GTA 5 The Merryweather Heist: Why You Get No Money, and the Freighter Gold Medal Glitch
The Merryweather Heist is the only GTA 5 heist that pays nothing, and one approach has a glitch that blocks the Gold Medal. Here is why you earn zero, Offshore vs Freighter, and which to pick.
Every GTA 5 player who runs The Merryweather Heist asks the same question afterward: where is my money? You pull off an elaborate robbery to steal a device worth $20 million and you walk away with nothing. That is not a bug, it is the design, and it catches people out every single time. This guide explains exactly why the Merryweather Heist pays zero, breaks down the Offshore vs Freighter approaches, and flags a glitch that makes one of them impossible to Gold Medal.
Why the Merryweather Heist pays nothing
Here is the honest answer up front: The Merryweather Heist earns you no money at all. The target is a piece of experimental equipment reportedly worth around $20 million, but the moment the crew has it, Lester warns them off. The device is far too high-profile to sell, the heat it would bring is not worth it, and you are forced to hand it back.
So the entire operation nets $0 for every character. It is the only heist in the game that does this, which is precisely why it confuses so many players. It exists to advance the story, not to fund your criminal empire.
Offshore vs Freighter: what actually differs
You choose between two approaches after the setup, and unlike other heists, the choice does not change your payout, because both pay nothing. What changes is how you steal the device and, importantly, whether you can earn the Gold Medal.
- The Offshore approach has the crew retrieve the device underwater using a submersible, a quieter, more methodical route.
- The Freighter approach is the loud version, assaulting a cargo ship to grab the device.
Narratively, the Freighter approach is the canon one, the version treated as what "really" happened in the story.
The Freighter Gold Medal glitch
Here is the detail every completionist needs to know. The Freighter approach has a known glitch that affects its Gold Medal. One of the objectives requires finishing with high shooting accuracy, and on the Freighter route that accuracy check fails to register even if your accuracy is a perfect 100%.
The result: it is impossible to earn the Gold Medal on the Freighter approach, no matter how well you play. If you are chasing 100% completion, you have to run the Offshore approach to get a clean Gold Medal on this mission. It is one of the most notorious technical quirks in the game and a genuine trap for anyone grinding for full completion.
Which approach should you pick?
It depends entirely on your goal:
- Going for 100% completion or the Gold Medal? Pick Offshore. The Freighter glitch will cost you the medal on that route, so Offshore is the only reliable path to a Gold on this heist.
- Just playing through the story? Either works, and the Freighter approach is canon, so it is the "authentic" choice if you care about story consistency. Neither pays, so money is not a factor.
The bottom line
The Merryweather Heist is GTA 5's one heist that leaves you empty-handed: the $20 million device gets confiscated by Lester, and both approaches net exactly $0. If you want the Gold Medal, run the Offshore approach, because the Freighter route has an accuracy glitch that makes a Gold impossible. Do not budget your criminal empire around this one. For the heists that actually pay, see our Jewel Store Job guide and the full crew guide.
