A MYBA charter contract has three headline numbers. The charter fee itself is the one most clients focus on. The APA, Advance Provisioning Allowance, and the VAT are usually equal or greater in size, and they deserve at least as much scrutiny.
The APA is typically 25-35% of the charter fee, paid up front, and covers fuel, port fees, food, beverage, communications and any discretionary spending. A good chief stewardess reconciles the APA daily and hands back a full audit at the end of the week. If yours does not, that is a signal.
VAT is jurisdictional. A charter starting in France pays 20% French VAT unless structured through the Italian or French commercial exemptions. Starting the charter in Croatia, Montenegro or Greece changes the number. We advise running all three scenarios before committing to an embarkation port.
The delivery and redelivery fees are the quiet cost most first-time charterers miss. If the yacht must reposition from Palma to Mykonos to meet you, you pay for that mileage. Build your itinerary around the yacht's existing programme and the number disappears.