Do I save money with a Jet Card?
I never thought you would ask! Many folks assume since they are buying in bulk, like Costco, they are getting a better price than just calling a broker for each trip. That’s not necessarily true.
You do save time.
Most folks who charter on-demand have two or three brokers they use, which means for each trip you have to contact several companies. You then have to wait for them to come back with quotes, and for each quote you need to take a look at the operator and the terms of that quote.
Most brokers simply pass along the terms of the operator based on that aircraft, so if three brokers give you 10 quotes, you then need to understand how far in advance payment is due, what are the penalties for canceling or changing, and then typically who is the operator. Do their pilots get extra training for mountain airports if you are planning ski trips, and so forth.
You can look at two Gulfstream GIVs, and see pricing thousands of dollars apart. While it’s easy to think one broker is trying to make a bigger profit, it’s more likely there are differences in not only the planes and repositioning costs, but who is operating and flying them for your trip. Are the pilots full time or just on a short-term contract?
The best brokers – like great travel agents – are like gold. It reminds me of the Van Halen story about having in their performance contracts specific colored M&Ms required backstage. Their theory was that running around between dangerous pyrotechnics and heavy stage equipment, if the logistics company couldn’t get the right type of candy, maybe they weren’t paying attention to more important thing!
By doing your homework before you buy a jet card, you don’t have to spend the time to do due diligence for each trip.
So, to start, a jet card should save you an hour or two of time each time you book, unless you have strong trust in your broker and are happy to delegate everything to them.
Is a Jet Card cheaper than On-Demand Charter?
After all, you just gave the company $250,000. You should get lower pricing, right? What you will find is the more you deposit, you can get a lower hourly rate. That said, you can often beat jet card pricing by calling several brokers and getting quotes.
Of course, it goes back to not all GIVs are created equal.
You are most likely to be able to beat jet card pricing if you are flying between airports with a lot of private jet activity, for example Teterboro in New Jersey to Palm Beach. It’s more likely that there will be planes sitting there that fit your needs, and less likely the plane will have to fly in to pick you up.
By the same token, when you get to Florida, there is probably somebody who wants to charter that same aircraft for their trip.
If you can plan a week or more in advance, want to take the time to do the due diligence on various operators, and are OK with the payment policies, you can save money.
At the same time, you might save money on three trips, then give it back on a fourth because by the time you wanted to book, prices were higher than a jet card, or you get hit with a couple deicing bills, and that wipes out your previous savings.
Jet Card advice
Research I did earlier this year with subscribers of Private Jet Card Comparisons, a website where I am editor, found about 70% of readers had multiple solutions, which leads me to giving you my best advice.
Just like your financial portfolio, you want to have balance. A number of jet cards are refundable, and you can typically get your rates locked for 12 to 24 months. If you think you will be flying privately more than 10 hours over the next two years, having a jet card, particularly one with fixed rates and guaranteed availability probably makes sense.
With jet cards – and it varies – there are ones that allow you to cancel or change your flights within 24 hours or departure, or even less. At the same time, having a jet card doesn’t mean you can’t check out charter quotes from your favorite brokers when you think you can do better on price, and you won’t need the benefits your card provides.
Key Questions To Ask Before You Buy A Private Jet Card
In our comparison of over 65 variables of private jet cards and prepaid programs, we cover a plethora of key differences. Some may be very important to you and others won’t matter. Here are questions to ask yourself and the vendors before you sign on the dotted line:
1. Where will I be traveling? Some programs are focused on North America while others are global in scope. Not all U.S. programs offer national coverage, and coverage to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Canada also varies.
2. How many people will I normally be traveling with? You’ll want to choose a program where the aircraft type fits the normal maximum number of travelers in your party.
3. How many long are my typical trips? You’ll want to make sure you are looking at programs where the planes can fly you nonstop where possible. Some programs have long-flight discounts.
4. Will I be traveling with pets or sending unaccompanied minors? While most jet card programs allow pets, there may be additional fees and some programs have age restrictions for minors traveling alone.
5. When will I be traveling? Most programs have peak days that may have higher rates and longer booking windows. There may also be blackout dates.
6. What are the minimum hours charged? Some programs with lower published rates charge a minimum of two hours per day when you are using a plane, which might make that 40-minute hop pretty expensive. QUICK COMPARE FLIGHT PRICING enables you to compare estimated flight costs between providers and programs.
7. What are my upgrade and downgrade options? Sometimes you might want a larger or small plane. Conditions vary by program and vendor.
8. Do you care about VIP perks such as free luxury hotel stays, jewelry, and fashion discounts and access to events? Several jet card programs have extensive programs, while others offer bare-bones or nothing.
9. Do you care about the age of the planes? While private aviation travel is safer than taking a bath by 12-to-1 statistically, some programs offer options that guarantee newer planes.
10. Is WiFi critical to you? Not all private aircraft have WiFi. Some providers guarantee WiFi, while others don’t.
11. How much luggage and sporting equipment (skis, golf clubs, dive gear) are you typically taking? Smaller planes have less space to accommodate baggage and oversize bags, and the range of aircraft depends on the combined weight of passengers and luggage. Make sure the aircraft type you are considering can make it where you want to go nonstop.
12. Do you care if the interiors and configurations of the planes you will fly on are all the same? If so, you will want to take a closer look at jet card providers that have fractional or owned fleets.
13. What does your provider do after you send them your money? Ask about how your money is held until you actually take the flight, as well as ownership, size, and company history.
14. Will you need to use multiple aircraft at the same time? Some programs allow multiple same-time aircraft use, others don’t, while some restrict it to non-peak days. If you are buying a program for multiple family members or your business, this could be an important factor in choosing the right program.
Private Jet Card Comparisons enables you to compared over 250 programs from more than 50 providers by 65 variables. You can learn more here.
