Jet Card Advisory
& 
Program Selection

Overview

Jet card and membership programs offer convenience and consistency, with benefits like fixed hourly rates and guaranteed availability without the long-term commitment of ownership. However, with over 80+ different jet card and membership programs in the market finding the right one can be tough, especially with so many options, pricing structures, and variable fees.

It can actually take up to 3 hours to evaluate just ONE jet card provider. If you try to compare 3-4 different programs, that may take you 12 hours and you still may not be speaking to the best possible providers. The most common results from this are analysis paralysis and worst you might pick the wrong program causing headache and the potential for hidden fees in the tens of thousands of dollars.

If you reach that point, it means it's time to engage the help of The Jet Merchants. We take the hassle out of having to spend hours researching different programs, listening to sales pitches, being bombarded with follow-ups calls, and having your inbox flooded with “limited time only incentives.” When you hire The Jet Merchants, we’ll work on your behalf and provide transparent guidance to help you find the ideal aviation solution, tailored to your travel needs, without wasting time or getting lost in the noise.

While there are 80+ jet card options out there, we focus our attention, time, and expertise on matching our clients with the top 25% of jet card providers. These are considered the "blue chip" providers and have  been pre-vetted to The Jet Merchants safety, quality, and customer service standards. We are constantly updating our preferred list of providers to ensure each company and suite of products are relevant, competitive, and deliver a premium experience.

Just a Few Considerations in Choosing a Jet Card

Financial Strength

We feel it's important to understand the financial strength of an organization as well as their capitalization. While not all information is publicly available, knowing a company's history, reputation, and leadership may provide valuable insight. 

Safety Culture

This is the most important item to consider when making a private aviation decision. Not price, not if they include free catering, but their safety culture and operating history. We only recommend providers that emphasize safety and operate at high ethical standards.

Fleet Type and Aircraft Pedigree

Some programs offer access on an exclusive fleet where there is more control over service and quality. Others pool aircraft from the open market and may focus on newer planes while some focus on the lowest cost planes. There are many factors to consider just on fleet type. 


Pricing Structure

So how much does it cost? The answer will almost always be "it depends". Providers have various pricing schemes such as dynamic pricing or fixed rates. Some may bill estimated flight time some actual. Some service fees are included, other bill separately. It's critical to understand exactly how you'll be charged in order to budget and plan travel accordingly.


Value-Added Features

For some flyers, they may find real value in additional perks and benefits. However others may not.
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Value added perks may include: 
- Hospitality experiences
- Local events/wine tastings
- Gifts from lifestyle brands
- Empty leg discounts
- Airline perks and status

Customer Service

Do you prefer a dedicated account management team and executive available to you 24/7 or are you fine calling a 1-800#? 

How does each provider handle a last minute booking or itinerary change? What happens when our plane has an issue, do they provide a back up, how fast, is there an additional fee?


Included with your JET CARD ADVISORY 
engagement fee: 

  • In-Depth Needs Analysis: To start, we’ll deep dive into your specific travel, previous experience in private aviation, challenges, preferences, and identify what’s truly important to you as a private flyer. From our discussion and Client Questionnaire, we’ll develop a sample budget based on cost averages and narrow down the list of potential providers.
  • Provider Review: We provide a clear and comprehensive analysis of the best matching jet card and membership programs, breaking down their corporate information, card features, pricing structures, and value-added benefits.  We also share what certain providers view as their “ideal customer” and bring to light the potential issues or additional costs that you may face based on your specific travel. 
  • Unbiased Recommendation(s): As a proudly independent advisory firm, we have no affiliations with jet card providers. This ensures you receive unbiased recommendations that are based entirely on your preferences, budget, and travel patterns.
  • Tailored Solution(s): Our goal is not to recommend the lowest cost provider, but the one that provides you with the most value overall aligning with your budget and service expectations. Oftentimes this may result in a mix of providers or combining some charter with a jet card.
  • Account Onboarding: We assist with the vendor on-boarding process and coordinating with the designated account support team. This allows both parties to get on the same page day one regarding your service expectations. In addition to selection and onboarding, we also provide Optional Oversight + Support Packages for up to 12 months or exhaustion of funds/hours, whichever occurs first.
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Optional Account Oversight + Support

Should you add an Oversight + Support Package, we’ll continue to serve as your Advisor and vendor liaison providing the following:
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  • Advise on new bookings to minimize risk and potential concerns
  • Ensure you maximize spend and balance the use of hours/funds
  • Manage service issues and guide resolutions efficiently
  • Conduct post-flight follow-ups to ensure satisfaction and more

It’s important to note that no provider is perfect and at some point, an issue will come up. In our experience, it's always best to work together and afford the provider an opportunity to “make things right” in a reasonable timeframe. How failures are resolved will make the difference as to whether you decide to renew with the provider or select another one in the future. We also track this data for on-going internal reviews of vendors.
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By adding an optional Oversight + Support Package, it will allow us to continue the private aviation journey with you where we'll be able to better understand you evolving needs and make proactive recommendations for other jet services that may provide a better value based on your changing travel profiles. This may include switching providers, exploring fractional shares, or even potentially whole aircraft ownership should it make sense.