FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - How to avoid BlueBird shut downs. Share your thoughts here.
Old Feb 11, 2013, 3:20 pm
  #18  
lkar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,782
If the Blue Bird hammer ever drops, my suspicion is that we're all likely targets. You can make a list of best practices and speculate on risk as much as you want, but if Amex decides to start shut downs, they may very well go with people who do multiple VR loads, in which case all of us except the debit card loaders are screwed.

Personally, I do some little things. I don't pay Amex bills with BB. I don't pay myself with checks. I try to mix up my VR purchase prices if I'm buying VR's with an Amex card. (For example, I might buy a $480 VR, or add a small item, or partial pay with a different card.) I occasionally swipe my BB to make a purchase here or there. I have linked my bank account, but haven't withdrawn to it yet, may never, and, in fact, I added a small amount via the bank account just for kicks. Once drug store bonuses go away on my favorite card, I'm going to start loading some amount each month with debit at Wal-Mart just to mix it up.

Do any of these help? Likely no. Either Amex doesn't and will never care or, if they do start to care, their filter for deciding improper activity will be broad enough to catch me despite these modest measures.
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