Costs and Finances
FinACE: How Funds are Managed on Board
Mercy Ships maintains a Crew Bank on board the ship for your use. Your Crew Bank account on the ship is internal to Mercy Ships and is not connected to any outside banking network. It simply provides a safe and convenient place to deposit your money while you are on the ship.
Funds can be deposited in your Crew Bank account via cash, personal checks, credit card cash advance (with a 3% service fee added) or traveler’s checks. The accepted credit cards are Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. Debit cards are only accepted if they are backed by one of the major credit card issuers mentioned above. Only USD, British Pound, Euro and Canadian checks or traveler’s checks are accepted. Unless another account is specified, the funds you raise may also be deposited into your Crew Bank account.
You may withdraw funds from your account for personal expenses or outings, and you may request automatic payment of crew fees. When visiting the Starbucks Café, the Snack Bar or the Ship Shop, you can simply sign for your expenses (provided there is a sufficient balance in your account), and they will automatically be paid from your Crew Bank account. You may also set up an auto withdrawal for offerings, transfer funds to another crew member or buy currency of the local country when requested in advance.
If you wish to deposit cash to your Crew Bank account, it has to be in USD, British Pounds, Euros or the local currency. If you have other currencies, you may wish to convert them prior to arrival. You may also use the Crew Bank safe to store your valuables such as credit cards or your driver’s license.
Shortly after arrival on the ship, you need to go by the ship’s bank to set up your account.
When you depart Mercy Ships you can take the balance of your Crew Bank account with you as cash or check.
US dollars are the only currency used for purchases on the ship.
Payment of Crew Fees
In addition to your Crew Bank account, you will also have a Crew Fee account which is just a record of your crew fee invoices and payments. This account is maintained at the Arrivals and Departures desk onboard. Depending on the length of your stay, crew fees may be paid all at once or each month. Credit cards and personal checks are accepted for crew fees, as well as payments from your Crew Bank account. Mercy Ships does not charge any fees for the use of credit cards for Crew Fees.
