Wal-Mart, Amex take on banks with Bluebird debit card
Nov 10, 2012, 7:32 pm
#2221
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 699
Only one OD in the area still had any, and I only found 2 (which were behind a PrePaid AMEX, not in the normal Vanilla Reload stock). The manager came out and said that these were no longer being sold because Chase knew what everyone was up to and got OD to stop selling these. There were 2 left and he let me buy them at $200 each, but that was it.
I thought I'd inject some humor into this -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6R5cEEqXpk
I thought I'd inject some humor into this -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6R5cEEqXpk
Nov 10, 2012, 7:37 pm
#2222
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 699
deleted
Last edited by brownie20; Nov 10, 2012 at 7:38 pm Reason: accidental duplicate posting
Nov 10, 2012, 7:48 pm
#2224
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Nomadic
Programs: A Few Here, A Few There
Posts: 76
I thought I'd inject some humor into this -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6R5cEEqXpk
Nov 10, 2012, 7:50 pm
#2225
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 20
Anyone live near Murrietta
Anyone live near Murrietta, CA? It's a worth a trip to the store
Nov 10, 2012, 7:54 pm
#2226
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St Louis, MO
Programs: AA L.T. PLT
Posts: 3,298
Now THAT'S pretty funny. Hyperbole at it's finest!
Nov 10, 2012, 7:58 pm
#2227
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: As many as I can!
Posts: 344
BTW, it still works, but requires an extra step. You can always buy a Visa, AMEX, or MasterCard from Office Depot and buy the Vanilla Reloads at CVS or Walgreen's or anywhere else which takes a credit card.
Yes, you also pay the gift card fee, but something is better than nothing.
Nov 10, 2012, 7:58 pm
#2228
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: BOS, MHT
Programs: AA ltg, B6, DL, UA, AS, SPG/Marriott Plt, HH, Hyatt
Posts: 10,052
Another view to this whole vanilla thing is that maybe it just ran its course. Faster than anticipated but still ran.
I mean it could also have been worse... Chase or bluebird or others could have held up our funds, closed all kinds of accounts, filed fraud and sar reports and pulled a netspend by making countless people wait for a month or longer for their money back.
Instead the vanillas were just pulled. Bleeding stopped at the source. T&cs changed-- like when UA capped the bonus limit on last years' MOM promo only in a way a lot quieter because no Vanilla Insider posted on flyertalk.
But i bet one read the blogs or all these posts.
Most who may have considered getting the bb at wmt were among a rare set of folk who do cash checks legitimately but cutrently have no bank means. Most other wmt check cashing folk are probably illicit and therefore reluctant to get even the bb card.
Since its so new, however, this also leaves us with the bulk of people doing it--and the first users of bill pay with it at wmt, and that would be all of us.
Walmart is not necessarily proven to be the fault here... Do you think the regular check cashing population was buying vanillas? No it was just us doing that. The bb is still good for dd load and debit card bill pay.
If this does continue to tumble, the next thing well see are the debit card banks no longer giving miles or blocking them for certain things
I mean it could also have been worse... Chase or bluebird or others could have held up our funds, closed all kinds of accounts, filed fraud and sar reports and pulled a netspend by making countless people wait for a month or longer for their money back.
Instead the vanillas were just pulled. Bleeding stopped at the source. T&cs changed-- like when UA capped the bonus limit on last years' MOM promo only in a way a lot quieter because no Vanilla Insider posted on flyertalk.
But i bet one read the blogs or all these posts.
Most who may have considered getting the bb at wmt were among a rare set of folk who do cash checks legitimately but cutrently have no bank means. Most other wmt check cashing folk are probably illicit and therefore reluctant to get even the bb card.
Since its so new, however, this also leaves us with the bulk of people doing it--and the first users of bill pay with it at wmt, and that would be all of us.
Walmart is not necessarily proven to be the fault here... Do you think the regular check cashing population was buying vanillas? No it was just us doing that. The bb is still good for dd load and debit card bill pay.
If this does continue to tumble, the next thing well see are the debit card banks no longer giving miles or blocking them for certain things
Nov 10, 2012, 8:00 pm
#2229
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,904
You have such a wonderful way with words!
BTW, it still works, but requires an extra step. You can always buy a Visa, AMEX, or MasterCard from Office Depot and buy the Vanilla Reloads at CVS or Walgreen's or anywhere else which takes a credit card.
Yes, you also pay the gift card fee, but something is better than nothing.
BTW, it still works, but requires an extra step. You can always buy a Visa, AMEX, or MasterCard from Office Depot and buy the Vanilla Reloads at CVS or Walgreen's or anywhere else which takes a credit card.
Yes, you also pay the gift card fee, but something is better than nothing.
Nov 10, 2012, 8:02 pm
#2230
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: BOS, MHT
Programs: AA ltg, B6, DL, UA, AS, SPG/Marriott Plt, HH, Hyatt
Posts: 10,052
You have such a wonderful way with words!
BTW, it still works, but requires an extra step. You can always buy a Visa, AMEX, or MasterCard from Office Depot and buy the Vanilla Reloads at CVS or Walgreen's or anywhere else which takes a credit card.
Yes, you also pay the gift card fee, but something is better than nothing.
BTW, it still works, but requires an extra step. You can always buy a Visa, AMEX, or MasterCard from Office Depot and buy the Vanilla Reloads at CVS or Walgreen's or anywhere else which takes a credit card.
Yes, you also pay the gift card fee, but something is better than nothing.
Nov 10, 2012, 8:06 pm
#2231
Suspended
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: UA 1k, AA EXP, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Platinum
Posts: 257
The only one should be blamed is greedy AmericanExpress.
Vanilla is dead
The whole story behind vanilla is American Express. They always try to take advantage of other bank, especially Chase. American Express prepaid card is unexpected popular because of vanilla, OD and chase. But it is just within points and miles community. Without vanilla, do you still have interest to use american express prepaid card?
American Express is too greedy. Bluebird is disaster for chase. Suddenly everyone knows that trick. It is easy for chase to cut down this deal， just threaten the OD to terminate the relationship if OD continue to sell vanilla.
That is the story.
The whole story behind vanilla is American Express. They always try to take advantage of other bank, especially Chase. American Express prepaid card is unexpected popular because of vanilla, OD and chase. But it is just within points and miles community. Without vanilla, do you still have interest to use american express prepaid card?
American Express is too greedy. Bluebird is disaster for chase. Suddenly everyone knows that trick. It is easy for chase to cut down this deal， just threaten the OD to terminate the relationship if OD continue to sell vanilla.
That is the story.
Nov 10, 2012, 8:10 pm
#2232
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: NYC & PEK
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, UA GS, AA EXP
Posts: 292
Agree, when I know bluebird, I was not happy and I use my ink bold and ink plus buy the maximum vanilla in the following week because I know it will be dead soon.
Nov 10, 2012, 8:17 pm
#2233
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Fort Myers, FL
Programs: Hilton Gold, SPG & IHG Plat, & every airline program that I can join
Posts: 2,279
Great video!
Last edited by JudyJFLA; Nov 10, 2012 at 9:05 pm
Nov 10, 2012, 8:17 pm
#2234
Suspended
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: UA 1k, AA EXP, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Platinum
Posts: 257
I hope we can enjoy this deal one more year. That is 50k*5=250k united miles.
That is almost two round trip business tickets to anywhere.
Nov 10, 2012, 8:19 pm
#2235
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AA EXP (2.5MM), Hilton Gold, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,859
nice random not completely comprehensible thread