Wal-Mart, Amex take on banks with Bluebird debit card
Nov 10, 2012, 8:07 am
#2041
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: DTW
Programs: AA Gold, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 819
Ok I'm at OD right now. Bad, bad news. Someone just called (within 10 minutes of opening time) and the person said "We don't carry that product anymore." The guy then went into detail with a co worker about how they weren't carrying reloads anymore. They will be carrying a different Amex Prepaid apparently, but max load with a debit or credit card is $200. The Amex Prepaid and Bean section is cleared out, all price tags removed, all product removed, and replaced with blank white placards. I'll take a picture with my phone and I'll try to post it when I get home.
Nov 10, 2012, 8:12 am
#2042
Suspended
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 233
There were some naysayers last week warning that the AX no-fee HHonors card won't get 6X points at WalMarts. I just got my statement and I can ABSOLUTELY CONFIRM that AX codes purchases at Neighborhood WMs as grocery stores and gives 6X! WM supercenters aren't coded as grocery, but NWMs are! And of course Chase codes WM as grocery.
Nov 10, 2012, 8:26 am
#2043
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,396
It was nice to walk into an OD yesterday evening in southern california and see a couple buying an entire stack of vanilla reloads, leaving not a single card on the rack. They were kind enough to explain to the clerk and the manager that it wasn't fraud, all the ins and outs of points and miles, and even remind them that they filled out the survey on the receipt.
This is how deals like this die, and also how accounts get shut down.
This is how deals like this die, and also how accounts get shut down.
Nov 10, 2012, 8:46 am
#2044
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
Nov 10, 2012, 8:52 am
#2045
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
Nov 10, 2012, 9:01 am
#2047
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,708
My guess is all the normal thread participants are at their local OD. We should know by the end of the day if this only applies to certain stores or if it is indeed some kind of nationwide change.
Nov 10, 2012, 9:09 am
#2048
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 193
Originally Posted by Rommie2k6:19659055
Nov 10, 2012, 9:20 am
#2050
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Washington State
Programs: UA, Starwood, AAdvantage, Alaska, BAEC, Marriott, Hawaiian, Hilton HHonors
Posts: 255
Office Depot is nothing more than a retailer for the Vanilla product. They do not own the program
so it doesn't make any sense that they would decide on their own to not offer it as a sale that
they make a profit on. I went into an OD yesterday and found almost fifty of the cards. I purchased
four and loaded $500 on each one using a credit card with no issue at all from the cashier.
If anyone might whine about abuse one day it could only come from American Express
and their Bluebird product since that is where any financial loss could actually occur.
Certainly OD isn't going to lose a penny if they sell a thousand cards a day so I think it's
nonsense to worry about them.
so it doesn't make any sense that they would decide on their own to not offer it as a sale that
they make a profit on. I went into an OD yesterday and found almost fifty of the cards. I purchased
four and loaded $500 on each one using a credit card with no issue at all from the cashier.
If anyone might whine about abuse one day it could only come from American Express
and their Bluebird product since that is where any financial loss could actually occur.
Certainly OD isn't going to lose a penny if they sell a thousand cards a day so I think it's
nonsense to worry about them.
Nov 10, 2012, 9:24 am
#2052
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Chicagoland, IL, USA
Programs: WN CP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,192
Nov 10, 2012, 9:25 am
#2053
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
Office Depot is nothing more than a retailer for the Vanilla product. They do not own the program
so it doesn't make any sense that they would decide on their own to not offer it as a sale that
they make a profit on. I went into an OD yesterday and found almost fifty of the cards. I purchased
four and loaded $500 on each one using a credit card with no issue at all from the cashier.
If anyone might whine about abuse one day it could only come from American Express
and their Bluebird product since that is where any financial loss could actually occur.
Certainly OD isn't going to lose a penny if they sell a thousand cards a day so I think it's
nonsense to worry about them.
so it doesn't make any sense that they would decide on their own to not offer it as a sale that
they make a profit on. I went into an OD yesterday and found almost fifty of the cards. I purchased
four and loaded $500 on each one using a credit card with no issue at all from the cashier.
If anyone might whine about abuse one day it could only come from American Express
and their Bluebird product since that is where any financial loss could actually occur.
Certainly OD isn't going to lose a penny if they sell a thousand cards a day so I think it's
nonsense to worry about them.
Correct. I don't think anyone will report it, but most ODs open at 9AM, and it is only 11:26 in the east. West coast stores aren't even open yet, and not everyone wakes up early. I also assume nobody will report a store in any remotely specific area that DOES have them. Everything will go close to the vest now.
Nov 10, 2012, 9:43 am
#2054
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 586
It's a federal crackdown. They want to easily see the paper-trail.