Wal-Mart, Amex take on banks with Bluebird debit card
Oct 27, 2012, 5:06 pm
#841
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Florida
Programs: UA Premier Gold, TK Elite Card, AF Gold Medallion
Posts: 256
Oct 27, 2012, 5:16 pm
#842
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,516
I visited 2 Walgreens today. Both of them have 50+ Vanillas, but register says "cash only for this item". I asked cashier to call manager to override. While I waited manager, cashier told me that they had a "special training" how to deal with this (reload packs) and it is for sure that credit cards not allowed (only debit or cash). Manager came, and confirmed that now Walgreens have a policy for such cards not accept CC as payment. I said that sometimes manager can override this, and she replied that since recently if manager does it (override), penalty will be severe (i.e. she will be fired). I don't know if she made it up or not. The only place here where I can buy icecream is OD.
Oct 27, 2012, 5:18 pm
#843
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
FWIW just saw an ad for Bluebird on ESPN2 during college football.
Oct 27, 2012, 5:20 pm
#844
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,516
Is it correct, that in order to reload BB in Walmart, I have to go cashier? I assume "yes", but hoped for automatic reloading (like ATM terminal). I saw a BB stand in Walmart with fake terminal. In our Walmart there are always huge lines for checkout and only few lines are open, so waiting time might be very long.
Oct 27, 2012, 5:22 pm
#845
Suspended
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
Is it correct, that in order to reload BB in Walmart, I have to go cashier? I assume "yes", but hoped for automatic reloading (like ATM terminal). I saw a BB stand in Walmart with fake terminal. In our Walmart there are always huge lines for checkout and only few lines are open, so waiting time might be very long.
Oct 27, 2012, 5:23 pm
#846
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
Is it correct, that in order to reload BB in Walmart, I have to go cashier? I assume "yes", but hoped for automatic reloading (like ATM terminal). I saw a BB stand in Walmart with fake terminal. In our Walmart there are always huge lines for checkout and only few lines are open, so waiting time might be very long.
Oct 27, 2012, 5:31 pm
#847
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,041
Yeah, I doub't they'd do much to your other accounts. I do have a lot of UR points from spending, signup bonuses, etc, so being a bit worried about them getting cancelled, I transferred them to my parent's account. Hopefully they won't shut down my CSP card for this and ink bold for too many OD purchase. That would be a big doh!
It seems that you know and tried it anyway, but just to be clear, the terms of UR points transfer prohibit transfer to anyone other than a spouse or significant other.
Oct 27, 2012, 5:34 pm
#848
Suspended
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 613
VISA gift cards can't be loaded to BB right?
Oct 27, 2012, 5:38 pm
#849
Used to be garyjr316
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: LAX or SBA
Programs: AAdvantage, MileagePlus, Gold Passport, Hilton HHonors, Marriott
Posts: 800
Yeah, I doub't they'd do much to your other accounts. I do have a lot of UR points from spending, signup bonuses, etc, so being a bit worried about them getting cancelled, I transferred them to my parent's account. Hopefully they won't shut down my CSP card for this and ink bold for too many OD purchase. That would be a big doh!
Oct 27, 2012, 5:42 pm
#850
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 699
very jealous of all you successful bean harvesters! here in the beautiful garden state beans are nowhere to be found. i went hunting today for the first time while running errands - none at 2 OD or 2 7/11's. 1 walgreens had them but would only take cash. alas i don't think i'l be able to join the fun 
Oct 27, 2012, 5:46 pm
#851
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 769
I manage my parents accounts, so same address and last name, don't want to lose those points :P
Oct 27, 2012, 6:04 pm
#852
Join Date: Apr 2012
Programs: 25 million points to burn!
Posts: 1,522
You're safe then. Same addys and last name won't raise flags. They're looking for different addys, and different last names.
Oct 27, 2012, 6:17 pm
#853
Join Date: Nov 2002
Programs: MTD pass holder
Posts: 1,142
Today I needed to buy 3 X $200 Visa gift cards for gifts. I went to CVS Pharmacy and selected 3 “generic” Visa gift cards that can be loaded $20 to $500. They were the ones that look like a gift box and can not be reloaded. The cashier asked if I would be paying cash or using a credit card. I, of course, said credit card. She said that she did not know if this was now possible as there were new restrictions on which gift cards and in what amounts could be bought with credit cards. She spoke to a another cashier who said he did not think the charge would go through. In the end the charge did go through. My point is with gift cards bought at retail locations things are changing. It seems to me unrealistic to think the OD Vanilla program will last very long.
Oct 27, 2012, 6:31 pm
#854
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,396
I was thinking of getting the Alaska Airlines debit card since you can load with no fees at WM but saw this in the T&C:
This appears to preclude earning miles by loading money this way - does anyone have any experience to the contrary? My thought was that since I don't have an Ink card and reloads are so hard to come by anyway, I could get an extra half point on basically everything I buy if I transfer the money from my BOA checking account (via BB load at WM) to the BB account before making my payments. Any thoughts?
you will earn Mileage Plan miles for POS purchases as follows: We take the total amount of POS purchases for a calendar month and subtract any (a) credits related to POS purchases, (b) other adjustments to your deposit account related to POS purchases, (c) cash back from a POS transaction, (d) quasi-cash transactions, which are transactions convertible to cash and include the purchase of money orders, travelers checks, foreign currency, cashier's checks, gaming chips, and other similar instruments and things of value, (e) account funding transactions, including transfers to open or fund deposit, escrow, or brokerage accounts and purchases of stored-value cards, and (f) Alaska Airlines Travel Purchases defined below to get the "Net Debit Card Use."