PRICING GUIDE — 2026

Jet Card vs. On-Demand Charter

Jet cards sell the story of “fixed hourly, guaranteed availability, no surprises”. On-demand charter sells “pay only when you fly, at the day’s market rate”. Both are true. The question is which one is cheaper for your flying — and the honest answer sits at a specific number of hours per year, on a specific aircraft category, with the fine print on the table.

Side-by-side comparison

	Jet card	On-demand charter
Upfront deposit	$100K – $600K (typical block)	$0
Hourly rate	$8,500 – $16,500 (fixed, contract)	$3,500 – $20,000+ (market)
Fuel surcharge	Adjusted quarterly (2 – 10%)	Included in the quote
Guaranteed availability	10 – 96 hr callout by tier	48 – 72 hr on peak days
Peak day surcharge	20 – 40 peak days / year, +25 – 100%	Priced into the quote, no surprise line
Aircraft category	Category-locked (light OR mid OR heavy)	You pick per trip
Interchange to bigger jet	Available at 1.4 – 1.6× hour debit + rate delta	N/A — just quote the right aircraft
Expiry / breakage	Hours expire 12 – 24 mo, non-refundable in most contracts	N/A
Best for	25 – 100 hrs / year, one aircraft category, fixed dates	0 – 25 hrs / year OR flexible dates OR variable route mix

Real 2026 card rates

Published rates from the major US and European jet card programs. Ranges reflect entry vs. senior tier within each program and exclude peak-day surcharges and FCA adjustments.

Program	Category	Hourly (base)	Deposit	Callout
NetJets Marquis Jet Card	Midsize (Latitude)	$14,900 – $16,500	25 hr / ~$390K	10 hr peak / 6 hr off-peak
Flexjet 25 Jet Card	Midsize (Praetor 500)	$12,500 – $14,800	25 hr / ~$340K	10 hr
Wheels Up Connect	Light (King Air / Citation X)	$8,900 – $11,500	Membership + pay-as-you-fly	24 – 72 hr
Sentient Jet Card	Super-mid (Challenger 350)	$13,900 – $15,900	25 hr / ~$375K	10 hr peak
Nicholas Air Vantage	Light – Super-mid	$9,500 – $14,500	25 hr / ~$260K	12 – 24 hr

The hidden costs of a jet card

The base hourly on a card looks lower than a spot charter quote. It usually isn’t, once these lines are added back.

Peak day surcharge

20 – 40 days a year (Thanksgiving, Presidents Day, spring break, Super Bowl, Art Basel, F1 Monaco, Davos). Callout window doubles and the hourly rate rises 25 – 100%. If your travel calendar clusters on peak weekends, model these separately.

Fuel component adjustment

Nearly every card locks the base hourly but passes fuel-price swings through quarterly. In 2022 – 2023 this added 8 – 14% to the effective rate. Read the FCA clause carefully — some cap the swing, most do not.

Positioning charges

Card fixed rate assumes reasonable positioning. Flights that require the operator to fly the aircraft > 90 – 120 minutes empty to reach you can trigger positioning fees or downgrade to charter pricing on the specific leg.

Expiry of unused hours

Most card hours expire 12 – 24 months from the contract date. Unused hours are non-refundable in most contracts (some offer partial credit toward a new card). The breakage on this line alone can be 10 – 20% of the deposit.

Interchange to a different category

Flying a bigger jet than your card tier is billed as the larger aircraft's rate plus a 10 – 15% interchange surcharge, and hours are debited at 1.4 – 1.6× ratio. On a transatlantic upgrade this can double the effective cost.

One-year rate locks are actually 90 days

The headline “1-year fixed rate” applies only to the base hourly. FCA, peak-day surcharge, and taxes reset quarterly. Model the all-in cost, not the marketing number.

Break-even by annual flight hours

Annual hours	Best model	Why
0 – 15 / year	On-demand charter	No deposit tie-up, market pricing on a small volume is cheaper than any card block.
15 – 25 / year	On-demand charter or single-trip card top-up	Card deposit rarely amortises under 25 hours; empty-leg matching still competitive.
25 – 50 / year	Jet card (light or midsize)	Fixed rate + guaranteed callout beats market volatility on a single aircraft category.
50 – 100 / year	Jet card (mid or super-mid) or 1/16 fractional	Card still wins under 100 hrs; above that the monthly fee of fractional starts to amortise.
100 – 250 / year	Fractional (1/8 – 1/4 share)	See our charter vs. fractional guide — this is the fractional sweet spot.
250+ / year	1/2 share or whole aircraft	Card premium and hour debits become punitive at this volume.

Frequently asked

Is a jet card cheaper than on-demand charter?

Only above roughly 25 flight hours per year on a single aircraft category. Below 25 hours, on-demand charter beats a card once you include the deposit lock-up, quarterly fuel component adjustments, peak-day surcharges, and unused-hour expiry. Above 100 hours, fractional ownership becomes more efficient than a card.

What is the real cost of a 25-hour NetJets or Flexjet card in 2026?

A 25-hour midsize card (Latitude or Praetor 500) runs approximately $340K – $415K deposit at $13,500 – $16,500 per hour. Peak-day surcharges add roughly $15K – $50K/year depending on travel dates, and fuel component adjustments have averaged $8K – $18K/year on 25 hours. All-in for the first year: $370K – $475K.

How is a jet card different from fractional ownership?

A card is a pre-paid block of hours with no ownership stake, no monthly fee, and hours that expire in 12 – 24 months. Fractional ownership is a 5-year capital purchase of a share in a specific aircraft, with a monthly management fee whether you fly or not, and buy-back at fair market value on exit. Cards are lower-commitment; fractional is more economical above 100 hrs/year.

Do jet cards guarantee availability on peak days?

Yes — but with an extended callout window (typically 96 hours vs. 10 hours off-peak) and a peak-day surcharge of 25 – 100% on the hourly rate. Programs publish a peak-day calendar of 20 – 40 dates per year. If your travel clusters on those dates, model the peak all-in cost, not the base card rate.

Can I fly a bigger jet than my card tier?

Yes, through interchange. You fly the larger category at that aircraft's rate plus a 10 – 15% interchange surcharge, and your hours are debited at a 1.4 – 1.6× ratio. A one-off transatlantic upgrade from a midsize card can therefore consume 8 – 12 hours of your block for a 5-hour flight.

Do unused card hours expire?

Yes. Most jet cards give you 12 – 24 months to use hours from the contract date. Unused hours are non-refundable in most contracts, though some programs offer partial credit toward a new card at renewal. This breakage can be 10 – 20% of the initial deposit and is one of the largest hidden costs of card ownership.

Jet card vs. empty leg — which is cheaper?

An empty leg is always cheaper per hour than a jet card on the same route, but empty legs are route- and date-locked. A jet card gives you fixed pricing on a route you choose. Best of both: use a card for high-priority trips and use empty legs opportunistically for flexible ones. See our empty leg vs. charter cost guide for the full picture.

Which jet card is best in 2026?

NetJets Marquis has the largest global fleet and strongest international service. Flexjet has newer aircraft and a curated Red Label cabin. Sentient offers the most flexible refund policy on unused hours. Wheels Up has the lowest entry point but variable availability. For 25 – 100 hour buyers on a fixed category, NetJets and Flexjet remain the two-horse race.