Originally Posted by
pritomd
So maybe a year or two ago (shortly after Redbird died), I opened OneVIP. I had just this single account, and loaded only to this one account. Worked fine for a bit, but got shut down in their first wave of shut downs.
I've read the last few pages, and it seems like the Serve strategy has changed a bit. Is it true that A) I should have multiple cards open to spread the loading (i.e. OneVIP, BB, etc.) and then B) I should close them after a month or two and open new accounts?
Thanks in advance! I've just started MOs and it's a bit of a hassle since I don't have a bank that takes them via app and I don't like waiting for mail deposits.
The first issue is whether you can get new Serve or BB cards in light of your prior shutdown. You probably won't be able to do so under your SSN, but may be able to do so if you have a SO or someone else who can apply for the cards.
Regardless of whether you decide to open and close them every couple of months, IMO you should get multiple cards to get the most out of them for however long you can keep them open. In my experience, once you get shutdown, you're shutdown on all Serve/BB cards in your name under your SSN. So why not get the most out of multiple cards rather than just one, before you get shutdown.
I think the jury is still out on whether opening and closing cards every few months staves off shutdown. I have been doing it this year, and haven't been shut down yet, but there hasn't been a big wave of shutdowns since January of 2017 to my knowledge. The fact that I haven't been able to open any new accounts lately, but can still load on the two cards I still have, suggests that maybe AmEx won't let some people open new accounts if they have opened and closed several over the last few months under the same name and SSN. That's why I'm now keeping the two I have open unless and until I know I can get approved for a new card. I don't want to close them voluntarily and then not be able to open any new accounts.