Jun 28, 2013, 3:20 pm
Last edit by: ChrisFlyer66
Moderator note: A new thread for 2016 is here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1738030-gobank-greendot-online-banking-debit-card-2016-a.html
Do NOT let Rite-Aid scan the GoBank barcode. You will be charged, but your funds won't load. It is a PIA to get your funds back.
Want to stay active? Be sure to only load when your balance is at or close to 0. Continuing to load when you have funds in there seems to be a no no. Swipes are recommended, but there are folks active that don't swipe.
Lots of $200 loads can get you shutdown. GoBank does not like paying load fees on low denomination loads. Two $500 loads is better than five $200 loads.
Shut down reports:
Please list your load/spend/billpay details (in a single statement/lifetime?) e.g.,
type of load, number of loads, denomination of your gc or mp, amount of your billpay, any actual swipe/dd?
lad2 (closed) - May: $2.7K 9 loads 5DDs - June: $5.5K 5 loads 6DDs - July: $4.6K 6 loads 1DD - August $9.9K 19 loads 1DD - no swipes
TheDapperDon (open) June $4.5k 5 loads. All GCs. 1 swipe. Everything else BP to CC. 1500 most loaded in one day .July - $3489 5 loads. All GCs. Several swipes. No load until below $20 or so remaining.
raghu455 (closed) May $2k 4 loads, june $7k all GCs. All BP to CC.
drdrew450 (closed) 17K in loads, unloaded all through bill pay, less than a month
cuebert (closed) $4.5k in 9 MP loads, BP out. That was fast.
sgideons (closed) May $7k 17 loads, june $17k 27 loads, july $5k 6 loads, september $3.5k 4 loads. Unloaded 90% ACH pull, 5% PP to self, 5% bill pay tool. Closed on September statement date.
MDWCommuter (closed): June only, $8k in 60 loads, all GC. $2k is most loaded in one day. Wrote 2 BP to CC checks, no ATM, no MP loads, no ACH pull, no DD, always carried at least a $1k balance
ArtemK (closed): 1st month - 5/21 - 6/21 - loaded $6,700, 6/21 - 6/30 - $4K loaded, all via GCs. Unloaded all via BP to Citi and Chase. No ATM, no MP loads, no ACH pull, no DD, no swipes.
rdover1 (Closed): 1st month - $23.6k loaded (WM GC), ~$1k spend, rest bill pay (mostly to CC)
rdover1 2nd card (closed): Closed mid cycle, survived 1st month. No bill pay, only MO. Never loaded over ~$4k. Total activity ~$12k.
T3pleShot (closed): 7k in loads at WMT, 10 loads, mostly $500, some $200, $4k billpay to CC, 5 swipes totaling about $25.
ctbarron (open): Month1 - $3.8k loaded, all bill pay out, 1 swipe; Month2 - $3.7k loaded, all bill pay out, few swipes and an ATM WD; Month3 - $4.2k loaded, all bill pay out, few swipes and an ATM WD. Zero membership fee, usually a balance of under $150.
americanindian (closed)- closed after 3 months today. had about 7.5k deposit each month, with lots of small value(<$20) purchases each month. liquidated mostly using bill pay.
rodsren (closed)- the dapperdon warned me. I was closed today after less than 5,500 or loaaing in less than 3 weeks (was going to try to keep it to 7,500 - 10,000 but didn't luck out.)
binnycode (closed, re-opened) - 7x $200 loads + 1x $700 load + 3x $500 over 2 days got me shut down. Called CSR and they re-opened my account, letting me know that "direct deposit would reduce my number of trips to walmart" lol!
Do NOT let Rite-Aid scan the GoBank barcode. You will be charged, but your funds won't load. It is a PIA to get your funds back.
Want to stay active? Be sure to only load when your balance is at or close to 0. Continuing to load when you have funds in there seems to be a no no. Swipes are recommended, but there are folks active that don't swipe.
Lots of $200 loads can get you shutdown. GoBank does not like paying load fees on low denomination loads. Two $500 loads is better than five $200 loads.
Shut down reports:
Please list your load/spend/billpay details (in a single statement/lifetime?) e.g.,
type of load, number of loads, denomination of your gc or mp, amount of your billpay, any actual swipe/dd?
lad2 (closed) - May: $2.7K 9 loads 5DDs - June: $5.5K 5 loads 6DDs - July: $4.6K 6 loads 1DD - August $9.9K 19 loads 1DD - no swipes
TheDapperDon (open) June $4.5k 5 loads. All GCs. 1 swipe. Everything else BP to CC. 1500 most loaded in one day .July - $3489 5 loads. All GCs. Several swipes. No load until below $20 or so remaining.
raghu455 (closed) May $2k 4 loads, june $7k all GCs. All BP to CC.
drdrew450 (closed) 17K in loads, unloaded all through bill pay, less than a month
cuebert (closed) $4.5k in 9 MP loads, BP out. That was fast.
sgideons (closed) May $7k 17 loads, june $17k 27 loads, july $5k 6 loads, september $3.5k 4 loads. Unloaded 90% ACH pull, 5% PP to self, 5% bill pay tool. Closed on September statement date.
MDWCommuter (closed): June only, $8k in 60 loads, all GC. $2k is most loaded in one day. Wrote 2 BP to CC checks, no ATM, no MP loads, no ACH pull, no DD, always carried at least a $1k balance
ArtemK (closed): 1st month - 5/21 - 6/21 - loaded $6,700, 6/21 - 6/30 - $4K loaded, all via GCs. Unloaded all via BP to Citi and Chase. No ATM, no MP loads, no ACH pull, no DD, no swipes.
rdover1 (Closed): 1st month - $23.6k loaded (WM GC), ~$1k spend, rest bill pay (mostly to CC)
rdover1 2nd card (closed): Closed mid cycle, survived 1st month. No bill pay, only MO. Never loaded over ~$4k. Total activity ~$12k.
T3pleShot (closed): 7k in loads at WMT, 10 loads, mostly $500, some $200, $4k billpay to CC, 5 swipes totaling about $25.
ctbarron (open): Month1 - $3.8k loaded, all bill pay out, 1 swipe; Month2 - $3.7k loaded, all bill pay out, few swipes and an ATM WD; Month3 - $4.2k loaded, all bill pay out, few swipes and an ATM WD. Zero membership fee, usually a balance of under $150.
americanindian (closed)- closed after 3 months today. had about 7.5k deposit each month, with lots of small value(<$20) purchases each month. liquidated mostly using bill pay.
rodsren (closed)- the dapperdon warned me. I was closed today after less than 5,500 or loaaing in less than 3 weeks (was going to try to keep it to 7,500 - 10,000 but didn't luck out.)
binnycode (closed, re-opened) - 7x $200 loads + 1x $700 load + 3x $500 over 2 days got me shut down. Called CSR and they re-opened my account, letting me know that "direct deposit would reduce my number of trips to walmart" lol!
Gobank by Greendot - online banking with debit card
Jan 17, 2013, 12:21 pm
#16
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,634
I had some issues with GD. I didn't know you could buy "$2k to $4k" at a time. I bought $2500 once ($500x5) and got frozen. Took about a week to unfreeze. I tried each card a couple of times to verify they're frozen. It turns out that even a failed load counts as a "load" against your daily/weekly limits! ...? Counts against your limit but you don't get the money?!
They told me they freeze MPs whenever 2+ are bought at once. Found another place that allows CC purchases. Bought 2x$500 one day. Bought 2x$500 the next day. Went back the third day, and all MPs are gone!
C'est la vie...
They told me they freeze MPs whenever 2+ are bought at once. Found another place that allows CC purchases. Bought 2x$500 one day. Bought 2x$500 the next day. Went back the third day, and all MPs are gone!
C'est la vie...
Jan 17, 2013, 12:58 pm
#17
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 10
Gobank by Greendot - online banking with debit card
Reading Felix Salmon's financial blog today (http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/), and saw his article on Gobank (https://www.gobank.com). Basically, it looks like an internet-based bank / checking account run by the same company that does GreenDot. You can get a debit card with your name on it for free, $2.50 ATM withdrawals.
A couple things stood out for me though:
1. You can load funds with MoneyPaks.
2. You can load funds with any debit card.
3. You can have them mail a check to pay a bill for free.
They have a limit on mobile-deposited checks of $2000 per check and $3000 per month; no stated limits on debit / Moneypak deposits. Per the website it's an actual checking account with routing number and all that, and is FDIC insured.
This does open up some additional possibilities, in my mind. First, it's a second account to do bill pay with in addition to Bluebird. Second, it allows you to diversify away from Vanilla Reloads. Third, if it will take any debit card, then you may potentially be able to load Visa / MC debit gift cards to it as well - which may mean you can skip the Vanilla Reload / MoneyPak step altogether. Finally, since you've got a routing number, you can potentially pay your credit card bills online without having to send yourself a check first.
I have not yet experimented with this and have no idea about customer service, hidden limits, potential pitfalls, or any other such things. Welcome any thoughts / experiences other folks on this fine forum might have.
A couple things stood out for me though:
1. You can load funds with MoneyPaks.
2. You can load funds with any debit card.
3. You can have them mail a check to pay a bill for free.
They have a limit on mobile-deposited checks of $2000 per check and $3000 per month; no stated limits on debit / Moneypak deposits. Per the website it's an actual checking account with routing number and all that, and is FDIC insured.
This does open up some additional possibilities, in my mind. First, it's a second account to do bill pay with in addition to Bluebird. Second, it allows you to diversify away from Vanilla Reloads. Third, if it will take any debit card, then you may potentially be able to load Visa / MC debit gift cards to it as well - which may mean you can skip the Vanilla Reload / MoneyPak step altogether. Finally, since you've got a routing number, you can potentially pay your credit card bills online without having to send yourself a check first.
I have not yet experimented with this and have no idea about customer service, hidden limits, potential pitfalls, or any other such things. Welcome any thoughts / experiences other folks on this fine forum might have.
Jan 17, 2013, 1:31 pm
#18
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 104
Reading Felix Salmon's financial blog today (http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/), and saw his article on Gobank (https://www.gobank.com). Basically, it looks like an internet-based bank / checking account run by the same company that does GreenDot. You can get a debit card with your name on it for free, $2.50 ATM withdrawals.
A couple things stood out for me though:
1. You can load funds with MoneyPaks.
2. You can load funds with any debit card.
3. You can have them mail a check to pay a bill for free.
They have a limit on mobile-deposited checks of $2000 per check and $3000 per month; no stated limits on debit / Moneypak deposits. Per the website it's an actual checking account with routing number and all that, and is FDIC insured.
This does open up some additional possibilities, in my mind. First, it's a second account to do bill pay with in addition to Bluebird. Second, it allows you to diversify away from Vanilla Reloads. Third, if it will take any debit card, then you may potentially be able to load Visa / MC debit gift cards to it as well - which may mean you can skip the Vanilla Reload / MoneyPak step altogether. Finally, since you've got a routing number, you can potentially pay your credit card bills online without having to send yourself a check first.
I have not yet experimented with this and have no idea about customer service, hidden limits, potential pitfalls, or any other such things. Welcome any thoughts / experiences other folks on this fine forum might have.
A couple things stood out for me though:
1. You can load funds with MoneyPaks.
2. You can load funds with any debit card.
3. You can have them mail a check to pay a bill for free.
They have a limit on mobile-deposited checks of $2000 per check and $3000 per month; no stated limits on debit / Moneypak deposits. Per the website it's an actual checking account with routing number and all that, and is FDIC insured.
This does open up some additional possibilities, in my mind. First, it's a second account to do bill pay with in addition to Bluebird. Second, it allows you to diversify away from Vanilla Reloads. Third, if it will take any debit card, then you may potentially be able to load Visa / MC debit gift cards to it as well - which may mean you can skip the Vanilla Reload / MoneyPak step altogether. Finally, since you've got a routing number, you can potentially pay your credit card bills online without having to send yourself a check first.
I have not yet experimented with this and have no idea about customer service, hidden limits, potential pitfalls, or any other such things. Welcome any thoughts / experiences other folks on this fine forum might have.
Jan 17, 2013, 2:43 pm
#19
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SNA/LAX
Posts: 145
I still haven't even been able to locate a store that will allow me to purchase greendot reloads with a cc. Always blocked by the register, not the cashier.
Jan 17, 2013, 4:45 pm
#20
Join Date: Jun 2010
Programs: AA Plat,PC Plat, HHonors Gold
Posts: 904
A certain national drugstore chain allowed it until december. But of late it is cash only. May want to hit up the drugstores in your area.
Jan 17, 2013, 5:07 pm
#21
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Southern California
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, HH Gold, SPG Gold, National EC Executive, AA Platinum
Posts: 606
I had a few and never used them for everyday purchases (mistake #1?). I loaded them and drained via the bill pay system, only (mistake #2?).
Green dot refused to tell me why they shut me down. I could have pursued it with the supervisor but the customer service rep placed me on a long hold and never came back.
Jan 17, 2013, 5:12 pm
#22
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: AA PLT 2MM
Posts: 2,026
If you're going to open your mouth and make comment, make sure you fully comprehend what was explained, and perhaps the product itself that is being talked about. Otherwise you're just adding self aggrandizing noise to this thread. Besides, what's wrong with using a product by the rules, but to it's extreme? Why the hell did you even decide to join the milebuzz forum if this offends your inner little important self?
But, I digress... Back to your failure in comprehension and lack of product knowledge.
It was NOT the $45K in moneypak volume that got my greendot accounts shut down. It was about $3000 across two Green Dot cards (which btw, you're allowed to have). If you know anything about the product, you would have known that they have no idea who the owner of a MoneyPak is. Thus the comment about $45K is completely irrelevant. Or to spell this out for the slower of you two; they had no idea that I had $45K in MoneyPaks. All they knew about was $3000.
Yes, when they shut down my GreenDot accounts those trifle amounts, that is when I informed them that if they were not going to let me use their card, then I wanted a refund for all the moneypaks I bought for the card. They said 'sure', until they followed up with the question 'how many do you have', to which I informed them of the remaining $35K (recall 70 X $500 is $35K not $45)... and in case you're going to get cute and say $45K - $3K does not equal $45K, do think outside your confined box and understand there are other means for emptying the value of these things out as well.
So, as I was saying...
They shut me down at a mere $3000 loaded in and online bill paid out. So... to hell with them. Give me my refund, as per their own terms and conditions which says so. If you have problems issuing the refund, tell me what you need to process it, don't tell me the check is in the mail, repeatedly for 4 weeks, then tell me 'oops, uhm... actually we put a stop on the check because we needed more information, but, decided not to tell you we needed more information, and further thought it would be a good idea to tell you that the check was in the mail for 4 weeks...'
At any rate, to the two of you: GMAFB! Corporate sycophants, both of you!
Last edited by thehawk75; Jan 17, 2013 at 5:22 pm
Jan 17, 2013, 5:16 pm
#23
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Southern California
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, HH Gold, SPG Gold, National EC Executive, AA Platinum
Posts: 606
Anita: Cardinal Fang and The Spanish Inquisition are code words for the auditors, fraud examiners, loss prevention, and risk management folks.
Jan 17, 2013, 5:24 pm
#24
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 357
I would love Gobank to take off. IF they supply a routing number, I can definitely see this being more useful than BB (e.g. paying the utility bill on the utility company's website vs. mailing them a check from BB)
Jan 17, 2013, 5:42 pm
#25
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 447
Great post thehawk. Funny thing is they are probably going to report your post to a mod and they will find your post to be the offensive one. Check out some of their other posts.
Jan 17, 2013, 5:48 pm
#26
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: On the Lake USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Diamond because they have nothing higher
Posts: 523
First Netspend got the wife and I shut down then MIO Cards shut us down and now another that I at least thank God I never played with Green Dot but maybe if I feel like pain I will
Got shut down by GreenDot prepaid. Found some of their (undisclosed) limits in the process of exploring what happened with a supervisor level Cardinal. Thought it would be helpful for others if I documented this.
I had bought 5 temp cards and registered all 5 (all with same name, info, etc) over last couple months to get permanent cards. First 3 perm cards had come, been activated. One loaded with add'l $1k to avoid fee first billing cycle, pd $200 bill online, then loaded with another $1k to avoid fee 2nd month. The other 2 simply loaded with $1k add'l each to avoid their initial billing cycle fee.
The last 2 perm cards arrived week ago, and I was unable to activate online or on automated phone system as message said there was security block on them. Finally got through to supervisor Fang, who explained that I had reloaded my cards too much! Said allowed to have 10 cards, but max balance across ALL cards was $2500. (The T&C say max balance on any 1 card is $2500, which of course I had never breached). Fang said "my pattern of reloads across my cards was not in keeping with the intended use of the cards" (which we FTers all know is screwing the under-banked with lots of fees!). Said he was unfreezing my cards so I could spend down my existing balances, but I would be unable to load more funds on any and unable to get any future GreenDot prepaids, and my existing cards would be closed.
I just tried to zero out balance via online bill pay but that is shut down as well.
Don't know which is worse, this or the NetSpend shutdowns!
At least with NetSpend you could load up, do a huge bill pay and get shutdown in a blaze of glory! Here you get shutdown before you even get a chance to use the darn things.
I had bought 5 temp cards and registered all 5 (all with same name, info, etc) over last couple months to get permanent cards. First 3 perm cards had come, been activated. One loaded with add'l $1k to avoid fee first billing cycle, pd $200 bill online, then loaded with another $1k to avoid fee 2nd month. The other 2 simply loaded with $1k add'l each to avoid their initial billing cycle fee.
The last 2 perm cards arrived week ago, and I was unable to activate online or on automated phone system as message said there was security block on them. Finally got through to supervisor Fang, who explained that I had reloaded my cards too much! Said allowed to have 10 cards, but max balance across ALL cards was $2500. (The T&C say max balance on any 1 card is $2500, which of course I had never breached). Fang said "my pattern of reloads across my cards was not in keeping with the intended use of the cards" (which we FTers all know is screwing the under-banked with lots of fees!). Said he was unfreezing my cards so I could spend down my existing balances, but I would be unable to load more funds on any and unable to get any future GreenDot prepaids, and my existing cards would be closed.
I just tried to zero out balance via online bill pay but that is shut down as well.
Don't know which is worse, this or the NetSpend shutdowns!
At least with NetSpend you could load up, do a huge bill pay and get shutdown in a blaze of glory! Here you get shutdown before you even get a chance to use the darn things.
Jan 20, 2013, 10:59 am
#27
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 970
And if you throw in another +1, you might have your cumulative IQ.
If you're going to open your mouth and make comment, make sure you fully comprehend what was explained, and perhaps the product itself that is being talked about. Otherwise you're just adding self aggrandizing noise to this thread. Besides, what's wrong with using a product by the rules, but to it's extreme? Why the hell did you even decide to join the milebuzz forum if this offends your inner little important self?
They shut me down at a mere $3000 loaded in and online bill paid out. So... to hell with them. Give me my refund, as per their own terms and conditions which says so. If you have problems issuing the refund, tell me what you need to process it, don't tell me the check is in the mail, repeatedly for 4 weeks, then tell me 'oops, uhm... actually we put a stop on the check because we needed more information, but, decided not to tell you we needed more information, and further thought it would be a good idea to tell you that the check was in the mail for 4 weeks...'
At any rate, to the two of you: GMAFB! Corporate sycophants, both of you!
If you're going to open your mouth and make comment, make sure you fully comprehend what was explained, and perhaps the product itself that is being talked about. Otherwise you're just adding self aggrandizing noise to this thread. Besides, what's wrong with using a product by the rules, but to it's extreme? Why the hell did you even decide to join the milebuzz forum if this offends your inner little important self?
They shut me down at a mere $3000 loaded in and online bill paid out. So... to hell with them. Give me my refund, as per their own terms and conditions which says so. If you have problems issuing the refund, tell me what you need to process it, don't tell me the check is in the mail, repeatedly for 4 weeks, then tell me 'oops, uhm... actually we put a stop on the check because we needed more information, but, decided not to tell you we needed more information, and further thought it would be a good idea to tell you that the check was in the mail for 4 weeks...'
At any rate, to the two of you: GMAFB! Corporate sycophants, both of you!
It's little wonder you ended up with $35K stuck in GDs you struggle to cash out - your reading comprehension level needs vast improvement. I said red flags would arise at a fraction of the $45K you wanted to unload. And that's EXACTLY what happened, didn't it?
It wasn't clairvoyance on my part, it was based on a multitude of threads/blogs talking about similar issues - where, irrespective of "published" limits, any activity deemed "inappropriate" quickly gets shut down.
But no, you seem to think you are "special" and can outwit TSI. The funniest thing is you complain about their lack of sympathy at your activities and their poor customer service once you want a refund. Oh my.
Keep us updated on how that refund goes...
Jan 21, 2013, 10:09 pm
#28
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: PDX
Programs: United, SPG, Hyatt
Posts: 167
Today for the first time in a month of regular visits to my local Rite Aid the register will not allow me to buy MoneyPacks using a credit card, only debit 
I guess this well has dried up for me...
I guess this well has dried up for me...
Jan 21, 2013, 11:36 pm
#29
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 27
I have been buying the moneypaks with credit cards at various stores for the past two months. I got shut down this week with a similar outcome as the OP (I can use up the card and cannot knock on their doorstep again).
I had a few and never used them for everyday purchases (mistake #1?). I loaded them and drained via the bill pay system, only (mistake #2?).
Green dot refused to tell me why they shut me down. I could have pursued it with the supervisor but the customer service rep placed me on a long hold and never came back.
I had a few and never used them for everyday purchases (mistake #1?). I loaded them and drained via the bill pay system, only (mistake #2?).
Green dot refused to tell me why they shut me down. I could have pursued it with the supervisor but the customer service rep placed me on a long hold and never came back.