Reloadable Prepaid Card

My experience with my Amex Serve so far

Posted on June 25, 2015 by admin

I received Amex Serve card yesterday and tried to do something, but there has been no good progress at all.

First, I tried to load with $400VGC at Family Dollar, which I bought at Target.com. The gift card has the same feature as Vanilla VGCs. So, you can’t use it at Walmart for reloads. I visited only one store today. The store used to accept debit cards for reloads, but now they accept cash only. There are three stores I loaded with VGCs last year. I will see if they still accept debit cards for reloads.

Second, I received an email from Serve about the investigation of Debit card I linked yesterday. They always ask you to upload photocopies of ID and Debit card whenever you change linked cards so you can’t use prepaid cards for online-reloads. I linked PayPal Business Debit card and soon received an email that asked me to send photocopies. I did, and here is their response:

Hello

During a recent review of your American Express Serve® Account we noticed you have linked a prepaid card that is not a permitted funding source. The acceptable card funding sources are a bank debit or credit card.

Please contact a Customer Care Professional immediately at 1-800-555-4318 so we can discuss further details on this matter.

Thanks,

The American Express Serve Team

“we noticed you have linked a prepaid card that is…..” This isn’t correct. PP debit card is not a prepaid card. I used the card for Serve’s online reloads last year. I’ve been using it for Redbird online-reloads until I closed my account this month. Do they confuse it with PP Prepaid MasterCard? Or they only accept debit cards issued by major banks now?

I have two reward-earning debit cards. One is PP debit card, and the other one is Discover Cashback Checking Debit card. Discover debit card can earn 10 cents per transaction, up to 100 transactions per month. If you want to earn maximum rewards with this debit card, you have to make (100) $10-online-reloads every month. It would be obviously an abuse against both Discover and Serve. So, the only choice for me is to use PP debit card. I will call Amex tomorrow to see if it was a mistake or a new rule.

And I also need to go to Walmart and other Family Dollar stores tomorrow. While I was waiting for Serve card, there are many prepaid cards piled up. I hope ATM works good and find FD store that still accepts debit cards for reloads.

Amex Serve card arrived, enough time to load fully this month

Posted on June 24, 2015 by admin

I received Amex Serve card yesterday. This is my second card. It has a new design (see picture below.) I closed Serve account at the end of last year and opened Redbird. Redbird had been a great tool for MS until May 6th. But now, I can’t use it for MS at any Target stores in my neighborhood. So, I closed early this month and re-opened Serve.

I activated the card and linked my bank account and debit card. For a bank account, I need to wait for probably a few days to see a small deposit that Serve will make to my bank account. And then I will need to verify it. For a debit card, I linked PayPal Business Debit card. The debit card is linked to my PayPal account in which its balance is always zero. I set PayPal Extras MasterCard credit card as a backup funding source. When I use the debit card, an amount is automatically charged to PP Extras credit card. However, it didn’t work with Redbird, I think that’s because a type of transaction is not a regular purchase, rather like a cash advance. So, PayPal declined transactions, I guess. If you have enough money in your PayPal account, it goes through.

I thought I would be the same result for Serve, but I just wanted to try adding $200 with PP debit card that is linked zero-balance PayPal account. As I thought, the website showed the same error message as Redbird. And soon after, I received an email that told me to upload copies of my ID and the debit for a security reason.

When I have money in your PayPal account, there was no problem to online-load both Serve and Redbird. Although the transaction is only a transfer of your money from PayPal account to Serve account, you can earn 1% cash back from PP debit card.

Serve sent an email that I need to upload photocopy of ID and debit card. During the investigation, some features can’t be used. Whenever you change linked cards, they always request photocopies. Usually, the investigation will be done next day.

I see some changes on the website from last year. Amex Offers are visible on the website. You can see a list, details of offers and add them without leaving for Twitter or Facebook. However, you’d better check all of them because numbers of offers are different in websites. Currently, I see 35 offers at Serve.com, but there are 49 offers at Facebook. So, check all of them not to miss good offers.

My Amex Serve card is on its way!

Posted on June 20, 2015June 20, 2015 by admin

I received an email that told me that Amex Serve card is shipped out. A few days ago, I closed Redbird and re-applied Serve. Here are the posts about the background of this event.

Probably, I will be able to receive the card next week. If it arrived before 26th, I will be able to do five online reloads. As for in-store reloads, I’m not worried because I need at least 2 days for $5000 reloads. Currently, there are five $200VGC and three $500VGC waiting for being swiped at Walmart ATM. And one $400VanillaVGC is to load at Family Dollar. Two more $200VGCs will be added through Staples Easy Rebate next week. I also need to buy two more $200VGC at Bed Bath and Beyond to redeem fully 2nd category bonus of Chase freedom. It’s $3700 in total. For the rest ($1300), I will buy VGCs at BBY or supermarket and use PayPal Business debit card directly.

Goodbye to Redbird, Say Hello to Serve again

Posted on June 17, 2015 by admin

Closing Redbird

The last transaction of Redbird just completed. It was a withdrawal of remaining balance to my bank account. It appeared in my bank account history. So, I logged in Redbird account for the last time to close the account.

Background: Reasons for closing

My local Target stores have their own rules to restrict types of payment for reloads. Some stores had the rules before the change on May 7th, some stores had ones after the change. In most stores in NYC, you can’t load Redbird with prepaid debit cards. (I have never loaded at stores in Manhattan and Bronx. So, I don’t know their rules before and after the change. Click here to see more details of my local stores)

Procedures for closing

I used to have Serve. I closed last year to open Redbird. The way of closing Redbird is the same as Serve. You can find a button for closing all the way down in Profile page.

Choose a reason for closing and left some note.

Just like Serve, Redbird showed this crying face.

Registration of Serve

Soon, I went to Serve.com and finished a registration. They sent an email with a link for verification. After the verification, I can log in my Serve account. I tried to do some things, but nothing is possible until activating the card. They give this message in all pages.

According to the email, the card will arrive in 7 to 10 business days. There are a lot of things to do after the card arrives.

Activate the card
Link PayPal Business Debit card – I have two cards. One is linked to my PayPal account that balance is always zero and set PP Extras credit card as a backup funding source. I couldn’t use this one for online-reload of Redbird. I was able to link, but the transaction never went through. So, I have been using the other one that is linked to another PayPal account in which always have some balance. It may be the same result, but first I try to use the first one for Serve because I could get a reward from not only PP debit card but also PP credit card.
Load VGCs from Staples, BBY, BBB, and supermarket – All these are issued by MetaBank. You can register your name, address and set PIN as you like. There is no worry of decline when you load at Walmart ATM.
Load VGC from Target – It has the same features as Vanilla VGC. It charges $6 purchase fee per $400 denomination card. The fee is a little more expensive than $500VGCs, but you can buy it online with any payment methods except for TargetGCs. Since it is a Vanilla VGC, you can’t use for reloads at Walmart. But you may be able to use at Family Dollar. When I had Serve (first one before opening Redbird), I had loaded with Vanilla VGCs sometimes. I need to check if it still works.
Check Amex Offers – Currently, I can’t see any offers. The message is here, too. I need to activate the card first of all.

That’s all for now. Among three Amex prepaid cards (BlueBird, Serve, and Redbird), Serve is the only one with which you can link credit card for online-reload. But a card has to be Amex, and Amex-issued credit cards can’t earn a reward through online-reloads. To earn a reward, you need a non-Amex issued Amex credit card. And I don’t have it yet. I am going to apply Fidelity Amex credit card in a near future.

I hope the card arrive soon so I can have enough time to load fully this month.

Official Announcement from Amex about Redbird Reloads

Posted on June 13, 2015June 13, 2015 by admin

I received an email from Amex that announced a change of rules for Redbird reload. Here is the email,

Dear my name,

We wanted to let you know that you will no longer be able to load your Target Prepaid REDCard® by American Express at Target stores with a Target GiftCard or a non-Target branded credit card. You can continue to load your card with cash or debit at Target stores.

You can also add money to your Target Prepaid REDcard® by American Express online through direct deposit or transfer from your linked debit or bank account.

For more information about your Target Prepaid REDcard® by American Express, click here.

At a glance, my first thought was that they banned me from in-store reloads. But I continued to read,and found that it was just about a change of rule a month ago. I checked other blog posts and forums to confirm that it was sent to all cardholders.

A reason I was scared at first is current status of my Redbird. I have loaded $5000 in store and $1000 online last week. And this week, I rushed to unload by spending normally, paying bills. Then, yesterday I withdrew to my bank account to make the balance zero so I can close Redbird.

Target stores in my neighbor (NYC) don’t accept prepaid debit cards. So, I needed to go to Nassau County for reloads since the change. And surprisingly, even two stores in Nassau didn’t accept prepaid cards. I used PayPal business debit card in those stores. (my local stores don’t even accept PP business debit card.) These are enough reasons to switch back to Serve so I can load with prepaid cards at Walmart ATM. Click here for details.

The email says something strange,

……you will no longer be able to load your Target Prepaid REDCard® by American Express at Target stores with a Target GiftCard or a non-Target branded credit card…..

Target GiftCard? You weren’t able to use Target gift cards for reload from the beginning. non-Target branded credit card? It sounds like that you could use Target credit card for reloads, but I doubt it. That’s because the system doesn’t allow to use credit cards for reloads. Even if you can use it, there is no benefit by doing it, anyway.

I received another email. It is almost identical to the first one, just replacing “Target Prepaid REDcard” with “American Express Target Card.” What is Amex Target Card? When I saw “account ending xxxxx” in the email, I noticed this email is regarding of “American Express for Target.” The change from last month has been applied to Amex for Target, too. But I didn’t care. I used this card for a month or so, then I found it useless to me. I haven’t been using ever since. Did they change the name of the card, Amex for Target to Amex Target Card? …. I don’t care that, either.

Now, I am waiting for the last transaction of Redbird to complete. As soon as it completes, I will Redbird and open Serve.

Close Redbird, Open Serve due to more restrictions to reloads

Posted on May 25, 2015May 25, 2015 by admin

When Target stopped accepting credit cards for Redbird reloads, I decided to close Redbird and open Serve. I thought which one to open (Bluebird or Serve.) After some research, I have chosen Serve over Bluebird. Serve is the only card that you use credit cards for online reload. They used to accept any credit cards. But now, they only accept Amex credit cards. And if you use Amex-issued credit cards, you can’t earn the reward. To earn a reward, you have to link non-Amex issued credit cards, such as Fidelity Investment Rewards American Express Card. I don’t have any non-Amex issued credit cards now, but I will apply in the future.

I made a plan when Target changed the rule of Redbird reloads. Here my original plan goes:

load Redbird to the limit by 5/10
unload completely by 5/12
wait 3 to 5 business days for the last transaction (it’s most likely a withdrawal to my bank account) to complete
As soon as the last transaction completes, close Redbird and apply Serve
load Serve to the limit by the end of this month

However, I found it too busy to load Redbird. It took more time than the plan, and probably there was no enough time to load Serve. So I decided to do this next month.

Now, I have time to reconsider Redbird benefits over Serve. Here is some benefit of Redbird:

Target is the store I go very often
Target accepts Vanilla VGCs

There are only two benefits, but they are enough reasons for me to keep Redbird. I had once changed my mind and decided to keep Redbird. However, Target store in my neighbor applied their own rule. They don’t accept prepaid cards. Probably, this rule has been applied since May 6th, the date all Target store in the U.S. stopped accepting credit card for reloads. On the top of that, they don’t accept PayPal Business Debit card, which my name is embossed. A clerk said, “We only accept cash or debit cards issued by major banks, Chase, Citi,…..”

At that moment, my mind’s made up, I will close Redbird and open Serve for sure. Because of this store’s own rule, the closest Target store that accepts GCs for reload is now 20+ miles away. (there are seven other stores within that range, and they had already stopped accepting GCs even before May 6th.)

If you can buy Vanilla VGCs with credit cards at drug stores, or somewhere else, Redbird still has the advantage over Serve on that point. But my local drug stores don’t accept credit cards for payment of a large amount of GC purchase. The place I can comfortably buy is target.com. $400 VGC charges $6 fee; it’s 1.5%. You can use AmexGCs for the purchase and buy multiple GCs at a once. Keep it in mind, it’s always better to have many options for your MS. I may be going to use for Serve reload via Family Dollar. (I haven’t been to FD since I closed Serve for opening Redbird. I hope this option is still alive.)

Will I double-MS next month?

There was a forum post. It said that he or she had to wait for 30 days to apply a new card (Serve) after closing an old one (Bluebird). I used to have Serve and closed it for opening Redbird. As soon as the last transaction of Serve completed, I closed Serve. And then I applied permanent Redbird. It was about 10 minutes after closing Serve and was succeeded. So I was able to double-MS that month. In terms of switching Redbird to Serve, I couldn’t find the specific information. But big deal, I will close Redbird, anyway. For a possible double MS, next month, I will need to load and drain Redbird as soon as possible.

Target No Longer Accepts Credit Card for Redbird Reloads

Posted on May 7, 2015May 7, 2015 by admin

Overview

A new rule was reported in many forums and blogs on May 5th, and it’s implemented on May 6th in all U.S. Target stores. It’s hard-corded. The POS system won’t allow credit cards as a payment for Redbird reloads.

Background

Before this new rule, several Target stores in my neighborhood already had their own rules. For examples, “Cash or Debit Only” “No Credit Cards” “No Prepaid Cards (gift cards)”, etc. However, there are many other Target stores in my neighborhood. So, I didn’t have much trouble reloading Redbird until yesterday. Loading with credit cards was the main benefit of Redbird for me (and I suppose, for the most cardholders, too.) I mostly used AmexGCs for reloads. It was really easy to reload $1000 without worrying about a decline by a bank. You didn’t have to deal with fraud alert as long as a GC has enough balance on it. Now, the benefit is gone, and this new rule is hard-corded and nation-wide. There is no way to get around it.

Current Accepted Payment Methods

Target accepts Cash or Debit for reload. Reportedly, the system allows PIN-enabled gift cards. But I think some stores don’t accept gift cards because of store-specific rules. And I don’t think split payment works anymore. When I asked split payment, transactions of each card were treated as credit. (see details here) So, from now on, you will need to make separate transactions with each gift card.

What is the best now? Redbird or Bluebird or Serve

The main benefit of Redbird is gone. I’m going to close Redbird and open Bluebird or Serve. I’m still thinking which one to open, but I’m sure I will close Redbird. The new rule makes Redbird inferior to Bluebird and Serve for the following reasons.

Too Mush Hassle for reloads

You can’t use AmexGC anymore. For MS, the only option is to use PIN-enabled gift cards. I will use many $200 VGCs from BBY. 25 reloads ($200×25=$5000) every month are too many hassles. Besides, most local Target stores allow to reload at guest service only. Regular cashiers are not allowed, or simply they don’t know about Redbird. Each store has only one guest service. This means I have to go and ask the same clerk for multiple reloads. It’s not comfortable. Bluebird and Serve can be loaded by a kiosk at Walmart. You need to separate transactions with each gift cards, but it’s not a big deal because what you deal with is a machine. Even if a kiosk is out of order, regular cashiers know how to load.

5% REDcard discount isn’t that great

5% instant discount sounds nice, but you can get more discount by purchasing TargetGCs from gift card resellers. It’s not difficult to find 5% or even 6% discounted GCs. If you buy those GCs with reward credit cards, an overall discount would be more than 5%. In case discounted TargetGCs are all sold out, keep in mind that Staples sells e-codes online. If you have Chase ink business credit card, you will earn 5x bonus reward on the purchase. So, 5% discount is not exclusive, and even more discount would be possible.

Amex Offer

Recently, Bluebird has been able to be connected Amex Offer via Twitter, Facebook, etc. And Serve has been also able to do it quite a while. Only Redbird can’t. Maybe in the future, but I don’t want to wait for something uncertain and miss good Amex Offers.

My Plan

I used to have Serve. I closed it for opening Redbird. From my experience, you can apply a new one right after closing the existing one. In order to close the account, you need to unload the card completely, by bill pays or withdrawing to linked bank account, which takes 3 to 5 business days. For this month, I have already done $1000 online reload, but in-store reload is only $1400 so far. I will load as much as possible in this week and unload completely next week. Then I will close Redbird and open Bluebird or Serve. There have been some minor changes to these cards since I got Redbird. So, I will need to review all benefits of both cards to decide which card is better for me.

Restrictions of Redbird Reloads

Posted on March 26, 2015March 31, 2015 by admin

Overview

I experienced some difficulties with redbird reloads at my local Target stores. The closest store from my home started not accepting credit cards and prepaid cards as payment for a redbird reload yesterday. And today, I went to the other store. They don’t accept prepaid cards, but still accept credit cards.

Details at store#1

It’s the store I go the most frequently because it is the closest from my home. Until yesterday, they accepted any type of payment methods for redbird reload. A reload is available at guest service only. I visited yesterday and tried to use a Visa gift card for reload. A clerk asked me to hand my ID and the cards and started asking other clerks if VGC can be used for a reload. There were three clerks at that time, and apparently a manager was absent. They discussed for a minute and ended up with opening a file (=a manual.) And then, it came to conclusion that acceptable payment types were cash or debit only, no prepaid cards. I could glance at a page of the file. There was a big letter saying “NO CREDIT.” It seems that they just started new policy on that day. I didn’t carry any debit cards. So, I had to leave the store without loading.

Details at store#2

Today, I went to the other store. This store also used to accept any types of payment for reload, but now they don’t accept prepaid cards. I went to Guest service and asked a clerk to add $500 to the card. Then, the clerk called a manager. Probably, only a manager or some clerks allow to do a reload in this store. (it wasn’t like that before, though.) I handed to the cards (redbird and VGC) and my ID. Then, she told me that the card has to have my name on it while she was touching on a surface of VGC. At least, I could use my credit card in this store. And I’m not sure if personalized Amex GCs are accepted. Amex GCs are very convenient when it comes to redbird reloads. That’s because they never get declined. You can always add a maximum amount, $1000, without worrying about a fraud alert. So, when I get a personalized Amex GC, I will go and find out if they still accept it.

Rules vary by stores

I have reloaded at many stores. Each store has a different policy about redbird reloads. Some stores allows only one reload per day. Probably, this prevents people who has multiple (family member’s or friend’s) redbirds from loading all at once. And some store had already had “Cash or Debit” policy since last December. (I got redbird last December.) As long as I can tell, the policy is not standardized. I believe that there still are many stores still accept VGCs.

Switch back to Amex Serve

If all stores accept only cash or debit, I will close rebird and open Serve again. (even if stores accept prepaid cards.) I used to have Amex Serve. It was very comfortable to load the card at Walmart ATM, without having it done by clerks.

Summary

I believe the rules of redbird reloads are changing at more stores and getting stricter in the future. As long as any of my local stores accept credit cards, I keep a redbird.

Credit of Chime Card Posted with Delay

Posted on January 23, 2015January 23, 2015 by admin

Several days ago, I paid cell phone bill with Chime card to redeem the offer, “Get $5 instant cash back when you pay with your Chime Card.” I made an transation, but no credit was posted. And today, I see the credit posted in my account. If you don’t know about Chime, click here to see details of Chime Prepaid Card.

I use Boost Mobile. It’s prepaid phone. Every month, money is deducted from your account. By a due date, you need to add money (it’s called Reboost) with debit/credit cards, cash in-store, or by purchasing prepaid cards and redeem them online. Minimum amount for Reboost is $10. So, I paid $10 + tax with Chime card on January 18th. (read the post “Six Chime Offers for Your Cell Phone“)

From my experience, Chime credits were always posted at the same time as checkout. However, the credit wasn’t posted this time. I thought it was not a qualifying purchase and just gave up on the $5.

And today, I had a chance to redeem the other offer and glanced at the transaction history of my Chime card. Then I found that $5 credit for Reboost had been posted. I checked emails, but I couldn’t find “Chime Time! You just saved $xxx” email. So, I don’t know when it was posted.

It’s not really good manner because you can’t tell if a transaction you just made is qualified for the offer or not. But at least, it’s good to know that Chime credits are not always posted right away.

Six Chime Offers for Your Cell Phone

Posted on January 18, 2015January 18, 2015 by admin

There are currently 6 Chime offers for your cell phone. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, and Metro PCS. All of them offer $5 store credit. This type of offers don’t require minimum spending. When you spend $5, $5 will be back to your Chime account. If you don’t know about Chime, click here to see details.

I use Boost Mobile. You can pay monthly payment online with debit or credit cards. You can also purchase prepaid cards (called “Reboost” cards) in stores or online and then add money to your account at boostmobile.com.

First, I tried to add $5, but the amount have to be between $10 and $200. So, I typed $10 and proceeded. On the next page, it showed that I would be charged sales tax. They always charge sale tax. What you buy a Reboost card in stores, such as Staples and Target, it’s also subject to sales tax. Basically, you have to pay sales tax for Reboost, except for this way.

I paid the total $10 + tax. I expected an instant notification from Chime that tells me I earned $5 credit. However, the notification I received was that simply I paid $10.89, and there is no $5 credit. It seems that “Reboost” is not a qualified spending for Chime Offer.

Similar thing happened to the offer for Best Buy. It was “$5 back when you spend $50 or more.” First, I purchased an E-gift card, but there is no credit. Then I checked out a physical gift card. And I instantly received $5 credit.

I hope Chime would make detailed terms and condition of each offer.

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