Policy
Use missionary support funds to pay for personal items to support you in missionary work. With certain exceptions, generally you should use all your missionary support funds each month. Do not save money from these funds or give any of the money to anyone else, including anyone at home. Do not loan or borrow money.
Your budget for missionary support funds might include the following:
- Fast offerings paid to the ward or branch where you are serving.
- Food to prepare nutritious meals (see Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ, 4.1.1, Gospel Library).
- Transportation, including gas or public transportation.
- Hair care and personal hygiene items.
- Cleaning and laundry supplies.
- Postage or internet expenses for weekly communications home (see Missionary Standards, 3.8).
- Limited restaurant or fast-food meals.
You do not need to pay tithing on missionary support funds.
See Missionary Standards, 4.8.1.
How to View Missionary Card Balance and Transactions
STEP 1
Log into CARD using your Church account. From the home page, click Mission Office Card Admin.
STEP 2
Click Missionary Support Cards.
STEP 3
Type in the missionary’s ID number, first name, and last name or a combination of these.
Note: From this page, you can click Download Transactions to get a spreadsheet of all the MSF card transactions in your mission. Also, you can click Search with the fields empty to generate a list of all the cards in your mission.
STEP 4
Click Search. If more than one missionary met your criteria, click the ID number of the missionary whose card you wish to view.
The transactions will be sorted with the most recent at the top. The balance will be from the previous business day. You may click a column heading to change the sort order by that column. If you wish to import the list into Microsoft Excel, click Download to Excel.
Missionary Weekly Emails
Missionaries receive an email every Friday with their card balance and recent transactions to help them budget. The balance will be from the previous business day.
New Missionary Card Distribution
Missionaries should receive their MSF card at the MTC they attend or at their home. The cards will be active. When missionaries arrive, they will need to be given their PIN and instructed on how to use the card. Click here for a handout of instructions you may give to the missionaries regarding using their card. Notify Global Card Services if a new missionary arrives without a card.
Funding
Funds are loaded onto the cards based on instructions from iMOS. It will take one to two business days for funds to post to the card after the payment is approved in iMOS. Missions using bimonthly auto support will be funded on the 1st and 16th of each month. Negative payments will not post until the next time the card is funded. In missions where monthly support is processed automatically, missionaries assigned to a mission temporarily will not be funded automatically. Financial secretaries need to fund these missionaries’ cards manually using one-time payments. For help with funding or iMOS, contact Mission Support. When a missionary is released, the funds are automatically removed from the card and it is closed the following week.
View MSF Card Status and Transactions
CARD allows the mission financial secretary to view the transactions and current balance on all MSF cards in their assigned mission. CARD will also indicate if the MSF card has been activated or not by showing the card status and the last four numbers of the missionary’s current card. The data will be accurate up to the previous business day.
Personal Identification Number (PIN)
Using an incorrect PIN three times will lock the card. Email HSBC to unblock the PIN using the template in the Mission Secretary PA Guide (available in CARD under the Training tile).
Decline
If a missionary’s card is declined at a merchant or ATM machine, please verify that there are sufficient funds in CARD. If there are sufficient funds, email HSBC using the decline template in the Mission Secretary PA Guide (available in CARD under the Training tile).
Dispute
When a transaction is authorized but the good or service is not received or a duplicate charge is identified, email HSBC using the dispute template in the Mission Secretary PA Guide (available in CARD under the Training tile). A common case is when a card is charged at an ATM but the money is not received or is partially received.
Fraud
If a transaction is identified that was not made by the cardholder, email HSBC using the fraud template in the Mission Secretary PA Guide (available in CARD under the Training tile). They will close the card and issue a replacement. The stolen funds are added back to the card.
Lost or Stolen
If a card is reported lost or stolen, email HSBC using the lost/stolen template in the Mission Secretary PA Guide (available in CARD under the Training tile). They will close the card and order a new one. Money from the old card will transfer to the new one. New cards take two to three weeks to reach the mission office. If the missionary needs money while waiting for the replacement, submit a negative one-time payment to their card and add funds to the companion’s card in iMOS. Contact Mission Support for help with funding or iMOS.
Withdrawals and Fees
Whenever possible, use the card directly at the merchant to make a purchase rather than withdrawing the entire monthly allotment in cash. Below is a list of fees that may be charged:
- Lost card: $8.00
- ATM/Bank cash withdrawal fee: determined by the merchant
- HSBC cash withdrawal: 2% with a minimum of $1.00
- Foreign transaction fee (all transactions outside the US): 1%
- Annual card fee: $8.00 (HQ will pay this fee; it will not affect your balance)