Poll: Which Prepaid AMEX Card Do You Use? A Recap Of All The Different Options

191
DDMS IconNever Miss Another Deal - Follow DansDeals on Facebook

Update 04/14: Tomorrow will be the last day to load Serve cards from Discover, MasterCard and Visa credit cards online.

——————————————————————————

Update 03/15: Another one bites the dust…

From https://www.serve.com/help/#add-money-5
“Starting April 16, 2015 you will only be able to use an American Express® Card if you want to load your account with a credit card. Discover, MasterCard and Visa credit cards will no longer be supported after April 16.”

AMEX issued cards don’t earn miles on Serve loads (though they do count towards signup bonus threshold spending). However other banks that issue AMEX cards (like the Citi AA AMEX and the Fidelity AMEX) do award miles and should still work after 04/16.

Softcard itself is ceasing operations 03/31.

I’m still sitting pretty and taking full advantage of several Target REDcards for now, but like everything else, it too shall pass.
——————————————————————————

Originally posted on 12/21/14:

Did You Get The Iberia Promo Points As Expected As Of 7/23?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

AMEX’s array of prepaid cards make it easy to generate spend on your credit cards. However you can only have one prepaid card as they track it by your social security number.  You will have to empty out the funds and cancel your prepaid card to switch to another prepaid card product.
There is no credit check to get a prepaid card, but you do need to provide your social security number.

Here’s the rundown of the options:

Bluebird:
-Getting it: You can get a Bluebird card on Bluebird.com for free.
-Fees: There are no monthly fees.
-Online loading: You can’t load Bluebird online from a credit card. You can load $200 per day up to $1,000 per month online with a debit card, though gift cards won’t work online. There are some debit cards that still award miles for purchases.
-In-store loading: You can load Bluebird from select gift cards at WalMart ATMs or with WalMart cashiers for free. The limits are $2,500 per day and $5,000 per month per Bluebird card. In other words you can buy Visa gift cards from grocery stores or from Staples or Office Max (buy with Ink Plus or Ink Cash and earn 5 points per dollar) and then use them to add funds to Bluebird in WalMart stores. The pin is the last 4 digits of the card number. On some gift cards when loading with a cashier you’ll need to press cancel on the pin pad after swiping the card and then click to change the payment method from credit to debit.
Note that ATMs are often are broken (though you can call WalMart corporate to complain about that) and in some stores cashiers won’t load gift cards to fund Bluebird.
You can also load funds via Vanilla Reloads, but it can difficult to find stores that will sell those with a credit card and they are being discontinued effective 04/01/15.
Cashing out: You can get a free checkbook to write checks from your Bluebird account or you can transfer funds to your checking account, pay off your credit card bill, or have Bluebird send anyone a check for free.
-Other benefits: You (and up to 4 free additional users) can use Bluebird for AMEX Offers like Twitter and Small Business Saturday and you can take advantage of 2x savings catcher on WalMart purchases.

REDCard AMEX:
-Getting it: You can currently only get a REDCard AMEX at these select Target stores. You can only purchase 1 REDCard per day per social, but if you have other people’s social security numbers then you can buy a REDCard for each of them on the same day. Once you have a REDCard any Target store in the nation can load funds to it.
The nearest Target selling REDCards to NYC is apparently in Aberdeen, MD. You can also use 9K Avios to fly round-trip to Baltimore, Boston, or Pittsburgh to pick some up.
The card sold in-store is only a temporary card. You must register the account online and then you will be sent a permanent card in the mail. Once you activate the permanent card you will unlock full usage of the card.
-Fees: In some markets there is a $5 purchase fee while in other markets there is no purchase fee. There are no monthly fees.
-Online loading: You can’t load REDCard online from a credit card. You can load $200 per day up to $1,000 per month online with a debit card, though gift cards won’t work online.
In-store loading: You can fund REDCard from any credit card or gift card with any Target cashier for free. When you first purchase the REDCard you can load it with $500. Once you get your permanent card the limits are $1,000 per transaction, $2,500 per day, and $5,000 per month per REDCard.  You can load as many REDCards as you want, though you’ll probably need to call your credit card company to unfreeze your card when they freeze it due to suspicious activity.
Cashing out:  You can transfer funds to your checking account, pay off your credit card bill, or have REDCard send anyone a check for free. You can also make free withdrawals at Target ATM machines.
-Other benefits: 5% off everything you buy from Target with the card, free shipping on all Target.com orders, and an additional 30 days to return items to Target. REDCard does not qualify for AMEX Offers.

 

REDCard makes life easy:

chase3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

target3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve:
-Getting it: You can get a Serve card on Serve.com for free.
-Fees: There is a $1/month fee that is waived if you add $500 to your account that month. It’s also waived for residents of NY, TX, and VT even without loading $500.
-Online loading: You can load $200 per day and up to $1,000/month to Serve online from a credit card with no fees. Note that some banks consider loads to Serve to be a cash advance. With Chase for example it will actually go into a pending state as a cash advance but it will post as a purchase that will earn miles with no fees. You need to have the cash advance limit on your card exceed the amount of funding in order for the transaction to go through. Loads from Barclaycard should be safe as well.  Loads from AMEX cards will not earn points, though they do count for signup thresholds.
You can also load $200 per day up to $1,000/month per month online with a debit card, though gift cards won’t work online.
In-store loading: Identical to Bluebird.
Cashing out: You can transfer funds to your checking account, pay off your credit card bill, or have Serve send anyone a check for free.
-Other benefits: You (and up to 4 free additional users) can use Serve for AMEX Offers like Twitter and Small Business Saturday.

Serve with Softcard:
-Getting it: You must apply for Serve with Softcard in the Softcard app.
-Fees: There are no monthly fees.
-Online loading: You can load $500 per day and up to $1,500/month to Serve with Softcard online from a credit card with no fees. Note that some banks consider loads to Serve to be a cash advance. With Chase for example it will actually go into a pending state as a cash advance but it will post as a purchase that will earn miles with no fees. You need to have the cash advance limit on your card exceed the amount of funding in order for the transaction to go through. Loads from Barclaycard should be safe as well. Loads from AMEX cards will not earn points, though they do count for signup thresholds.
You can also load $500 per day up to $1,500/month per month online with a debit card, though gift cards won’t work online.
In-store loading: Identical to Bluebird.
Cashing out: You can transfer funds to your checking account, pay off your credit card bill, or have Serve send anyone a check for free.
-Other benefits: You (and up to 4 free additional users) can use Serve for AMEX Offers like Twitter and Small Business Saturday. You can also take advantage of numerous Softcard promotions.

Leave a Reply

191 Comments On "Poll: Which Prepaid AMEX Card Do You Use? A Recap Of All The Different Options"

All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.

hersh

With serve. Can you add 4 AU’s without SSN?

Dan

@hersh:
Yes.

Eli Willner

Be careful with Serve subsidiary cards. They don’t work overseas – contrary to Amex’s marketing claims – and no one at Amex seems inclined to acknowledge the problem or do anything about it. Amex customer service (seems to be based in the Philippines) flat-out lies about the issue. They are clueless!

yehuda

i can vote for both serve and redcard! 🙂

Dan

@Eli Willner:
Why would you ever want to use it overseas?

@yehuda:
How so?
Spouses and kids can vote for themselves…

Zalmy

serve for me and my wife

David

Red bird!!! From a ms standpoint it is the most lucrative by far. Nothing else can do 5k a month.

allen

Is it safe to transfer funds to my checking account? will it raise red flag to Amex? thanks

yehuda

@Dan: true, forgot they are different ssn and 1 per person

David R

You wrote regarding Buebird, “You (and up to 4 free additional users) can use Bluebird for AMEX Offers like Twitter”. There was no response when I tweeted #AmexWalmart while my Twitter was synced to any of my Bluebird family account cards.

mike

must i provide SSN when buying a temp RedBird in Target?

EL

I have a redbird and a serve (for me and my spouse). I can’t choose two options, though!

mike

Do I have to close my Bluebird or Serve to open RedBird? thanks

Anonymous

Can the temporary redbird be reloaded in stores as well?

Eli

Cute post!
Voting not working on mobile site

Stephen

Just loaded $1,000 to Serve within the last from my Barclays Hawaiian Airlines Card and it already posted as 36,000 miles earned this cycle. Worked like a charm. I always do a test pirchase first just to be sure which I did.

serve guy

My wife used serve with SC with multiple Chase cards NP. I just got serve with SC and got hit witha cash advance on a freedom. Anyone else have issues

Dave

Dan,
So the best route for an INK card is purchase VGC from Staples & unload at target?

Dan

@David:
Erm, that’s debatable.

But it is really easy.

@allen:
Safe.

@David R:
Try from another Twitter account.

@mike:
Yes.

@EL:
Have your spouse vote from their phone?

@mike:
Read the post please.

@Anonymous:
Once you register you can load $1,000 onto the temporary card.

But that $1,000 comes out of the $5,000 monthly cap, so you’ll still need to make 2 more trips to Target that month.

@Eli:
So switch to the desktop site?

@Stephen:
Well done.
Though I’m not a fan of Hawaiian miles.

@serve guy:
I’m assuming it’s just a pending cash advance, that’s normal as I wrote in the post.

When it actually posts it should be a purchase.

@Dave:
You can do that.
Though I’d use the Visa GCs to buy money orders from other stores and just use a credit card to load RC at Target.

Sruly

If you buy red card out of state can it be funded at a target that is not yet selling red cards?

yehuda

Can I use serve then cancel mid-month open right away Redcard same month?

Dan

@Sruly:
Read the post please.

@yehuda:
Sure!

pacy

Can I guess what credit card the pics are from???lol is it the Chase Ink? lol

Chuck

@dan With serve How do you transfer to a bank account? Don’t see that option

Chuck

@dan Also Amex Starwood cards work to load on serve w/o a ca fee

Dan

@Chuck:
Click on Settings and then withdraw funds.

@Chuck:
AMEX cards don’t earn points for online loads to Serve.

nechama

There is no account fee with Serve if you have direct deposit. I direct deposit 50 cents a month into my serve account and am not charge

Elaine

@Dan AMEX cards don’t earn points for online loads to Serve.

What about using AMEX cards with the red card for MS and not to meet a threshold?

Dan

@nechama:
Why have Serve if you’re not going to at least do the $1,000 in free online funding per month?

@Elaine:
All cards earn purchase points for REDCard loads.

Dave

Do you need to vary your loads with target? Like does the credit card you’re loading onto it appear suspicious if you keep doing 500, 1000, etc?

Dan

@Dave:
You can if you want, I wouldn’t say you “need” to.

Chuck

@dan thank you!

jasmine

You need to have the cash advance limit on your card exceed the amount of funding in order for the transaction to go through

What does that mean?

Al

Is the advantage of a RC compared to Bluebird that you can load $5k per month free of charge compared to the fees incurred loading GCs to BB? I’ve kept my BB so far because WalMart is very close to me whereas Target is a 20 minute drive. Thanks.

chana k

Dan, great roundup!
For various family members I manage 2 RB, a BB and a Serve.
‘cashing out’: You said in the post that they’ll send a check to anyone for anything. I would put more emphasis on these cards’ ability to pay bills directly. I know many here are young and don’t have too many mature bills ( mortgage, insurance, loans, utilities, etc) but from your computer they’ll send a check to anyone for anything.

chana k

@Al: I’ve switched to RB because Target is much closer than WalMart to me. 🙂

Dan, Great roundup!

RedBirdy

Was at 2 target stores, and they didn’t allow a load using a gift card. They said any card qualifies so long as it has your name on it

Dan

@jasmine:
Every card has a credit limit and cash advance limit.

You can only fund Serve from a Chase card that has a cash advance limit that is equal to or exceeds the amount you want to find.

@Al:
The advantage is there’s no need to deal with GCs if you don’t want to.

@chana k:
Thanks.
And true.

@chana k:
Thanks.

@RedBirdy:
Their screen only says that you can’t use Target gift cards. I’d push harder, that’s not a real rule.

Don

Can someone else buy a red card with my social security number and if not can they use they’re own social security number and still have me using it ?!

Dan

@Don:
Please read the post.

YouTube

^ 98 people should be banned from reading Dan’s Deals.

Stevey

Dan, correct me if I’m wrong but I purchase visa gift cards from staples with a chase ink which gets me 5 times plus 1% back and then load them onto RC, wouldn’t that be more effective than swiping my cc directly to load the RC?

Sam

Dan,

Thank you for the info round up. But I have a serve card and I do not seem to have the ability to transfer the funds to a checking account. I don’t think serve has the option.

Dan

@YouTube:
Lol.

@Stevey:
You would be even better off taking those gift cards and buying money orders and then using credit cards to fund redcard.

@Sam:
Click on Settings and then withdraw funds.
Or call Serve.

Anonymous

@Dan: I saw your post. But it didn’t even allow me to put in the 500 because it was more than the cash deposit amount

Anonymous

@Dan: my mistake. Didn’t read it thoroughly …

Rachel

Dan, I sure hope you are right about those pending cash advance turning into a purchase. I’ve been nervous to load serve via chase because of that. If I get charged any fees I’ll transfer them to you! Thanks for the roundup!

Anonymous

@Dan: I have two kids in Israel and thought it would be a good way to give them money to spend without having to send cash. The primary card works there, the subsidiary ones don’t. No rhyme or reason!

euphoriumus

Curious- the redcard pic u showed has a new cardmembe bonus of 70000 points what’s that about and how can I get it? And what’s the university a credit card load?

euphoriumus

And happy chanukah!

euphoriumus

I think used to be able to load gc to serve at dollAR store? No more?

lost momey

Be careful not to buy visa gift cards and load it by family dollar the transaction doesn’t always go thru and there is no one to talk to about getting it back I lost over a thousand dollars that way 2 months ago and in still trying to get the money back

Jason Smith

You can also buy a target redcard on ebay for around $30. Since it is only the temporary card and they are going to send you anew one with a new number, you shouldn’t have a problem with someone stealing your card information.

eli

dan.how do you use 9K Avios to fly round-trip to Baltimore, Boston, or Pittsburgh when i put in the dates from ny to Baltimore it gives me 12.5k and not 9k thanksss

Z

@Dan Any Ideas on how to get the Serve with Softcard account without an android or windows phone?

Jay

@Don: There’s a difference between “they’re” and “their”.

Iz

@lost momey:I’d like to contact you, as I had the same problem.

yy

@Anonymous: Off topic, but the best way I’ve found to get money to kids in Israel is to open a brokerage account with associated checking account at Charles Schwab. You don’t have to actually make any investments, but cash deposited in the brokerage account will automatically go to the checking account. My daughter uses her Schwab ATM card at ATMs and for store purchases with no fees. This works all over the place, not just Israel. You can link your existing checking account elsewhere to the brokerage account and to online transfers. One caveat: there’s a hold on deposits before they can be withdrawn.

yy

@eli: I’m not Dan, but I just tried LGA to BWI for random dates in February and got 9000 Avios + $11. Lots of availability on US Air. Are you doing this from ba.com, logging in, and saying book with Avios?

Geshmak

Dan – I already have serve. In order to get serve with softcard do I need to cancel my existing account and re-apply?

Dan's the man

Dan, I recently closed my Serve card and applied for a Serve SoftCard card. It only let me load $500 with a credit card. I haven’t received the physical card yet. Is that why it isn’t letting me load the $1,500? thanks!

Dan's the man

@lost momey: It happened to me once. If it happens you just need to tell the cashier right away to let you swipe your debit card again to put the money back on the card. I did this and the money was available right away.

Anonymous

@Dan: where do you get cheap money orders?

eli

thankssssssssssssssss

Moishe

Serve has an option of .backup funding’ if the source of money doesnt have enough fund. can i use my credit card as this backup? Then you can… then you can…

Josh

Anyway to get Softcard on a prepaid Verizon plan (android 4G)?

Shoshana

Been reading your notes to sound very interesting I’m not sure if I understood u correctly you loading money to the records from credit card to get the “points ” without actually using the money and then when the bill comes you just cash the money back and pay the credit card?

Jason Smith

@ Barry, I don’t know where in NJ you are referring to, but the Walmart in Edison, NJ has an ATM machine which works most of the time. The Walmart in Freehold, NJ has an ATM and it was working both times I was there (I generally am not down in the Lakewood/Freehold area). The Walmart in Kearney, NJ has an ATM which has never worked any of the 9 times I have been there.

HelpMe

Why would someone use an Ink card to load RB?

Ez

Target in Canada has it’s own RedCard but it isn’t made by amex…. Do you think it works the same way?

Dan

@Rachel:
Lol, no problem.

@Anonymous:
Serve has 2.7% Forex fee.
Not a good idea anyway.

@eli:
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/32467

@Z:
Go into a Verizon store and use a display phone 😉

@Geshmak:
Yes.

@Dan’s the man:
Of course.

@Shoshana:
Indeed.

@HelpMe:
Because they cash out the 50K office supply gift cards in other manners?

@Ez:
No.

Iz

@Dan: I used a Visa GC at Family Dollar yesterday, and it was charged but didn’t load my Serve card. What do you recommend? This once happened in the past (with a MC GC), and FD claims they refunded it, but it hasn’t appeared on the GC yet (this was 2 months ago). What’s the most productive way to go about this? Thanks!

Avi

Hey Dan my dad was able to get me a card from a store in Baltimore but never activated it, they let him walk out with it. Do i need to activate it in a store before registering it Online? If so would a store in NY activate it if I have the card?

jeff

Why am I unable to see the option to move my money to my bank account on Serve?

Also it is not letting me transfer more than $200

Dan

@Iz:
There’s a reason I didn’t include them in this post…
Write to your state’s attorney general online. They always get quick responses.

@Avi:
You need to activate it in-store.
As the post says, any store in the US can do that. They just need to follow the prompts from their system.

@jeff:
Do you have your permanent card activated yet?

Iz

@Dan: Yes, I noticed that you didn’t include it. However, it would be beneficial to many people if you would specifically caution against using them. Thanks for all your great advice.

Ryan

I have a prepaid red card, if I load it up in store with a Mastercard, do I still get miles for the amount that I put on the red card? Sorry for being a newbie and not fully understanding the post after reading it. Thanks!

Anonymous

@Dan:

I purchased an activated temporary redcard on ebay already loaded with $1. Can I still load another $499 on that card, or do you only get one load with the temporary card?

Dave

@Ryan, no.

Mordy

What are the largest denomination of Visa (or any brand) gift cards available at Office Supply stores (that give 5x points) these days? I have only been able to find $200, but a year or two ago I remember buying $500 cards. Thanks.

Iz

@Dave: Dan, Do you agree with Dave?

Iz

Yes, they are friendly (as a general rule) and relatively quick (though they do need to have a manager insert his code), but this problem has happened to me twice, although the 2nd time I was careful with the limits. I wish I would’ve known about the instant refund idea…
Re going back to the store, in my experience it hasn’t worked; I had to deal with the corporate office. They were nice enough, but no success with the refund. I’ve now disputed the charges. Who knows how long that will take…

CtownBin

@Mordy:
There’s a reason for this- since then, the $500 ones have been pulled. Office Depot now carries them again, but they don’t allow them for purchase with a CC if it’s a variable load amount. So, $200 is now the largest denomination you can get.

AJ

@CtownBin: I’ve gotten variable – up to $500 GC’s at Stop & Shop in NJ with a CC.

Anonymous

@Dan:
Hawaiian miles are useful when you convert them at X1.5 to HHonors.
Thant makes his 36K Hawaiian 54K HHonors.

salomon

@Dan:
@dan:
“You need to have the cash advance limit on your card exceed the amount of funding in order for the transaction to go through”
So i have a chase ink with a 3600 cash advance limit;
how can i use it to load a serve?
thnx

Bobov-45

@Dan, two Target card questions;
1; Is it safe to give Target your SS number in light of recent hack?
2; Do the Staples $200 Visa MetaBank cards load onto Redcard? (It would save me a trip to Walmart)

Eli

Do you think it would be a risk if I register a lot of redcards (10+) to different relatives of mine but have them all shipped to my address?

YY

Anyone know if I can use OneVanilla prepaid visa cards to load onto Bluebird and Serve at wallmart stores ?

CtownBin

@YY:
No, OV stopped working at Wal-Mart a few months back. But, you can load your Serve (not Bluebird) at Family Dollar using OV.

Iz

@CtownBin: If you go to FD, please read above posts, and be forewarned…

Don

@Eli:

Don’t do it. I have 9 redcards and I started off putting my address instead of my relatives address. Almost everytime Amex required verification of ID and address. It is annoying and risky to have to explain why the address on the relatives utility bill and your address does not match. Although the registration page says “where do you want the card to be sent to” amex is really looking for the appliers permanent address. In short send the redcard to your relative and have them mail them to you. I would also not use the same phone number, email address on each application. You get unlimited phone numbers and email addresses through gmail.com. It worked by adding adding a “.” (gmail does not read . or +) to one of my gmail address when applying but subsequently it stopped working.

AJ

Is loading with 1 CC and then paying it off the next day with the RedBird a terrible idea? Have heard mixed opinions.

Don

I would not risk it. But I would like to hear other opinions. I payoff other credit cards and ask the cc company for a credit refund. It takes longer but it is much safer. The goal is to make the circle as convoluted as possible but at the same time as quick as possible.

Q

BB at wm max 4 swipes total per transaction?
Where is self service at Edison store located?
Cs could do 4 max swipes inc bb, so 600 max
And said only one transaction allowed
Same store said they can’t help wm.com re Dixie
And why is mo better than bb?
Mo red flag at bank

Serve Question

If I have serve and get 4 additional card holders, does that mean I can do $5k per month ($1k per card)? Or is it same $1k per month total?

Iz

@Serve Question: Subaccounts can not add money. So the total is 1000.

Serve Question

@Iz:

Thanks!

Anonymous

previously dan said you neeed a license.
can i go to target with relatives ssn or do i need their id’s?

jo

with redcard you stay u can load “$1,000 per transaction, $2,500 per day” so does this mean that if you want to load the max per day (2500), u would need to do this in multiple transactions (ie – 1,000 + 1,000 + 500 = 3 transactions) and if so, can u do multiple transactions back to back in same day?

ar

today i was at 2 target stores and i was not able to bye a card on my wifes social becouse i dont have her id ?
do you have any other expirince ?

JACKSASSONBK

@dan

I think we should all call REDcard in NY/NJ and request that they add stores in out area. I just did and the REP gave me a fax # to send this to:

Fax: 801-945-2711
Phone: 855-306-7395

#dansdealseffect?

thanks everyone for help 🙂

worth a shot. 2 minutes can save you 3 hour (drive)

Redbird credit card load for points

@dan
@Jackassonbk

Im in brooklyn and want to do the redbird card reload using a cc and if possible get points. If i travel to a state that offers the card and obtain one, is there a way to load it from a cc once im back in brooklyn. redbird rep said i can only reload from a Target that offers the card. any advise?

Anonymous

@Dan: the displayed phones never have full postpaid service. Its a display only with limited features. I tried it, doesnt work

Gily

Is the in-store loading limit on the Amex Serve Card also 5K?

Gily

Is the in-store loading limit on the Amex Serve Card also 5K?@jeff:

YitzyS

Do you know if Bluebird has the status of a credit card or a bank account in regard to whether or not agencies (ex. Govorment agencies) can check on it? As of now, goverment agencies are not allowed to ask you for your credit card statements (or ask your bank for them), but they can ask for your bank statements, and even get them directly from the bank. What about Bluebird?

Moish

The limits of $5000 per month is that a calendar month or 30 day period. The rep I spoke to in India said that I can add $5000 cash on January 31st and again on February 1st, but didn’t sound certain. Dan, what do you think?

Moish

@Redbird credit card load for points: Loaded at Gateway Target with no problem from my Visa gift cards. Haven’t tried the Junction yet but it sjhould also work there.

Dave

What is better bluebird or red card for points

Joseph L Sutton

Dan,
Thanks for everything i cant believe i missed this!! Flying to Chicago to purchase a couple right now!! unless someone wants to go for me and ship them to NY!! 🙂
Can I earn points to gain Elite status spending 5000 on Redbird each month using my Starwoods card?

david richie

do you get 5x reward using the preload red card ,like ny staples?

Daniel

Is there such a thing s s a prepaid debit card or any other type of card that I can earn miles with but without a credit check ?
As I have bad credit and can’t get it repaired for at least another 6 months

NoonRadar

@Dave:

You earn miles/points/cashback by using the credit cards. The prepaid debit cards such as REDcard and Serve come to play because they allow you to spend more money with the credit cards, hence earn more points.

Currently, the best vehicle (bar none!) on the market for this is the Target prepaid REDcard/Redbird. For people who can’t get this at their local Target, I can provide you with one in a matter of minutes (activated, ready for you to register with your name). I’ve done this for hundreds of people…[NoonRadar] [at] [Gmail]

Daniel

Can you use Serve to meet min spending for citi american airlines card? On their website it says “Purchases exclude cash advances” do they enforce this?

Anonymous

I have serve how can I switch to soft serve

Josh

is it possible to lead up ones debit card with your cc?

dmk

A friend just told me there’s a new rule for the REDcard, they must be activated in the store you bought them in… does anyone know if its true?
also is there a specific way to ask questions on DDF other than going back to a post that was related to my question?
thanks!

incendia

good time to get the Fidelity amex

Dan

@incendia:
I definitely wouldn’t get it just for this.

My guess is that they start coding this as cash advance with the huge influx of these charges they’re going to see over the coming months.

clear thinker

@dmk:
It’s true that it has to be activated by a store that you can get the Red card as well.
you can ask any question in the appropriate thread, you don’t have to reply to a post pertaining your question.

Arch

Is the citi Amex still around?

Dan

@Arch:
I have it, but it’s doesn’t seem like it’s around for new apps.

Shulem

“Starting April 16, 2015 you will only be able to use an American Express® Card, etc”. does this rule apply only for online loads only or also for WM?

devorah

Does citi charge serve as a cash advance?

Dan

@Shulem:
WM has never taken credit cards for Serve/BB.

@devorah:
Citi AMEX reportedly posts as a purchase.

Ed

For those with Everyday cards, will purchases count toward the 20 or 30 monthly purchases required for the bonus?

Brian

Hi Dan, is it true that it has to be activated by a store that you can get the Red card as well? or is that just in certain states because I live in LA and I just ordered one online from Michigan…..

ari

excuse me if it has been answered but i do not get it…is redcard loading gonna stop after April 16th?

chana

Does anyone know if any targets will take a credit card load in or around brooklyn? I was told Atlantic will only take cash.

chana k

@ari: SERVE on-line loading with a debit card is effectively stopping after April 16. Except for the exceptions.

Shulem

I meant debit cards (the ones you get 5% points on) ….

REW

REDcard is not loadable in NC unless the stores sell REDcard

bukin86

How quickly after canceling serve can I register a Red Card?

username

@bukin86:
Immediately

AJ

@bukin86: I did it immediately, without any problem.

Avrum

Dan.. I tried to load my redcard and I was told as of last week that target will nomeore accept credit cards to reload redcard only with cash or debit card. Is that all stores or certain stores?

Chaimel

Can anyone confirm that you can fund a Target RedCard with a REDCard Visa credit card and get the 5% off? Can they both have the same account holder?

yk

loaded 2500 1k 1k 500 first 1k posted to account other 1500 didnt but was charged to my amex card called red card they said its in review should have answer in 45 days any suggestions?

CtownBin

@Dan:
Why do you think FIA will start charging cash advance fees now, just cause they are getting more of these charges?? They make money on the merchant fees PER PURCHASE, so if anything they should be HAPPY they will be getting more charges?

euphor

@Chana target at flatbush and ave i will load with a cc but they change the rules every time I go so good luck…

Bin

I’ve been to 3 diff targets in NY and in the past I was able to do 2500 in one day there. And now they say only the manager can load it and only $1000 per day. And they ID you to make sure the CC, prepaid card and drivers license all match up. It used to be easy to swipe for me and my wife and get an easy 10k a month for 2 trips. Now it will take 5 trips and my wife has to be there. Starting to be too much of a hassle. These 3 targets are valley stream , westbury and spring valley. And I’m assuming ppl are having trouble elsewhere… Dan are they giving you trouble yet?

Serve

really dead from 4.16?
BB still ok, correct?
would ink no like several $400 buys same week/day?

Rivki

Loaded 7 cards today in Chicago, $2500 apiece. No problems..

yed

As of today 03.16 I was successful loading my Amex serve from my Chase ink CC online.

sarah

I have 50k amex points. I wanted to know which airline i can use it for a one way in business class from Tlv to jfk.(i dont mind a stop)

sahir saiyad

Dan how do I purchase more than 1 card? I am here
And the customer service lady will only sell me one. I told her I need for my
Brothers and sisters but she said they have to be here

🙁

RebYid

So let me understand the dynamics of this. You’re on line at Target with 5 people behind you, and you make the cashier do 12 transactions to load each of your 4 redcards 3 times?

Doug

Quick Q: After I do my final Serve loads in April I’m going to cancel and get the Redcard since I live in Pittsburgh currently.

First, am I personally able to purchase 4 temp cards at Target (one for me, spouse, and each of my parents) even though the credit card will be in my name?

Second, once I register them to each individual person and their SS#, will I be able to load those of my parents with my credit card or will it be like Serve, where you can only load with a credit card of the same name?

Thanks,

Doug

Al

Serve sent an email today, as of 4/16 only AMEX cards will be able to load. Chase, Citi etc are out.

amex

5 bucks credit chevron sync card

BB

Will I be able to purchase Prepaid Amex Cards & load those to Serve?

chaim999

To use the idea of “9K Avios to fly round-trip to Baltimore, Boston, or Pittsburgh to pick some up” is there any airport with a bus route or train route to get to a target, and back within the minimum time

mayer

hello dan
i received an offer from discover card , spend $10,000 over 5 months , receive bonus $300 , any ideas how to get to that threshold

thanks

Doug

@Chaim999

If you were to fly into PIT there is a Target pretty close in “Robinson Town Center”. That’s the first stop on the 28X bus that goes to/from the airport and downtown.

The bad thing is that the bus will drop you off on the other side of RTC, so you’ll still have to walk about a mile to get to the Target and then a mile back to catch the bus back to PIT.

chaim999

Based on this map
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zaZeFBtuy5B8.kyYIaq26n5m4
the state w/ the most Target stores selling RedCards is Cleveland, “Dans” home town,
So, as Bein Hzmanim / spring vacation is coming up, will wait for dens reply, letting us know,
– which flights are coming into Cleveland (form where) and going back the same day, that could be done via Avois.
– the best local bus etc. route to use
– some Minunim in the are
– some attractions in the area near the airport to go, while waiting to catch the flight back.

sara b

@chaim999, you can save yourself all that hassle by purchasing a card from someone (such as myself) 🙂 over at DDF

mendy c.

After April 16th will u still be able to refill your red card with any credit card or also red card will only be able to be refilled with amex?

Iz

@chaim999: A much cheaper and easier option: Buy from a seller on DDF. You can have it instantly. Some sellers will email you the card # immediately.

Iz

@chaim999: Go with Sara B. Great price and great service.

chaim999

Thanks all.
what is the benefit of the BlueBird over the Serve,
i see more votes on the BlueBird then serve?
(Walmart dos both, Serve has also other load locations)

Iz

@chaim999: Checkwriting.

baba

can i have a serve and red card accounts at the same time

NoonRadar

@baba:

You cannot, you can only have one prepaid Amex product at a time, either Redbird, Serve or Bluebird.

mendysw

could 1 ssn have more then one redcard?

Dan

@mendysw:
No.

Shlomo

Dan – Finally got a red card.

Want to calrify a couple of things

Cash out- We can load 5k- but cash out in machine – Is it limited to 2k per month? If so what is my option to get the other 3k out.

Thanks

Alex

IS that coorect I can register as many RED CARDS as I want?

Dan

@Shlomo:
You can transfer funds to your checking account, pay off any bill, etc.

@Alex:
1 per SSN.

Yossi

Dan seperate topic..

I am builidng house I pay material – what CC? no GC

David

Dan I know I’m late ,but witch card do you recommend me to sign up for ?

Amusch

Can my kids sign up?

Mo

Dan, is it worthwhile to pay the IRS $14,000 on a Credit Card for a 1.87% service charge but I will get points, if so which card.

Dan's the Man

@Amusch: Sure as long as they are 18, have a US address, and have a social security #. Believe it or not Amex has the same rules for your kids as every other person!

Redcard

Target at 1140 Commerce Blvd, Dickson City, PA is 2 hrs from teaneck, just got a redcard there this past Sunday. Phone is 5703837100 I got it at the register.

Issac

@chana k:

we use red bird for mortgage and tuition just to get the points on ink.

Joel

Dan, I called 4 stores in Maryland that sell the red card. They all said I am NOT allowed to purchase a card for someone else with their social security number and the person must be present. Is there a site I can go to to show them that I can get the card with another person’s social (my wife, son, daughter)? Thanks.

REDCard AMEX:
-Getting it: You can currently only get a REDCard AMEX at these select Target stores. You can only purchase 1 REDCard per day per social, but if you have other people’s social security numbers then you can buy a REDCard for each of them on the same day.

Alex

I called Amex and was told that I could no longer add $ via credit card only cash.

Kat

@Alex and @Joel — why are you calling? Thanks for ruining it for everyone.

Joel

@Kat – very professional and kind response. I can tell you are a very special person.

Tim

Bluebird is not available for sale to Vermont residents and we do not have a single Target in our entire state… Are there any reasonable workarounds?

Sam

STOP CALLING!
What is wrong with you people?

Zvicak

Why can’t a upload my mastercard gift card to my bluebird card? I tried to do it at walmart and they said I can’t.
Is that correct?

Joel

@Kat and @Sam – got 15 RedCards for family and friends because I called MANY different stores to find out the only ONE which lets you get a card for other people. Hope you can find THE store as well. If you want to know which one just ask me. Or maybe I should not have called and just driven around Maryland looking for the needle in the haystack. Good luck.

mh

Loaded $500 with my Mastercard which was already linked in and through softcard back in February 5-1 then 5-2 – then 5-3.

So $1,500 load with (at least an existing linked account) mastercard or visa lives on for now!

myi

Thanks dan for all ur hard work , I recently got a offer from amex to get 100k (points) if I spend 3,000$ in the first 3 mnths as a sign up offer is there any way I can still get the offer by using one or more of these other cards above !? As I used to have the red card and now no longer alive ,! So if u can please write back dan , thanks dan !!

123yi

any one has a answer for myi>?!!

mh

@123yi & @myi-

Serve with Family Dollar or chargesmart

buki

Does anyone know if you could reload your red card in New York I know you cant buy a prepaid redcard in New York but if you bought it in a different state can we reload in New York in target???

Anonymous

@buki

Yes wake up and smell the coffee. Just be careful if you are using the temp card, some ppl had problems (not going into the details now) just wait until you get the permeant card.

mikegold

Hi
Did nt see this answered above.
If you load the serve from citi debit card, do you get thank you points?
Is there fee they flag you with?

wpDiscuz