Old Oct 25, 2013, 11:21 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: JAXBA
Read the wiki before posting a question.
It's a literacy test that's easy to pass.

This is the Serve thread. Post questions or information concerning other topics in the appropriate threads elsewhere in this forum.

For additional information on using prepaid debit cards, see PIN available now for Visa/MC prepaid debit cards.

Mentions of Softcard (formerly ISIS) are purely incidental to setting up and using Serve/Softcard. Softcard does not hold money, and you cannot load to it.


You cannot make an ACH pull from Serve. The direct deposit account and routing numbers are for deposits only.

https://www.serve.com/#/add-cash

If your card doesn't say "debit" on the front, it isn't a debit card.


Loads at 7-11 and CVS are cash only. Debit cards are NOT allowed.

Loads at Walmart have been confirmed with debit cards. Self checkout does not work for loading Serve. Many Walmart stores are enforcing a rule against the use of prepaid debit 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, then discreetly use your prepaid card when asked to swipe. Otherwise, you may be asked by management to never visit the MC (Walmart Money Center) again to load.

Debit loading at Family Dollar appears to be limited to $500 per day per store total (not per person or per account). Whoever gets there first gets the load for the day. Troubleshooting loading problems at FD


Normal Serve
  • Serve loading via VR/MP or WM/FD load: $2,500/day and $5,000 total per calendar month
  • Online Debit Card Load - $200/day and $1,000/month (NOT a gift card with a PIN that some people call a "Debit card")
  • Online Credit Card Load - $200/day and $1,000/month
  • Checking/Savings Account - $2,000/month
  • Checks - $2,000/day and $10,000/month
  • ATM Withdrawals - $750/day and $2,000/month

You can combine the three methods above and load a total of $7k/month to a single Serve account for miles/points earning purposes, but beware that you're also subject to a $10,000/month add money limit which also includes check deposits, ACH transfers, and Serve transfers.

Serve/Softcard Check if your phone/network is compatible
  • Serve loading via VR/MP or WM/FD load: $2,500/day and $5,000 total per calendar month
  • Online Debit Card Load - $500/day and $1,500/month (NOT a gift card with a PIN that some people call a "Debit card")
  • Online Credit Card Load - $500/day and $1,500/month
  • Checking/Savings Account - $2,000/month
  • Checks - $2,000/day and $10,000/month
  • ATM Withdrawals - $750/day and $2,000/month

You can combine the three methods above and load a total of $8k/month to a single Serve account for miles/points earning purposes, but beware that you're also subject to a $10,000/month add money limit which also includes check deposits, ACH transfers, and Serve transfers.

The SD card in the iPhone case used for Softcard is account specific. Once an account has been registered to a card, it cannot be used for another.

Temp Serve
You can only load a maximum of $500/day, $1000/month on a temporary card. Once you get your permanent card, then you can load more. The initial $500 when you purchase the temp card doesn't count against the $5,000/month load limit.


Online Credit Card Loads
Only one card can be linked at a time.

As of 10/09/14, coding of credit card loads changed. In general, Mastercard and American Express cards post as before; see below for information on point earning. Visa cards transact as a cash advance and, therefore, require available CA limit; although most cards post as a purchase.

The Chase Ink Bold is a charge card and has no cash advance ability.

Treated as purchase, earns cashback/points/miles:
  • Bank of America (FIA) (MasterCard, American Express)
  • Barclaycard (Mastercard, Visa)
  • Capital One (Mastercard, Visa)
  • Chase (MasterCard, Visa)
  • Citi (MasterCard, American Express)
  • Discover

Treated as purchase, but doesn't earn points/miles:
  • American Express (May count toward minimum spend)

Posts as a cash advance:
For online CC/DC loads, the name on the Serve account is supposed to match the name of the primary or joint cardholder. So using someone else's CC/DB card to load a Serve account is not allowed.

Several people have reported no problems with loading with an AU card in the Serve account holder's name. Increase your chances by making sure the AUs social security number is on file with the Credit Card. YMMV.

When adding a new card you will usually need to call Serve Account security (1-800-555-4318) for verification of the new card on the second load try. This verification usually requires uploading of a photo of your ID and the credit card. You may pre-emptively avoid the error by going to the above website, logging in, and uploading a scan of a photo ID and the card you are trying to add. You may call back to expedite approval.


Online Debit Card Loads
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. While initial transactions may work, your account will eventually be flagged.


Switching to Serve or Serve/Softcard
Helpful instruction post, latest. Thanks raeneye.

Also see this thread: Switching from Serve to BlueBird - 31 day wait???

Switching to Serve/Softcard
  1. Call up Bluebird or Serve and close account. Make sure your account is at $0.00 before calling. Just close it, don't ask for a temp Serve or anything. CSR will say account is now closed and you have 30 days to change your mind should you decide to re-open it.
  2. Download the Softcard mobile app from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. If you're an iPhone user you have to buy the NFC CashWrap case from your carrier store.
  3. Launch Softcard Mobile App and create Softcard account. You'll be asked if you want to open a Serve account; Yes you do. Start the registration through Softcard mobile app for a Serve account, once you are finished you will be told you will receive an Email from Amex with your account approval. I waited a few hours and called Serve customer service like the wiki says and completed the registration.
  4. Once I got off the phone with Serve I received an email from Serve where I verified my account and email; at this point Amex Serve is open.
  5. Launch Softcard Mobile app again click add new
  6. Activate card with Softcard and select Amex Serve. Follow the instructions & you're good to add. Once this is complete a Serve Card will populate in Softcard. Must activate physical card to get full load limits. Check account status and it automatically credits to your serve account based on who you signed up with. (Verizon - $25, T-Mobile - $50, AT&T - $30 (For AT&T: Get $15 w/activation. Earn additional $15 w/account replenishment))

Switching from BB to Serve
  1. Login to BB account, bring account balance to Zero, (By Bill Pay, Send money, etc..)
  2. Call BB, tell them that you want to open a serve account and close your current BB account. after they check everything they will say something like: "Your account will be permanently closed after 31 days, you can reopen it within 31 day if you change your mind, and you can apply for your new Serve account now, just make sure use the exact same register info from BB."
  3. at this point BB is closed. next morning, goto CVS and get a temporary Serve card (only with cash), load $500, ($2.95 waived, Yeah!!)
  4. get back home, register temporary Serve online, First error: "phone number already registered, please try a different number" could be the my BB's ghost account still showing up on their system, could be my info is not match my BB's registration? i'm not really sure at this point. What I did is keep the same number but change from Cell phone to home phone. and registration went through
  5. after the register and login, second error: "We're still processing your application. Please check your email for an update"
  6. I have see people on the thread reported waiting for weeks for the same message, So, I pickup the phone and called them, ask them to speed up the process.
  7. CSR, told me that my account went to "account security protection department" transfer me to them.
  8. at account security protection department, they told me need to call back on my phone number which I registered to verify.
  9. after the call back of verification, CSR told me that my new Serve account is active now, email address verification will be send with in 5 minutes, permanent card will be received within 7-10 days.
  10. CSR also told me the I can load and spend on the temporary card, but not bill pay.

The number to call to approve your registration after closing Bluebird: Serve Account security 1-800-555-4318



Loading with debit card at Walmart register
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.

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.


Using Serve
For online bill pay
  • You can pay the credit card that you used to buy VRs/GCs
  • 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



For bank transfers
Under Settings --> Funding & Transfers --> Bank & Cards --> U.S. Bank Account, you can add your bank info and transfer funds from your Serve card directly to your bank. The bank account must be verified, either by the standard "deposit 2 small sums into your account, such as $0.23 & $0.42" method, or doing an "instant verification" by actually logging into your bank account while still logged into Serve.
===

People with an apartment address can find helpful information quoted in post #8530
Print Wikipost

Serve - Another Paypal/Amazon Payments.

Old Mar 5, 2012, 7:37 pm
  #211  
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Scenic Great Plains USA
Programs: AGR Starwood Whoever I can get points with :D
Posts: 677
Originally Posted by ORD-TGU
Yes, i can verify that AMEX cards will not earn points. I have tried SPG and HH. I now use Chase and they do issue points. No fees for AMEX or CHASE. If you want to help meet minimum spend on AMEX, Serve will NOT count!
Thanks for the info. I can handle the not meeting minimum spend, but wanted to top off my SPG account with a few hundred points. Bummer.
MJLouise is offline  
Old Mar 6, 2012, 2:34 am
  #212  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: AA PLT 2MM
Posts: 2,026
Originally Posted by ORD-TGU
Yes, i can verify that AMEX cards will not earn points. I have tried SPG and HH. I now use Chase and they do issue points. No fees for AMEX or CHASE. If you want to help meet minimum spend on AMEX, Serve will NOT count!
Interesting. Not that one should expect 'real' AMEX cards to behave like Citi AMEX, but, I can say that purchases at Serve does qualify for AAdvantage miles using the Citi AA AMEX. I used to use Serve all the time to help me hit the monthly extra 750 miles for spending $750 retention bonus.

Kind of thought I had used SPG, but, alas I look at my serve account, and I've never in fact added the SPG card to it -- thanks for the warning.
thehawk75 is offline  
Old Mar 7, 2012, 2:58 am
  #213  
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Manchester,UK and NYC
Programs: One Pass, BAEC, AA
Posts: 708
I have been using Serve since July 2011 - using either Chase or Citi cards, funding of Serve account always treated as Purchase and respective points earned on the funding credit card.

Each month I also make a withdrawal from Serve to a Citi checking account which requires one time a month Direct Deposit. No problems - until today !!

I requested a withdrawal on March 5 - all appeared OK.

Today I received the following email from Serve:

Dear Serve Customer



We have permanently closed your Serve account due to violation of Section 11 in the Serve User Agreement (http://www.serve.com/legal.html#eligibility):

11. Restricted Activities and Required Licenses.

a. Restricted Activities.

.... you agree that you will not and you will have any Authorized User agree that such Authorized User will not:

I wont list all the points - but the following were highlighted in RED:

(8) Provide yourself or Authorized Users a cash advance from your credit card;

(14) Use your Account, Sub-Account, the Service or a Serve Sales Widget in a manner that we believe may be a violation of any applicable electronic payment network rules, card association or network rules, National Automated Clearinghouse Association rules or Applicable Law;


A quick search on Fat Wallet also shows several posters in the past 2 weeks having their Serve accounts closed.

Going back through some old emails - it seems on Jan 24th Serve sent an email stating some changes in their T+C. Quite possible that the RED terms above were added then - just speculating.

I'll need to make a call to Serve later today, as there was about $350 in the account - not sure if this will be refunded back to the credit card that originally funded the Serve account - will update accordingly.

UPDATE: Full refund on my credit card account the following day after Serve closed my account - no call required.

Last edited by forextrader; Mar 8, 2012 at 9:52 am
forextrader is offline  
Old Mar 8, 2012, 3:49 pm
  #214  
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Scenic Great Plains USA
Programs: AGR Starwood Whoever I can get points with :D
Posts: 677
Hmm. I wonder if making a couple of small purchases with the card would help keep it under the radar.
MJLouise is offline  
Old Mar 9, 2012, 7:26 am
  #215  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: AA EP; WN CP;UA SILVER; MARRIOTT TITANIUM; HH DIAMOND; IHG PLAT; RADISSON PLAT; HYATT GLOBAL
Posts: 1,937
So based on the previous posts, and new T&C that you can't "Provide yourself or Authorized Users a cash advance from your credit card", the practice of $100+$100+$50 cc funding and then withdrawl to bank will get you closed down, how about instead of bank withdrawl an ATM withdrawl? I avoid this because of the $2 ATM fee, but I am just curious.

Anyways, serve's $250 monthly maximum plus limited daily transactions is a lot of work for a little reward.
ORD-TGU is offline  
Old Mar 9, 2012, 10:31 am
  #216  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: AA PLT 2MM
Posts: 2,026
Why not leave the $250 in the Serve account for a while instead of immediate withdrawal? Is that penny or two of interest you're forgoing of some worry?

Not saying it won't prevent your account from getting shut down anyway, however, perhaps leaving the funds for a month or three might at least give the illusion you're not completely abusing the program if someone is doing a manual audit.

At the end of the day though, it doesn't really matter, it's only $250 CC spending a month. A more drastic loss would be AP.
thehawk75 is offline  
Old Mar 10, 2012, 6:33 am
  #217  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Seems you are making the assumption that the cardinals cannot use automated tools to sweep all accounts for the type of activity described in FT. Of course, they would never follow the public conversations in FT and the Easter Bunny worked at the US Mint.

Take the shop talk about who, what and where into PMs. Make the redbirds work a little harder for their birdseed. And our feathered friends at NPR and the WSJ, too.


Originally Posted by thehawk75
Not saying it won't prevent your account from getting shut down anyway, however, perhaps leaving the funds for a month or three might at least give the illusion you're not completely abusing the program if someone is doing a *manual audit*.
AlohaDaveKennedy is offline  
Old Mar 10, 2012, 7:59 pm
  #218  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: New Orleans on a sabattical. My roots are in Los Angeles.
Programs: Chase Palladium, AMEX Plat, UA Plat, AA EXP, HH/SPG G, PC plat
Posts: 340
Originally Posted by AlohaDaveKennedy
Please keep the tradecraft off the board once you figure the correct approach.
=) I wonder how many techniques are out there that are totally isolated from the board.
rizwank is offline  
Old Mar 11, 2012, 4:20 am
  #219  
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Manchester,UK and NYC
Programs: One Pass, BAEC, AA
Posts: 708
Originally Posted by MJLouise
Hmm. I wonder if making a couple of small purchases with the card would help keep it under the radar.
I would use the Serve debit card a few times a month for small purchases - and would usually not withdraw funds for a few weeks after arranging the transfers from the credit card.

Serve auto programs simply caught what I was doing and closed down the account.
forextrader is offline  
Old Mar 19, 2012, 1:46 pm
  #220  
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 7
Originally Posted by forextrader
I have been using Serve since July 2011 - using either Chase or Citi cards, funding of Serve account always treated as Purchase and respective points earned on the funding credit card.

Each month I also make a withdrawal from Serve to a Citi checking account which requires one time a month Direct Deposit. No problems - until today !!

I requested a withdrawal on March 5 - all appeared OK.

Today I received the following email from Serve:

Dear Serve Customer



We have permanently closed your Serve account due to violation of Section 11 in the Serve User Agreement (http://www.serve.com/legal.html#eligibility):

11. Restricted Activities and Required Licenses.

a. Restricted Activities.

.... you agree that you will not and you will have any Authorized User agree that such Authorized User will not:

I wont list all the points - but the following were highlighted in RED:

(8) Provide yourself or Authorized Users a cash advance from your credit card;

(14) Use your Account, Sub-Account, the Service or a Serve Sales Widget in a manner that we believe may be a violation of any applicable electronic payment network rules, card association or network rules, National Automated Clearinghouse Association rules or Applicable Law;


A quick search on Fat Wallet also shows several posters in the past 2 weeks having their Serve accounts closed.

Going back through some old emails - it seems on Jan 24th Serve sent an email stating some changes in their T+C. Quite possible that the RED terms above were added then - just speculating.

I'll need to make a call to Serve later today, as there was about $350 in the account - not sure if this will be refunded back to the credit card that originally funded the Serve account - will update accordingly.

UPDATE: Full refund on my credit card account the following day after Serve closed my account - no call required.
I just got the same email. I still had $250 in my account that was in the process of being withdrawn. Still haven't got it yet. I'll see what happens
gotoma is offline  
Old Mar 19, 2012, 2:49 pm
  #221  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: UA 2P, HHonors Gold
Posts: 23
Originally Posted by gotoma
I just got the same email. I still had $250 in my account that was in the process of being withdrawn. Still haven't got it yet. I'll see what happens
Add me to the list of closed accounts. Still have $10 left in the account with about $200 in the process being withdrawn when I received the email.
UAbruin is offline  
Old Mar 19, 2012, 3:23 pm
  #222  
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Scenic Great Plains USA
Programs: AGR Starwood Whoever I can get points with :D
Posts: 677
I haven't yet cashed out any cc deposits from last month or this. Best bet is to use the one free ATM withdrawal of the month? How do you find a local ATM that is fee-free?
MJLouise is offline  
Old Mar 20, 2012, 9:21 am
  #223  
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 7
I'm gonna wait a bit and see. Hopefully there's no hassle and they actual deposit it for me.
gotoma is offline  
Old May 14, 2012, 4:38 pm
  #224  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: AA PLT 2MM
Posts: 2,026
So, anyone with the closed accounts eventually get their money out?

Did they allow you to withdraw to bank, or, did they go back and reverse all your CC Fundings for months on end until it equaled what was in your account?

I note they haven't made announcement of extending the 'fee waiver' on using the credit card. In past they did this well before this point. It seems 'for real' now that June 1st really will be the end of this.

It has been fun, even if for but a small monthly amount.
thehawk75 is offline  
Old May 16, 2012, 1:27 pm
  #225  
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX
Programs: AA PLT / 2MM
Posts: 2,113
I just noticed, " Serve load fees waived through March 15, 2013. "

Yippie.
LAX_Esq is offline  

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