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)
Apr 21, 2017, 2:57 pm
#541
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,418
I had a BB card that i used to do MS with back in 2015. But i have stopped MS now. My BB was never sht down. I have around 1k left in my BB back from the days. I use it to write checks to pay HOA. But haven't loaded any money in 2 years. If i try to load a gc via wm register, will i get shut down? Anyone tried this recently?
If you can fund your BB via direct deposit, then you are good to go with using the account any way you deem fit with the prior knowledge that AMEX has shut BB accounts down for funding them with GCs.
Apr 21, 2017, 3:59 pm
#542
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 3
Haven't read through all the pages on here but nothing came up when I searched... I'm having issues doing a split-transaction BB load with MGCs from US Bank. I never get the option to change from credit to debit. Single card loads are working just fine. Just wanted to throw out that data point for anyone else running into the same issue.
Apr 24, 2017, 10:55 am
#543
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 200
Haven't read through all the pages on here but nothing came up when I searched... I'm having issues doing a split-transaction BB load with MGCs from US Bank. I never get the option to change from credit to debit. Single card loads are working just fine. Just wanted to throw out that data point for anyone else running into the same issue.
Jun 5, 2017, 12:54 pm
#544
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Posts: 1,277
Got an email saying my Bluebird was getting shut down on 1/3. Got an email 6/3 reminding me to reload my account.
Tried to from a debit card/checking account and it said I can't. Oh well. Was hoping maybe I would be able to use it again.
Tried to from a debit card/checking account and it said I can't. Oh well. Was hoping maybe I would be able to use it again.
Jun 6, 2017, 10:13 pm
#545
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 39
Confirming Bluebird is still loadable at WM registers. Loaded over the weekend. Using a bit of organic spend to avoid future shut down.
Jun 7, 2017, 1:03 am
#546
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 30
Re-opening BB
Mine got shut down a while ago, and I've left it open in case something changed. But if by closing it, I can open another, I'd gladly do that.
Thanks in advance
Jun 7, 2017, 10:07 am
#547
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 89
Hi, was just wondering about your reopening your account. Did you open another BB, or difference product like Serve? Did you use the same ID info (e.g. SS, DOB, address, etc)? Did you re/open multiple versions--e.g. BB, Serve?
Mine got shut down a while ago, and I've left it open in case something changed. But if by closing it, I can open another, I'd gladly do that.
Thanks in advance
Mine got shut down a while ago, and I've left it open in case something changed. But if by closing it, I can open another, I'd gladly do that.
Thanks in advance
Jun 11, 2017, 4:35 pm
#550
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 99
Got 10k of MS to do to meet min spend for a bunch of cards. I realize this may get banned. Was previously banned from serve like others and am glad they let me open a bird. Is anyone sprinkling in some organic pay to avoid ban hammer. Worse I figure I could do 10k in two months before getting the ban hammer.
Jul 5, 2017, 9:10 am
#552
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 12
Wondering what the recent protocol is on BB to avoid shutdown? Considering opening an account, but not sure if it is worth it. How much MS can one get away with and what is the suggested way to go about it?
Jul 7, 2017, 8:27 am
#553
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 91
Either do low volume and hope to fly under the radar or time when you open account to closer to end of month and max it for two months and close account before BB drops the hammer. Rinse and repeat. I'd prefer the latter.
Jul 8, 2017, 2:02 pm
#554
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 12
Thanks for the tips - can you clarify low volume? under $1K/month loaded via GC to BB?
Jul 9, 2017, 7:17 pm
#555
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,932
Perhaps low enough would be something like the occasional (once every few months?) $500 gift card deposit, then leaving it in your Bluebird account, maybe making one or two purchases with it before sometime later transferring the rest to your bank account? But I don't know how far you'd have to go to "disguise" it to be sure it's low enough.
The idea of the above example is to make it look like you deposited the GC because you were going to use the Bluebird for some spend, but most of the spend didn't work out, and so you stopped doing spend with that Bluebird money after a bit, and then later decided it made more sense to have it in your bank account instead. Ie, the goal is to not make it look like the only reason you deposited the GC to Blubird was to turn around and send it to your bank account.
Ie, "low enough" is so that it doesn't "smell" to Amex like MS. $1k/month surely "smell" to Amex like MS if they're looking for that, don't you think?
Or, put another way, "low enough" would be way below the point of support full-time MS. It might be able to support occasional light MS only to help make a spending threshold on a new card signup bonus now and then (but not to do the whole spend requirement via Bluebird MS, only the last bit of it if you can't quite do all of it via "natural" spend or deferred spend).
