How Jet Card Hours Are Calculated: Block vs. Flight Time

A jet card's hourly rate is only half of the arithmetic. The other half is the clock, and how jet card hours are calculated turns on which moment starts the meter on a leg, which moment stops it, and what is added or rounded before hours leave your balance. Programs that publish their terms describe that clock in different ways, and the clause that sets it is worth reading before you compare rates.

• Three programs' published materials show three clocks: airborne time plus a fixed taxi allowance, block out to block in, and takeoff to touchdown only.
• Rounding rules and minimums change what a leg costs in hours, especially a short one.
• Some costs sit outside the hours entirely, and programs draw that line in different places.
• Read how the agreement defines a flight hour; the label alone does not tell you.

How jet card hours are calculated: three clocks, as programs describe them

As of October 5, 2026, three programs' published materials show the range.

• Airborne time plus a fixed taxi allowance. Private Jet Center's JetCard Agreement terms, as published on its site and accessed October 5, 2026, say a leg "shall be deemed to commence at the time of take-off and shall terminate when such aircraft lands," and that "twelve (12) minutes shall be added to each Leg to account for taxi time for take-off and landing."
• Block out to block in. Jetbay's JET Card Programme terms, marked "Updated as of 21 March 2025" and accessed on its site October 5, 2026, say hours "are deducted from 'block out' (when the aircraft begins taxi) to 'block in' (when it stops at the final destination)."
• Takeoff to touchdown only. Jets.com's jet card page, accessed October 5, 2026, says "Hours deducted for flight time only — from takeoff to touchdown," and the company says there are "no taxi time charges." See our Jets.com jet card program page.

Privé Jets described a "fixed 10-minute taxi allowance" in its October 3, 2026 release, adding that flights "are otherwise based on actual flight time, subject to program terms and applicable minimums." The release does not say which events start and stop that flight time, or whether the allowance applies to each leg. Our report on the Privé Jets card launch has more.

A block clock counts the actual taxi time at both ends of a leg; a fixed allowance counts a set number of minutes, however long the taxi takes; an airborne-only clock, as Jets.com describes it, adds no taxi time.

The label "flight time" does not settle the question either. The FAA defines flight time in 14 CFR 1.1 as pilot time that "commences when an aircraft moves under its own power for the purpose of flight and ends when the aircraft comes to rest after landing." Jets.com uses "flight time" for takeoff to touchdown. Same words, different start and stop points. Read how the agreement itself defines a flight hour rather than relying on the phrase.

Rounding: the tenth-of-an-hour step

Private Jet Center's terms express a Flight Hour "in one-tenth of an hour increments" and say "Legs shall be rounded to the nearest one-tenth (1/10) of an hour." Here is our own illustration of that rule as written, not a company example. A hypothetical leg airborne for 1 hour 50 minutes, plus the 12-minute taxi allowance, comes to 2 hours 2 minutes, about 2.03 hours, which rounds to 2.0. A hypothetical 1 hour 40 minutes airborne becomes 1 hour 52 minutes, about 1.87 hours, which rounds to 1.9, before any minimum applies.

When you read another agreement, look for the unit (tenths, quarter hours, minutes), the direction (to the nearest unit, or always up) and whether rounding applies to each leg or to the trip. If the clause is silent, ask in writing.

Minimums on short legs, and on legs you do not fly

A short leg may be charged at a floor rather than at its measured time. Private Jet Center's terms say "Deductions shall be the greater of the Daily Minimums or the flight hours of the Leg, including tenths thereof." Jetbay's terms list a daily minimum of two hours and a single-leg minimum of one and a half hours, and add: "Any usage below these thresholds is rounded up accordingly." Jets.com gives a "Standard daily minimum" of 2.00 hours. Minimums can also apply without a flight: Private Jet Center's terms say that if a leg is cancelled outside its Cancellation Deadline, or the cardholder is "more than 60 minutes late" for departure, it may deduct the Daily Minimum charge. Our guide to jet card daily minimums and booking notice goes further.

What sits outside the hours

The clock measures time; other costs may be billed on top. Private Jet Center's terms authorize charges for items including "ground transportation, positioning and repositioning fees, international fees, excess catering, taxes, segment fees" and other incidental fees. Jetbay's terms say "De-icing or snow removal costs during passenger flights are charged as incurred," and that most of its card tiers do not charge repositioning time. Jets.com says its standard services cover "fuel, taxi time, repositioning, de-icing, and more," while optional services and conditions such as international flights may incur pass-through costs. Privé Jets said in its release that its program includes de-icing. For two of these items, see our guides to international repositioning fees and rate lock and fuel surcharge clauses.

Terms can also move. Private Jet Center's terms reserve the right to change its fees, policies and the terms themselves "at any time, without notice."

Questions to ask before you sign

1. Which event starts the meter on a leg, and which stops it: takeoff and landing, or block out and block in?
2. Is a fixed taxi allowance added to each leg, and how many minutes?
3. What is the rounding unit, which way does it round, and is it applied per leg or per trip?
4. Is there a per-leg minimum, a daily minimum or both, and which is deducted when a leg is short?
5. How are late cancellations and late passengers charged against the card?
6. Which costs are billed outside the hours: de-icing, repositioning, international fees, catering, taxes?
7. Can the provider change fees or terms during the card's term, and with what notice?
8. Will you receive a record of the hours deducted for each leg? Jetbay's terms, for example, say it will confirm the hours deducted after each flight.

Ask these of every program on your shortlist, alongside each program's published terms.

Compare published program terms side by side on the PJReviews jet card comparison hub, explore private jet providers on PJReviews.com and see how booking works, then book directly with a provider.