ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brightwell Payments, a payments company offering comprehensive prepaid debit card solutions for corporations and consumers, announces the continued expansion of its relationship with The Apollo Group through the distribution of its maritime paycard product, OceanPay. Since entering into a contract with The Apollo Group in 2010, OceanPay has been successfully implemented on seven ships. In addition, two ships are planned for implementation in the coming months, the Riviera and the Island Escape. Following these implementations, approximately 4,000 Apollo crewmembers will receive their wages through OceanPay cards.
“We have created a strong business partnership with Brightwell Payments and their proven experience within the maritime industry has made this possible,” said Ray Carreras, Vice President of Finance for The Apollo Group.
OceanPay offers savings in both time and money when conducting financial transactions abroad. With OceanPay, crewmembers can send money home without leaving the ship, enjoy reduced wire and exchange rates, receive immediate access to their wages on each payday, and avoid money transfer fees by enrolling family members to receive a companion card.
“In addition to providing a new crewmember benefit, OceanPay eliminates the expense of moving cash payroll to our fleet around the world, thus increasing Apollo’s operational efficiencies,” said Steve Furness, Vice President of Operations for The Apollo Group.
For the cruise line, OceanPay delivers an overall reduction in payroll costs, including reduced logistical expenses associated with shipping cash to various ports around the globe and streamlined account reconciliation when compared to cash. Security risks are minimized as onboard cash reserves are reduced.
“We are delighted by the positive reception of the OceanPay program among the crew. OceanPay directly benefits crewmembers by providing them with increased flexibility and security when managing their personal finances,” said Peter Mahr, Executive Vice President of Sales for Brightwell Payments. “We look forward to implementing the remaining two ships in the fleet.”
OceanPay is a proprietary, comprehensive paycard solution designed to mitigate the unique challenges and concerns of existing payroll processes faced by the maritime industry. The turnkey solution provides currency exchange and onboard money remittance services, companion cards, and onboard card encoding and printing. The OceanPay program is currently offered on more than 200 ships worldwide.
About Brightwell Payments, Inc.
Brightwell Payments, Inc., formerly Prepaid Solutions, Inc., is an international payments company offering comprehensive prepaid debit card solutions for corporations and consumers, including marketing, design, distribution, and fulfillment services in support of maritime and domestic payroll, general purpose reloadable and loyalty, award, and promotional programs. In 2011, the company won Paybefore Magazine’s “Most Effective Prepaid Solution” award for its maritime payroll product, OceanPay. Brightwell Payments is headquartered in Atlanta with additional offices in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Miami. Visit www.brightwellpayments.com to learn more.
About The Apollo Group
The Apollo Group wields an annual buying power of over 100 million dollars, and boasts a roster of over 5,000 active crewmembers working for the various associated companies under Apollo's management. Over the years, Apollo has consistently produced high-performance results for its customers, and has now developed solution-driven products to enhance cruise line and hotel operational efficiency. These unique, Apollo-quality solutions, including software and consultancy services, are designed to translate Apollo's extensive expertise into individual programs that can be adapted and integrated into an individual hotel property or an entire fleet of cruise ships. To learn more, visit www.theapollogroup.com.