Jan 7, 2016, 8:18 am
Last edit by: RedSun
This is the 2016 and onwards Bluebird thread.
The original discussion. The previous 2013- 2014 megathread. The previous 2015 megathread.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read the wiki before posting a question.
The most recent huge wave of shutdowns occurred in May 2019.
Most accounts used for MS were shut down on Jan 8, 2016. Another wave of shutdowns occurred on March 4, 2016. Using Bluebird for MS is very likely to lead to account closure. There is no clear pattern as to how to avoid the account shut-downs. Some of the dormant accounts were not shut down.
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.
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.
The original discussion. The previous 2013- 2014 megathread. The previous 2015 megathread.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read the wiki before posting a question.
The most recent huge wave of shutdowns occurred in May 2019.
Most accounts used for MS were shut down on Jan 8, 2016. Another wave of shutdowns occurred on March 4, 2016. Using Bluebird for MS is very likely to lead to account closure. There is no clear pattern as to how to avoid the account shut-downs. Some of the dormant accounts were not shut down.
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.
For information on switching from BB to Serve, see the Serve thread wiki.
Bluebird Load Limits:
- Cash loading: $2,500 ($1,999.99 at Walmart) per card per day; $9,000 per day all BB cards combined; $5,000 total per calendar month each card; $10,000 calendar month and $100,000 per year all BB cards combined for each SSN.
- Direct Deposit: $100,000 per year
- Online Debit Card Load* - $200/day and $1,000/month
- Checking/Savings Account - $2,000/month
- Mobile Check Capture by Ingo® Money - $5,000/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 master thread (2016 onwards)
Jan 8, 2016, 9:23 am
#31
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Columbia, SC
Programs: AA Plat, SPG/Marriot Gold, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Expl
Posts: 2,363
Same here. I used it to load VGCs, and then pay bills -- mortgage, credit cards, utilities. How is this unusual??
Jan 8, 2016, 9:41 am
#32
Join Date: May 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: UA-Gold AA-Gold, Marriott Lifetime Tit. Elite
Posts: 299
most probably they didn't like that you loaded with VGC...from this thread anyways, that seems the commonality
p.s.
it's a belated Xmas present from AMEX to BB customers
p.s.
it's a belated Xmas present from AMEX to BB customers
Jan 8, 2016, 9:47 am
#33
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,072
Loading VGCs is almost definitionally "unusual." It's astonishing this wasn't shut down years ago.
Jan 8, 2016, 9:48 am
#34
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Columbia, SC
Programs: AA Plat, SPG/Marriot Gold, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Expl
Posts: 2,363
The transaction on BB account says "Cash load @Walmart".
Jan 8, 2016, 9:51 am
#35
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 298
Spelling
Last edited by EWRfflyer; Jan 8, 2016 at 9:57 am
Jan 8, 2016, 10:03 am
#36
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: DCA
Posts: 7,769
It was a feature built into the system. Somebody had to write the code. I'm not sure I'd consider utilizing that feature to be "definitionally unusual".
This we can all agree on.
Customer sees that (and keep in mind BB's target audience isn't exactly accountants and the like), but I'd assume they have more detailed info on the back end.
This we can all agree on.
Customer sees that (and keep in mind BB's target audience isn't exactly accountants and the like), but I'd assume they have more detailed info on the back end.
Jan 8, 2016, 10:11 am
#37
Join Date: May 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: UA-Gold AA-Gold, Marriott Lifetime Tit. Elite
Posts: 299
I.e. having to show an ID when depositing cash to your OWN bank account..even for trivial amounts seems a bit overkill. But that was implemented 1-2yrs ago "to prevent money laundering". This is just another effect of various rules/regs/laws I'm betting.
Jan 8, 2016, 10:16 am
#38
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,072
Customer sees that (and keep in mind BB's target audience isn't exactly accountants and the like), but I'd assume they have more detailed info on the back end.
Jan 8, 2016, 11:45 am
#40
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,784
As with Redbird at Target, they no longer want folks to use it for MS. So they are shutting that down. Why they have to be so rude about it, closing the accounts instead of just hard coding against GC loads, is beyond me.
Jan 8, 2016, 11:59 am
#41
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,784
Now What?
Not that big a problem for me with BofA, Chase, Citi, and US. I can just buy MOs with my GCs, and pay off my cc bills with those at the branches.
But AMEX and Barclays are a different matter. I don't want to just mail them the MOs, and I'd rather not cycle tens of thousands of $ thru my checking accounts each month. Any ideas how to pay AMEX and Barclays?
But AMEX and Barclays are a different matter. I don't want to just mail them the MOs, and I'd rather not cycle tens of thousands of $ thru my checking accounts each month. Any ideas how to pay AMEX and Barclays?
Jan 8, 2016, 1:16 pm
#42
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,072
Not that big a problem for me with BofA, Chase, Citi, and US. I can just buy MOs with my GCs, and pay off my cc bills with those at the branches.
But AMEX and Barclays are a different matter. I don't want to just mail them the MOs, and I'd rather not cycle tens of thousands of $ thru my checking accounts each month. Any ideas how to pay AMEX and Barclays?
But AMEX and Barclays are a different matter. I don't want to just mail them the MOs, and I'd rather not cycle tens of thousands of $ thru my checking accounts each month. Any ideas how to pay AMEX and Barclays?
Jan 8, 2016, 4:27 pm
#43
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 53
I didn't get shut down (yet). But I used BB only for legitimate spend, not manufactured. So my transactions are consistent with my income reported during the BB application process, and consistent w/ my tax returns. Sometimes I loaded full-value 500's, sometimes I split them. I have other Amex products (credit). I didn't ever link any other bank account to my BB. A couple times I deposited checks from outside sources. I use BB to pay bills (but not cc bills), using the BB checks as well as the online billpay, and use it for purchasing when cc's aren't taken.
Thus, I'm just a regular user. If I had to make a guess, I'd say that the people who were shut down had BB volume inconsistent with their income. But, who knows? Perhaps I just haven't received the email yet.
I haven't loaded a VGC in awhile. But just bought one a few days ago and had to phone in and was seriously questioned by the selling company... they wanted to know why I'd buy such a large dollar amount of GC ($500 is large?). So it seems the entire VGC market is under scrutiny.
Thus, I'm just a regular user. If I had to make a guess, I'd say that the people who were shut down had BB volume inconsistent with their income. But, who knows? Perhaps I just haven't received the email yet.
I haven't loaded a VGC in awhile. But just bought one a few days ago and had to phone in and was seriously questioned by the selling company... they wanted to know why I'd buy such a large dollar amount of GC ($500 is large?). So it seems the entire VGC market is under scrutiny.
Jan 8, 2016, 6:15 pm
#44
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,784
I'm well aware that depositing huge sums of MOs on a monthly basis to a single checking account can cause undue attention. Although I've seen multiple posts of people doing that successfully by splitting the deposits among multiple banks. But I'm not aware of reports of people having problems paying their ccs bills at bank branches with MOs. Can you point me to some data points on that?
Jan 8, 2016, 6:34 pm
#45
Join Date: May 2011
Location: SEA
Posts: 62
BB account and so's Serve account shut down today. Oh, well.