RIP Redbird... Fun while it lasted
#256
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 15
For those of you that have gotten shutdown, is there any collateral damage with your other Amex cards, specifically credit cards?
#258
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, AA Plat
Posts: 128
RIP Redbird... Fun while it lasted
If it is a hoax (which I don't think it is), I'm not sure what the point is. If the shut downs are fake, then no one will get shut down and we will all continuing using our Target Redcards to MS. Unless they are doing it just for giggles? Or to push us all to change our behaviors and be less obvious?
#259
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 110
If it is a hoax (which I don't think it is), I'm not sure what the point is. If the shut downs are fake, then no one will get shut down and we will all continuing using our Target Redcards to MS. Unless they are doing it just for giggles? Or to push us all to change our behaviors and be less obvious?
#260
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 23
If it is a hoax (which I don't think it is), I'm not sure what the point is. If the shut downs are fake, then no one will get shut down and we will all continuing using our Target Redcards to MS. Unless they are doing it just for giggles? Or to push us all to change our behaviors and be less obvious?
#261
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,269
If I had to guess, I'd say its both of the things you said. People on the internet love to troll other people. Any forums you'll ever read have trolls that just post things to get a rise out of people. They also might think scaring people will make them change their behavior, thus making it last longer for them.
#262
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 253
Anyone MS'ing using this card would certainly know that program abuse was the reason, so a mere mention of not using the card as intended would suffice. But if the idea is to publicize the letter to others and leave no doubt in the readers' minds what they should not be doing, well. . . .
#263
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 23
Also keep in mind that it wouldn't be the first time a hoax like this is posted on flyertalk. See http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....tdowns-a-hoax/
Furthermore, I find it odd that now there's people who seem to be using the redcard as it IS intended (at least they claim) and still get shut down. (And then disappear of course)
#264
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 31
If it is a hoax (which I don't think it is), I'm not sure what the point is. If the shut downs are fake, then no one will get shut down and we will all continuing using our Target Redcards to MS. Unless they are doing it just for giggles? Or to push us all to change our behaviors and be less obvious?
After reading these pages for a long time now and only posting very recently, there is very clearly a group of posters, potentially backed by the mods given the replies to posts I have seen deleted in other threads (H.E.L.L.O. method thread especially, check out the cached version if you're interested), that want less people to MS.
They go about this in a couple different ways, the first being with love. They implore you, the new MS'er, not to ruin it for everyone and to understand how your actions affect the whole group. They say lots of things that sound like they make sense for your own benefit. When really, IMO, its unfounded paranoia. There hasn't been a single MS method shutdown due to MS, they've all been for legit fraud, money laundering, they were poorly conceived items that made no money, etc. But, these people I have no quarrel with, at least their hearts in the right place and telling people to be smart, go slow and use their heads is never really a bad thing.
Then other posters, try to cull the herd with misinformation. The pattern goes like this - someone will post some new method of MS here (HELLO, Prepaidian, etc) and then posters, mostly long time members with 100s of posts, will out and out lie that said method doesn't work or threaten people who post about it. And then, new accounts with almost no posts will pop up to back what the poster with 100s of posts said.
This thread is one of the second types. MS'ers out there believe that too many people are using the Redbird and not using it how these old sage MS'ers think is appropriate. People have pleaded with the noobs to do it better, do it the right way.
And oh noes, a couple weeks ago a bunch of people called Target when their 100's of dollars disappeared. Who wouldn't want to know where their 100s of dollars went? The only way this is perceived as a bad thing is if you think you're using the Redbird incorrectly, and these people were not, they were using it Exactly how Target says to - load it up, buy some stuff at target and pay your bills. But to the old sage MS-er these noobs broke the rules, time to get them to stop. So a hoax is cooked up that pressed all of FT's buttons and sent out. The reasons the email are fake are clear - No Id number at the bottom, has would be capitalized, quotes around cash, $1000 with no comma, $1000 before $500 - that's just sloppy OP, and most damning in my mind - half of its is in purple, just like what happens if you cut and paste an in email into word and edit it, the colors get messed up.
But here's the thing about misinformation - you can't control it. Unintended consequences will happen. Sometimes these unintended consequences could undermine the very goal the old sages are out to achieve. So my problem with it, other than lying liars suck, its that its a bad plan, its a terrible plan.
So, old sages, get a better plan.
Additionally, there is an added benefit here is that this story has been picked up by the blogs. The FT community hates the blogs, Hates like a fat kid hates celery. The Prepaidian thread was essentially a test to see how fast the blogs would pick up on something posted here, and the answer, very quickly. Say what you will about the blogs, I like them, but I'm just pointing out that showing the power of FT and how it controls the travel/credit card blogosphere is another motivation here.
#265
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: AA EXP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 394
Heaven forbid I post something as a new user, now people think I am someone else. Delete.
Last edited by chitink; Mar 5, 2015 at 8:05 am
#266
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 62
For those that are creating hoax emails, AmEx and Target invest a lot in building and protecting their brand. They are liti-happy and I’m sure they’re working on identifying individuals involved with this hoax and pursuing legal action against them. I hope you have good attorneys...
#267
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: Spg Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 1,578
In light of the recent emails that indicate Redbird accounts will be closed, I'm curious… I currently have a Serve and a couple BlueBirds. I opened up a RedBird and made the initial $1,500 load. I'm still waiting for the permanent RedBird and planned to convert both BlueBirds and Serve to RedBirds… but now I've placed the conversion plan are on hold.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO: DITCH SERVE / BLUEBIRD, or DITCH REDBIRD?
I'm especially tempted to close the RedBird and convert it to a SoftServe since those accounts with the higher limits will likely be unavailable after March 31, 2015. Thanks for your thoughts.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO: DITCH SERVE / BLUEBIRD, or DITCH REDBIRD?
I'm especially tempted to close the RedBird and convert it to a SoftServe since those accounts with the higher limits will likely be unavailable after March 31, 2015. Thanks for your thoughts.
#269
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: DTW
Programs: Dirt Status w/ All
Posts: 5,040
Target changed their website today:
https://amex.serve.com/prepaidredcard/
It used to read load with a credit card, it no longer reads that.
https://amex.serve.com/prepaidredcard/
It used to read load with a credit card, it no longer reads that.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150220...prepaidredcard
I recall specifically looking at this when I signed up in January and it did not say credit cards were allowed.
#270
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 23
Not according to the Wayback machine and their archive from Feb 20th.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150220...prepaidredcard
I recall specifically looking at this when I signed up in January and it did not say credit cards were allowed.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150220...prepaidredcard
I recall specifically looking at this when I signed up in January and it did not say credit cards were allowed.