When you purchase a jet card, you are pre-purchasing flight hours at a fixed or guaranteed rate — and removing nearly all the friction of private aviation without taking on the cost or complexity of ownership. The right program saves you tens of thousands of dollars annually. The wrong one locks you into peak day surcharges, repositioning fees, and expiring hours that quietly erode your value. Updated April 2026.
This guide covers the five leading jet card programs — with real pricing, specific aircraft, and an honest breakdown of who each one is built for. We also introduce a fundamentally different approach: the Craft 721 Exchange, which lets stockholders access private aviation without selling a single share.
A jet card is not fractional ownership. You are not buying equity in an aircraft. You are buying access — a block of pre-paid hours that gives you on-demand private aviation without ownership responsibilities, management fees, or residual value. The upside is simplicity and certainty. The trade-off is cost per hour.
How the 721 Exchange Works
A 721 exchange allows you to contribute appreciated assets — typically publicly traded stock — into a diversified investment partnership without triggering a taxable event. In Craft’s model, that partnership is an aviation investment pod that owns and operates private aircraft.
You receive units in the pod proportional to your contribution. Those units entitle you to guaranteed flight hours on the pod’s aircraft. Meanwhile, your contributed capital is diversified across multiple assets — not concentrated in a single depreciating airframe.
The result: you get the same operational experience as a jet card buyer — book flights, fly privately, consistent service — but your capital is preserved, tax-deferred, and potentially appreciating rather than spent.
| Factor | Traditional Jet Card | Craft 721 Exchange |
|---|---|---|
| How You Pay | Cash — capital is spent | Appreciated stock — capital is invested |
| Taxable Event | Yes — you liquidate to fund the card | No — 721 exchange defers capital gains |
| Capital at Exit | $0 — hours consumed | Returned — pod units redeemable |
| Depreciation Risk | N/A — no asset | Mitigated — diversified across pod |
| Charter Revenue | No | Yes — pod aircraft earn revenue |
| Best For | Buyers paying cash for access | Stockholders who want to fly tax-free |
Who this is for: If you hold $500K+ in appreciated stock and fly 25–100 hours per year, the 721 exchange lets you access private aviation without selling a single share — and without triggering the capital gains event that funding a traditional jet card would require. Run the numbers here.
Entry-level 25-hour card pricing for light jet category. Actual rates vary by route, date, and aircraft availability. Wheels Up figure includes initiation and annual dues.
| Program | Price Range (25 hrs) | Key Differentiator | Ideal Customer | Aircraft Types |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craft 721 | Stock contribution — no cash outlay | Tax-deferred entry via appreciated stock; capital preserved | Stockholders who want flight access without a taxable event | Challenger 300/350, Phenom 300 (pod fleet) |
| NetJets | ~$215K–$325K+ | Largest global owned fleet; fixed hourly rates | High-frequency flyers wanting reliability | Phenom 300, Citation Latitude, Challenger 350, Gulfstream |
| Flexjet | $165K–$200K (Standard) | Red Label crew; sell unused hours | Premium service seekers | Phenom 300, Praetor 500, Gulfstream |
| Wheels Up | ~$200K+ (membership + flights) | Membership + jet card hybrid; app-based | Entry-level private aviation | King Air 350i, Citation, partner network |
| Sentient Jet | ~$147K+ for 25 hrs | Hours never expire; transparent pricing | Occasional flyers wanting flexibility | Light to heavy via curated charter fleet |
| VistaJet | $250K–$1M+ (50–100+ hrs) | No repositioning fees; 187-country coverage | Global travelers, ultra-HNW | Challenger 350, Global 7500 |
#1 — NetJets
NetJets is the largest and most widely known jet card provider in the world. They have a global network that includes hundreds of aircraft, making it one of the most effective ways to coordinate flights almost anywhere. They offer fixed hourly rates with guaranteed availability, often requiring no more than 24–48 hours’ notice depending on the plan you select.
Owned by Berkshire Hathaway since 1998, NetJets’ core advantage is simple: when you book their card, you fly on a NetJets-owned aircraft with a NetJets-employed crew. There is no third-party operator risk, no broker layer, and no inconsistency between flights. For high-frequency travelers who want the private aviation equivalent of a first-class airline program — predictable, consistent, globally available — NetJets is the standard against which everything else is measured.
Owned fleet — zero third-party operator risk
Largest private aviation network globally
Fixed rates with guaranteed availability
Industry-leading safety record (Berkshire-backed)
Highest price per hour among all programs reviewed
Hours expire — unused hours are forfeited
90 blackout days on Card275 restrict peak travel
#2 — Flexjet
Flexjet is another well-known and significant private aviation provider with several hundred vehicles in their fleet. While they aren’t quite as large as NetJets, they make up for it with one genuinely unusual feature: Flexjet allows users to sell their unused hours within their network — giving you the potential to recuperate some of your costs if you don’t fly to your card’s full allotment.
Their Red Label crew program assigns the same pilots to the same aircraft, creating a consistency that most jet card programs — even owned-fleet programs — can’t match. For buyers who prioritize the human element of private aviation, Flexjet often outperforms NetJets on actual customer experience despite a smaller global footprint.
Sell unused hours — only program with this feature
Red Label crew consistency rivals whole ownership
More financially competitive than NetJets at most tiers
Praetor 500 fleet — best-in-class super-midsize
Smaller global footprint than NetJets
Hours expire — buyer should plan utilization carefully
Top-tier pricing ($350K+) comparable to fractional entry
#3 — Wheels Up
Wheels Up is exclusively focused on jet card membership with a unique structure that separates the access fee from the flight cost. Their aircraft are primarily light jet categorized, though they have an extensive regional fleet. They operate what is considered by some a budget option within the relative parameters of private aviation.
Delta Air Lines became a major investor in 2023, bringing operational infrastructure and financial stability that had been questioned during earlier financial difficulties. Their lower hourly rate than Flexjet or NetJets makes Wheels Up a compelling option for businesses large enough to benefit from private access but not large enough to need their own fleet.
No hour pre-purchase — pay as you go at member rates
Lowest initiation cost of any major program
Delta backing brings operational depth and financial stability
App-based booking — fastest booking experience
Annual dues stack on top of flight costs — track total spend
Turboprop-heavy at lower tiers (King Air 350i)
Less consistent service than Red Label or NetJets crews
#4 — Sentient Jet
Sentient Jet is a long-standing jet card provider with flexible offerings for a range of private flyers. Founded in 1999 — making them the originator of the jet card concept — they offer fixed hourly rates and jet card hours that never expire, giving you predictable private aviation access without ownership. This never-expire policy is their single biggest differentiator and the reason many occasional flyers choose Sentient over programs with 12-month expiration windows.
Sentient operates as a broker-based program, meaning they work with a curated network of vetted operators rather than owning aircraft directly. Their pricing is structured by cabin class rather than flat-rate, which lets you match your spend to your actual aircraft requirements.
Hours never expire — buy now, fly whenever
Per-cabin-class pricing — pay for what you actually need
25+ years of operator vetting and safety standards
No peak day surcharges on most card types
Broker model — aircraft vary by availability and operator
Less global routing depth than VistaJet
Large cabin pricing ($324K) approaches fractional territory
Full Sentient Jet Review →
#5 — VistaJet
VistaJet is a global private aviation membership provider known for its extensive fleet and international reach. They offer structured membership programs rather than a traditional jet card model, allowing flyers access to a global fleet with guaranteed availability. Founded in 2004 by Thomas Flohr, VistaJet operates exclusively silver-and-red-striped Bombardier aircraft — ensuring that wherever you fly in the world, the cabin, service standard, and crew training are identical.
The critical advantage over every other program: VistaJet charges only for hours flown, with no repositioning fees, dead leg charges, or ferry costs regardless of where the aircraft originates. For a buyer flying New York to London one month and Dubai to Tokyo the next, no other program matches VistaJet’s routing economics on complex international itineraries.
No dead leg or repositioning fees — anywhere globally
Uniform fleet — same experience in 187 countries
Global 7500 access for ultra-long-range routing
Best program for complex international itineraries
Most expensive program at entry — $250K+ for 25 hours
Annual renewal — hours don’t roll over like Sentient
Overbuilt for US-domestic-only travelers
Which Jet Card Program Is Right for You?
The table below maps your travel profile to the right program. Use your annual hours and primary routing to narrow the field before requesting quotes.
| Your Profile | Best Match | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hold $500K+ in appreciated stock | Craft 721 Exchange | Tax-deferred entry, capital preserved, charter revenue |
| High-frequency US domestic, 50+ hrs/year | NetJets Card320 | Owned fleet, 320-day access, no disruption risk |
| Premium service, crew consistency priority | Flexjet Elite | Red Label dedicated crew, sell unused hours |
| New to private aviation, under 25 hrs/year | Wheels Up Connect | $17.5K initiation, no hour pre-purchase required |
| Occasional flyer, worried about hour expiry | Sentient Jet SJ25 | Hours never expire — buy when ready, fly when convenient |
| International traveler, complex routing | VistaJet Program | No dead leg fees globally, 187-country coverage |
The question to ask before signing anything: “What is the all-in cost per flight hour including fuel surcharges, peak day fees, landing fees, and FBO fees?” Programs that quote a base hourly rate often add 15–40% in surcharges. Always model your actual typical trip before comparing programs on headline rate alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fractional ownership allows multiple owners to buy shares of a private jet, giving them proportional flight hours and usage rights. Jet card programs let you buy flight hours upfront without owning any part of the aircraft — no management fees, no residual value, no shared operational responsibility. Jet cards are ideal for flyers under 50 hours per year. Fractional ownership makes more sense above 50 hours.
A 721 exchange (Section 721 of the Internal Revenue Code) allows you to contribute appreciated assets into a partnership without triggering capital gains tax. Craft uses this structure to let stockholders contribute appreciated shares into an aviation investment pod, receiving flight access in return. Unlike jet cards, your capital is not spent — it remains invested and potentially appreciating within the pod.
Fractional aircraft ownership can build equity and offer potential resale value. Owners share costs with other co-owners, which reduces the financial burden compared to full ownership. However, the value depends on aircraft demand, utilization, and maintenance. A jet card offers no equity and no residual value — you are buying access, not an asset. Craft’s 721 model is the only option that preserves capital while providing flight access.
At under 10 hours per year, on-demand charter is almost always more economical. Between 10 and 50 hours, a jet card typically provides better per-trip pricing plus availability certainty. Above 50 hours annually, run a proper cost comparison between a jet card and fractional ownership — at that usage level, monthly fees of fractional are often offset by a lower effective hourly rate. Above 150 hours, whole ownership or fractional typically wins on economics.
Fractional owners pay monthly management fees to cover aircraft management, insurance, hangar space, and pilot services. Maintenance and property tax costs are shared among all co-owners based on fractional share size. This shared cost structure allows owners to access high-quality aircraft without the full financial commitment of single ownership — but the total annual cost is significantly higher than a jet card for buyers under 50 hours per year.