What to Look for in a Private Jet Membership

Private jet memberships offer convenience and potential savings for frequent flyers.

• Options include jet cards, fractional ownership, and flexible on-demand programs, such as Paramount’s.
• Choosing the best program depends on your flight habits, budget, and need for flexibility.
• Key factors to compare include pricing, blackout dates, aircraft access, and cancellation terms.
• On-demand models offer high flexibility without long-term commitments or large upfront costs.
• Paramount’s program includes refundable deposits, transparent pricing, and zero blackout dates.
• Prioritize value and transparency over the cheapest option to ensure a superior flying experience.

If you fly private often, you might be wondering if a jet membership or card program could provide better value, ease, or consistency. Truthfully, it could! But with numerous providers offering a wide range of options ranging from prepaid cards to monthly subscriptions, it’s vital to understand what you're committing to before signing up.

So, what's the best private jet membership? It depends on how you travel, your budget, and what matters most to you. Some programs give you fixed rates and guaranteed aircraft, while others offer low monthly fees but come with strict rules, blackout dates, or scarce availability.

Don't just look at flashy benefits; the real value lies in the fine print—like cancellation terms, safety culture, and processes.    

In this chapter, we'll show you what to look for when comparing jet card options, what features truly count, and how to find the best private jet membership for your needs. Whether you fly once a month or weekly, an informed choice ensures your membership serves you, not the other way around.

Types of Private Jet Memberships: Know What You’re Comparing

Understanding whether a private jet membership is even worth considering – or if chartering is truly better for your needs – is important.

Once you’ve determined that a subscription or jet card is worth looking into, understanding the structure and terms of each type of private jet membership is of vital importance before signing on the dotted line.

Here’s a high-level private jet membership comparison detailing the most common categories of memberships:

• Jet Cards: Usually, purchasing a jet card gives you prepaid access to a certain amount of flight time (often 25+ hours) for a discounted, fixed hourly rate. In addition to getting a discount, buying a jet card will also often give you access to guaranteed availability and fixed aircraft categories so you can fly comfortably every time. But many operators’ jet card programs don’t give passengers a choice of jet. Paramount’s jet card, on the other hand, lets them see and approve their jet on a per-trip basis.
• Fractional Ownerships: With fractional ownership, you buy a share of an aircraft, almost like a timeshare for planes! Benefits often include consistent access to the same plane, long-term cost efficiency if you fly 50+ hours per year, and potential tax benefits (for business use).      
• On-Demand Access with Perks: This type of private jet membership is perhaps the most flexible. It gives you on-demand access to a vetted network of private jets with no commitment or high upfront cost required, plus perks such as no blackout dates, live pricing, and a dedicated aviation advisor. This is one of the best jet membership types for many travelers because of the balance of flexibility and perks it offers. Consequently, Paramount Business Jets offers this via its jet card program. (We’ve made a point to differentiate it from other jet card programs because many are not so flexible.

Tips for Evaluating Your Options

When considering which of these is the best private jet membership program for your unique needs, we recommend you ask yourself the following questions:

• What are my flight patterns? Which program would be the best match?
• Do I value guaranteed aircraft availability more or pricing flexibility more?
• What’s the required lead time to book flights under each type of program?

If you’re a business traveler who flies every week for work, guaranteed access and quick, easy booking might be your #1 priority. If, on the other hand, you are an entertainer or even just have a big family that keeps you busy, you might value flexibility and concierge-level service more.

Only you can determine which type of jet card program is ideal for your situation. Don’t let sales reps for other programs tell you otherwise!

Key Factors to Consider in Private Jet Membership Programs

Let’s dive deeper into the fine print that differentiates the best jet card programs, subscription memberships, and on-demand flight memberships with perks from the ones that might seem like a value, but aren’t.

1. Pricing Structure

Jet cards (except for ones that operate on an on-demand model, and consequently provide transparent per-trip pricing) usually charge fixed hourly rates, requiring you to lay out significant money up front for a discount.  Meanwhile, subscriptions often lower upfront costs even more, but often include variable rates or other fees.

2. Blackout Dates & Peak Surcharges

Read the fine print! Many memberships (especially the cheapest private jet memberships) impose blackout periods during major events (i.e., the Super Bowl or Cannes Film Festival) and holidays (i.e., Christmas or Labor Day).

3. Aircraft Variety & Availability Guarantees

Is a diverse fleet available? Can you regularly access your preferred type of jet (i.e., if you usually fly on a midsize jet, is that a realistic option for every flight you take under the program rules?)

4. Lead Time & Cancellation Policies

Some programs require you to book 24-72 hours or more in advance and impose stringent cancellation windows and penalties. Be sure to investigate if this is the case.

5. Service Transparency

Can you easily get access to safety records, crew experience records, and aircraft age records? Be sure to also ask about any hidden fees and minimum commitments. Don’t forget to evaluate how responsive the program operator’s support team is, especially after hours.

We encourage you to read our resource on determining whether a broker is honest and fair.

Compare Jet Card Programs for Value, Not Pricing

The adage “you get what you pay for” applies to private jet card programs and subscriptions to an extent. You usually don’t want to spring for the cheapest option. On the other hand, one of the major draws of a subscription or jet card program is often the cost savings involved compared to taking frequent one-off charter flights.

So, do think about value, but be prepared to evaluate holistically rather than look for the cheapest option available. Doing so will help you shop smart and save without sacrificing many of the qualities that have led you to choose private aviation over commercial aviation in the first place, such as convenience, hassle-free travel, and efficiency.

To determine whether a jet card program is a good value for your travel needs, consider that most jet cards run around $150,000-$500,000+ upfront for 25-50 hours of flight time, and most monthly memberships cost about $5,000-$20,000 a month plus flight charges. Compared to these pricing models, on-demand models like Paramount’s, meanwhile, provide many of the same benefits on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Experience Unparalleled Flexibility & Value with Paramount

Considering Paramount Business Jets’ jet card program? With its pay-as-you-go model and many perks, there’s very little to no downside for frequent private jet travelers!

Experience the unmatched flexibility of Paramount’s Jet Card Membership starting now. With refundable deposits, no long-term commitments, and fully transparent pricing, you pay only when you fly. Enjoy access to a global network of vetted operators, zero blackout dates, and personalized support every step of the way.