May 27, 2015, 12:00 am
Last edit by: iflyjetz
Read the wiki before posting a question.
Check your BB load limits BEFORE asking in this thread about "tender not allowed" or any other errors.
Bluebird website. There's no need to buy a Bluebird kit in-store; sign-up free on the website.
The original discussion. The previous 2013- 2014 megathread.
For information on switching from BB to Serve, see the Serve thread wiki.
Bluebird Load Limits:
The cash load limit for a temp card is $1,500 total.
*For online debit load, only use of bank-issued cards is allowed. The use of pre-paid debit cards (Netspend, Paypower, Univision, Paypal, etc.) and VGC/MGC/AGCs is not allowed. Your account will be flagged upon first/second attempt. If blocked, call Account Protection Services at 1-800-660-2454 to clear it (9am-8pm EST, Mon-Fri).
The day currently resets around midnight Eastern/11pm Central/10pm Mountain/9pm Pacific.
For online bill pay
Loading with debit card at Walmart
Self checkout does not work for loading.
Many Walmart stores are enforcing a rule against the use of gift cards when loading, even though the register and the MCE do not enforce. Do not make your prepaid debit cards visible. Show them a bank debit card if asked. Otherwise, you may be asked by management to never visit the MC again to load with gift cards.
Loads at register over $500 will sometimes trigger ID requirement. There is a limit of four swipes per transaction; this means your card plus three payments.
If your card doesn't say "debit" on the front, it isn't a debit card.
Please see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manuf...bit-cards.html for additional information on using prepaid debit cards.
Training a WM cashier:
Error Messages:
DEBIT NOT AVAILABLE
Received when I used a card I thought I had activated but hadn't.
DEBIT NOT APPROVED
Received when the card's monthly load limit had been reached.
TENDER NOT ALLOWED
Card was incorrectly read, or wrong PIN entered .
HOST TIMEOUT
Connection problems. The GC may be drained but the transaction should reverse itself, and funds will become available again. Try again later.
Check your BB load limits BEFORE asking in this thread about "tender not allowed" or any other errors.
Bluebird website. There's no need to buy a Bluebird kit in-store; sign-up free on the website.
The original discussion. The previous 2013- 2014 megathread.
For information on switching from BB to Serve, see the Serve thread wiki.
Bluebird Load Limits:
- Cash loading via VR or WM load: $2,500/day and $5,000 total per calendar month
- Cash loading up to $1999.99/day at Walmart registers (tested by PedroNY in Post #525 and showed to not be enforced. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1501215-bluebird-prepaid-debit-now-fdic-insurance-paper-checks-2015-a-35.html#post25611848 )
- Online Debit Card Load* - $200/day and $1,000/month
- Checking/Savings Account - $2,000/month
- Checks - $2,000/day and $10,000/month
- ATM Withdrawals - $750/day and $2,000/month
The cash load limit for a temp card is $1,500 total.
*For online debit load, only use of bank-issued cards is allowed. The use of pre-paid debit cards (Netspend, Paypower, Univision, Paypal, etc.) and VGC/MGC/AGCs is not allowed. Your account will be flagged upon first/second attempt. If blocked, call Account Protection Services at 1-800-660-2454 to clear it (9am-8pm EST, Mon-Fri).
The day currently resets around midnight Eastern/11pm Central/10pm Mountain/9pm Pacific.
For online bill pay
- You can pay the credit card that you used to buy reloads
- Error 1302 means that you have 1 pending payment the same amount as the one you just submitted. For example, 1000 bill pay to sapphire preferred from Friday and then on Saturday you submit another bill pay for 1000 to sapphire preferred, you will get this error.
- Tip: if using online bill pay to the same place multiple times, vary your amounts by $0.01 to make it easier to track since your confirmation number does not match the tracking number on your credit card statement
Loading with debit card at Walmart
Self checkout does not work for loading.
Many Walmart stores are enforcing a rule against the use of gift cards when loading, even though the register and the MCE do not enforce. Do not make your prepaid debit cards visible. Show them a bank debit card if asked. Otherwise, you may be asked by management to never visit the MC again to load with gift cards.
Loads at register over $500 will sometimes trigger ID requirement. There is a limit of four swipes per transaction; this means your card plus three payments.
If your card doesn't say "debit" on the front, it isn't a debit card.
Please see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manuf...bit-cards.html for additional information on using prepaid debit cards.
Training a WM cashier:
- If the WM cashier doesn't know how to load the card, advise them to enter "70" then press "action code".
- If you are using a temp card that doesn't have your name on it, you can swipe the card from your side of the terminal. The WM rep never has to touch any of your cards. The screen will say "enter account." That is your prompt to slide the card.
- The terminal will ask the WM employee if you are loading in multiples of $2000. Advise them to enter "no."
- Avoid saying gift card. Always refer to your card as a debit card.
Error Messages:
DEBIT NOT AVAILABLE
Received when I used a card I thought I had activated but hadn't.
DEBIT NOT APPROVED
Received when the card's monthly load limit had been reached.
TENDER NOT ALLOWED
Card was incorrectly read, or wrong PIN entered .
HOST TIMEOUT
Connection problems. The GC may be drained but the transaction should reverse itself, and funds will become available again. Try again later.
Bluebird prepaid debit, now with FDIC insurance and paper checks (2015)
Jan 25, 2015, 11:40 am
#61
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: VA
Posts: 147
I'm curious as to how much, if any, regular spend you guys put on your BB cards? I've been using it for bill paying and some ATM withdrawals, but I still do put a few transactions a month on it at either a fast food chain or something else small. Is it even necessary?
Jan 26, 2015, 8:34 am
#63
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 41
The only time I use it is at Walmart to use up the 2x Walmart bucks through the savingscatcher app. In between loads, I'll walk around and get myself some quick things I need around the house and groceries.
I did one time find a random receipt in my shopping cart that was pretty long and scanned that in and I got something like $25 back through savings catcher. Wondering if people are walking around looking for receipts to cash in on this.
I did one time find a random receipt in my shopping cart that was pretty long and scanned that in and I got something like $25 back through savings catcher. Wondering if people are walking around looking for receipts to cash in on this.
Jan 26, 2015, 9:04 am
#64
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: DCA
Posts: 7,769
I don't think that I have ever put a "real" expense on my BB account. I used it solely for bill paying (legitimate - to my mortgage company, mostly) and check writing.
Jan 26, 2015, 9:16 am
#65
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,207
I'm always kind of amused by the reports of people who talk about "coaching" cashiers how to do BB loads and such. If I was an inexperienced employee and some stranger started telling me from memory in technical detail how to use my employer's proprietary system to conduct a transaction worth lots of cash (several weeks pay for a cashier), I don't think it would make me more comfortable...I'd be calling for the manager or security.
Jan 26, 2015, 11:06 am
#66
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: ONT/LAX
Programs: IHG Plat
Posts: 496
i'm trying to cancel my BB online with the https://secure.bluebird.com/Profile/CloseAccount link but I'm getting this error/page. I have $0 in my account so I don't know what the site wants me to do. There are no pending transactions, I initiated a transfer on Friday, it showed "processing" over the weekend, but now when I click "view transactions," there aren't any, even if I change the calendar dates. The money hasn't yet hit my bank account, so I guess it's still "pending"?
Jan 28, 2015, 2:33 am
#67
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 240
There were at least a couple of posts in the old thread (2013 and 2014 thread) where people were asking how they can bring up formal statements. Here is how:
1- log in
2- go to "settings" in the upper right hand corner
3- click on "statements."
1- log in
2- go to "settings" in the upper right hand corner
3- click on "statements."
Jan 29, 2015, 7:24 pm
#68
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 43
-deleted-
Last edited by jb0506; Jan 29, 2015 at 7:34 pm Reason: deleting post.
Jan 30, 2015, 12:15 pm
#69
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Diamond, any other status I can get via credit card
Posts: 108
Quote:
Originally Posted by arlflyer
I'm always kind of amused by the reports of people who talk about "coaching" cashiers how to do BB loads and such. If I was an inexperienced employee and some stranger started telling me from memory in technical detail how to use my employer's proprietary system to conduct a transaction worth lots of cash (several weeks pay for a cashier), I don't think it would make me more comfortable...I'd be calling for the manager or security.
If you know how to do it right, it doesnt look suspicious at all. Something along the lines of "I think the last time I did this the cashier pressed button xyz" or "Last time we had a problem loading the cashier said she fixed it doing xyz". All it shows is youve done it before and the cashier you had before knew how to do it and you saw them doing it...
Originally Posted by arlflyer
I'm always kind of amused by the reports of people who talk about "coaching" cashiers how to do BB loads and such. If I was an inexperienced employee and some stranger started telling me from memory in technical detail how to use my employer's proprietary system to conduct a transaction worth lots of cash (several weeks pay for a cashier), I don't think it would make me more comfortable...I'd be calling for the manager or security.
If you know how to do it right, it doesnt look suspicious at all. Something along the lines of "I think the last time I did this the cashier pressed button xyz" or "Last time we had a problem loading the cashier said she fixed it doing xyz". All it shows is youve done it before and the cashier you had before knew how to do it and you saw them doing it...
Feb 1, 2015, 11:49 pm
#70
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: SPG Gold, HHonors Gold, Club Carlson Gold
Posts: 30
Guys, I have a problem. I tried to load BB with a visa gc, but the gc got declined and funds debited! Yes, $450 gone from my gift card, but never made its way to BB, what can I do now? I have waited for one month and $450 is still missing!
Feb 2, 2015, 12:06 am
#71
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Beverly Hills
Posts: 713
Just dumped my BBs in favor of Red today.
$5.95/$500 Kroger-Bought Meta MC. $5000/account. $1,000 daily load limit. $178.50 for 15,000 (1x)-45,000(3x) points monthly.
Opened up a 4th redbird to manage in my partner's name. No load fees. $2500/day load limit. Free points? No Walmart? What are you waiting for?
$5.95/$500 Kroger-Bought Meta MC. $5000/account. $1,000 daily load limit. $178.50 for 15,000 (1x)-45,000(3x) points monthly.
Opened up a 4th redbird to manage in my partner's name. No load fees. $2500/day load limit. Free points? No Walmart? What are you waiting for?
Feb 2, 2015, 7:00 am
#72
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
This should serve as lesson to all of us to ALWAYS check our receipts right after loading. NEVER ever assume that everything went well when a receipt prints. When my receipt shows a different amount than what I'm expecting, I check balance on my phone before I leave WM so that in case there's a problem, I can get it fixed THAT moment. If they assure me that it takes some time for funds to show up, I take note of the personnel who told me so, in case the problem isn't fixed. So far, so good.
Feb 2, 2015, 8:32 am
#73
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,940
Just dumped my BBs in favor of Red today.
$5.95/$500 Kroger-Bought Meta MC. $5000/account. $1,000 daily load limit. $178.50 for 15,000 (1x)-45,000(3x) points monthly.
Opened up a 4th redbird to manage in my partner's name. No load fees. $2500/day load limit. Free points? No Walmart? What are you waiting for?
$5.95/$500 Kroger-Bought Meta MC. $5000/account. $1,000 daily load limit. $178.50 for 15,000 (1x)-45,000(3x) points monthly.
Opened up a 4th redbird to manage in my partner's name. No load fees. $2500/day load limit. Free points? No Walmart? What are you waiting for?
Question: what's the best liquidation strategy when closing BB to convert to RB? I don't want any nagging pending...Shall do bill pay to cc and wait for it to post, then close?
Feb 2, 2015, 7:40 pm
#75
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Down South, The Desert
Programs: Marriot Rewards, Southwest Rapid rewards, Emerald Club, Avis Preferred
Posts: 1,871
I forgot about the checks option. I've used them a couple of times...