minimum, or in some cases no guaranteed aircraft at all.
The peak calendar is the single most consequential clause for anyone who flies around holidays. Two cards with identical headline rates can diverge sharply once you map your actual travel against their peak-day lists.
Domestic US flights carry a 7.5% Federal Excise Tax, applied to the amount paid for transportation, plus a per-passenger domestic segment fee that is adjusted annually. On a jet card this is rarely shown in the marketing rate; it is added when hours are drawn. Over a year of flying, the FET alone can amount to a meaningful sum that never appeared in the comparison spreadsheet.
How the tax is calculated depends on how the programme is structured. Where the card is sold as transportation, FET applies to the flight charges. International segments fall outside US FET but pick up foreign duties, VAT in certain jurisdictions, and arrival or departure taxes. The honest comparison between two programmes is always tax-inclusive; a rate quoted before FET flatters the cheaper-looking card if its tax treatment is less favourable.
Few cards truly fix the all-in cost of an hour. The contracted rate typically covers the aircraft and crew, but a fuel component is often variable — adjusted against an index when the price of Jet A moves beyond a stated band. A card sold as a flat hourly figure may still carry a fuel surcharge clause that activates quietly when oil rises.
None of these is improper. The point is that the fixed rate fixes less than the word implies, and a careful reading identifies which costs remain variable before you commit.
Money you deposit is not necessarily yours forever. Many programmes attach an expiry to unused hours or funds — commonly 12 to 36 months — after which the balance can be forfeited, devalued, or repriced to the prevailing rate. A deposit made at last year's price may, on renewal, buy fewer hours than you expected, the difference accruing to the programme rather than to you.
The mechanics vary. Some cards let unused funds roll forward indefinitely; others require a top-up to keep the balance live; a few quietly re-rate dormant hours upward. Before committing, establish three things in writing: when, if ever, the funds expire; whether your locked rate survives a renewal; and what happens to the balance if you wish to exit. A programme confident in its value states these plainly. One that buries them in clause 14 is telling you something.
The marketing deck and the membership agreement are two different documents, and only one of them is binding. The deck sells a rate and a feeling; the contract governs deposits, surcharges, peak days, taxes, expiry and exit. Reconciling the two is the single most valuable hour you can spend before joining a programme.
Build the comparison on a tax-inclusive, surcharge-inclusive basis, mapped against your own travel pattern — your peak dates, your typical leg lengths, your one-way versus round-trip mix. A card that looks dearest per hour can prove cheapest in practice if its peak calendar is lenient and its hours never expire. The headline rate is the start of the analysis, not the end of it. Ask for the full schedule of fees in writing, and treat any reluctance to provide it as the answer.
We source and vet jet card and membership programmes through a private network of established operators, read the membership agreement against the brochure, and reconcile the all-in cost — initiation terms, peak-day surcharges, FET, fuel adjustment, taxes and expiry clauses — on your behalf, under NDA. Tell us how you actually fly and we return a like-for-like comparison with nothing hidden in the small print.
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It depends entirely on the programme. Some treat the unused balance as fully refundable on notice; others impose a cancellation fee, a minimum holding period, or a non-refundable initiation component. Establish in writing how much returns, and on what notice, before you wire funds.
A peak day is a designated date — typically 30 to 60 a year around holidays and major events — on which different terms apply. Expect a surcharge of roughly 10 to 40 percent, longer notice requirements, and in some cases a suspended availability guarantee. Map your travel against each programme's peak calendar before joining.
Yes, for domestic US flights. A 7.5 percent FET plus a per-passenger segment fee is applied when hours are drawn, and it is rarely shown in the marketing rate. International segments fall outside US FET but attract foreign duties and, in some jurisdictions, VAT.
Often, yes. Many programmes attach an expiry of 12 to 36 months to unused funds or hours, after which the balance may be forfeited, devalued, or repriced to the current rate. Confirm whether your hours expire, whether your locked rate survives renewal, and what happens to the balance on exit.
Rarely in full. The rate usually covers aircraft and crew, but fuel is often indexed and adjusts when Jet A moves beyond a stated band, while de-icing, international fees, bespoke catering and one-way legs are billed on top. Compare programmes on a tax- and surcharge-inclusive basis, not on the headline figure.
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