Magellan Jets Jet Card: How It Works, What It Costs and Who It Fits

How the Magellan Jets jet card works

The Category card lets you “Fly across Light, Midsize, Super-Mid, or Heavy” and “Interchange freely”, a feature known as interchange. The Premium card is tied to one aircraft type: Phenom 300, Challenger 350 or Gulfstream G450/G550 (Provider-stated, 2026-09-25).

In a release dated 2026-06-10, Magellan says clients can buy a customized number of hours, with benefits for both card types that step up at 50 and 100 hours (Provider-stated, jet card page and release, read 2026-09-25; rates from its Compare Jet Cards page, 2026-10-02):

Magellan’s jet card page lists Advantage Routes such as Boston to Palm Beach and Los Angeles (Van Nuys) to New York (Provider-stated, 2026-09-25). Magellan does not say what a short-leg waiver waives (checked 2026-09-26).

Magellan’s membership page also lists Explorer, with pay-as-you-go rates, a 72-hour callout and a “$16,500 Initial Investment”; and Explorer 100, with fixed 12-month pricing, a 48-hour callout and an “$11,500 Initial Investment”. Each lists “$4,500 Annual Dues” (Provider-stated, 2026-09-25). Magellan does not say whether the Initial Investment is a fee or flight funds (checked 2026-09-25).

In Magellan’s public Charter Agreement, the client acknowledges that “Magellan is acting solely as a broker on their behalf and is not an air carrier” (read 2026-09-25). Under the DOT’s rule for an air charter broker, a broker must give you the carrier’s corporate name before you contract for a specific flight (14 CFR 295.24(a)(1), eCFR issue date 2026-09-15).

What a Magellan Jets card costs

Read a “starting at” rate as the lowest rate for its tier, not a quote for your trip. Magellan’s Compare Jet Cards page lists 25-hour rates “starting at” $7,500 (Light) to $14,400 (Heavy) an hour on the Category card and $9,350 (Phenom 300) to $16,650 (Gulfstream G450/G550) on the Premium card (Provider-stated, 2026-10-02). Its pages give different 50- and 100-hour rates, so we show none until they agree. At the $7,500 Light rate, 25 hours come to $187,500 (Estimate: 25 × $7,500), before any tax, other charges or round-trip savings.

On what the rate includes, Magellan’s FAQ says “Every Jet Card hourly rate covers fuel” and lists Wi-Fi and crew costs among what it covers (Primary source, 2026-09-25). On the Premium card, catering and de-icing are also included (Primary source); on the Category card, whether they are included is not confirmed (checked 2026-09-25).

Billing, according to a Magellan article dated 2025-11-17, uses estimated flight time, with a fixed 6 minutes of taxi time before takeoff and 6 after landing included in the quote (Provider-stated). The FAQ states: “There are no repositioning fees on round-trip bookings” (Primary source). One-way repositioning terms are not published (checked 2026-09-25).

Also not published (checked 2026-09-25): daily minimums and international fees. Magellan’s pages do not say whether rates include federal excise tax (checked 2026-10-04), which includes a 7.5% tax on the amount paid for taxable transportation of a person (26 U.S.C. §4261(a)), so that term is not confirmed.

Availability, notice and cancellation

Magellan’s FAQ describes guaranteed access 365 days a year with no blackout dates and “call-out notice as low as 24 hours” (Primary source, 2026-09-25). Magellan’s jet card page lists a “48-hour standard” call-out for the Category card and “as low as 24 hours” for the Premium card, without saying when the shorter notice applies (Provider-stated, 2026-09-25).

Magellan’s FAQ states there are “no peak-day surcharges” on its jet card hourly rates (Primary source, 2026-09-26). Magellan’s other peak-day terms, which it sets out as Advanced Booking Days, are not confirmed: how many days apply, the notice they need and any premium (checked 2026-09-25). Before you buy, ask for this year’s calendar for your card and its terms in writing, and see how peak days affect availability and fees.

Cancellation terms for the cards are not published, and Magellan’s jet card agreement is not public (checked 2026-09-25). A Magellan release states “guaranteed mechanical recovery” (Provider-stated, release 2026-06-10); substitution or upgrade terms are not published.

Magellan offers a dedicated Private Aviation Advisor and describes its Client Experience team as available 24/7/365 (Provider-stated, 2026-09-25).

Coverage and aircraft

Magellan’s FAQ states: “Jet Card Private Clients fly domestically and internationally with no geographic restrictions” (Primary source, 2026-09-25). We found no separate international rate card or fee schedule on its pages (checked 2026-09-25).

The Category card runs from Light to what Magellan calls “Heavy”; its aircraft pages list the Phenom 300 as a light jet and the Gulfstream G550 as a heavy jet (Provider-stated, 2026-09-25).

Magellan says pets ride in the cabin and asks you to tell your advisor as soon as you confirm the flight. It says “Private Clients gain exclusive access” to its empty legs (Provider-stated, 2026-09-25). An empty leg is a repositioning flight sold at a reduced price.

Financial safeguards

Magellan’s FAQ says “your funds never expire and are never co-mingled” (Primary source, 2026-09-25). It names no escrow agent, trustee or bank (checked 2026-09-25). Under escrow or segregation, a buyer’s money is held apart from the seller’s operating funds.

Magellan lists a “Refundable Investment” among its card benefits without stating refund terms (Provider-stated, 2026-09-25). The FAQ says the company has been privately owned by its three founders since 2008 (Primary source); that identifies the owners, not how client funds are held. See how to assess safeguards before you prepay.