WhateverDude

"Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time." - Tommy Boy.

sk8uno

Thank you, Tommy. I accept your guarantee as well.

ThriftyTourist

We didn't have our Bluebird account shut down, but it was suspended for a week:

While I was in Maui, my wife received an email saying her BlueBird account had been suspended due to “unusual/irregular activity”. This was incredibly odd, because her account had just been open for a few days and had no transaction other than having $3000.00 loaded via Vanilla Reload Cards.

Once we got settled into our hotel, I called the BlueBird Customer Service Number to see what the issue was. I asked their representatives numerous times what the unusual/irregular activity was, but they refused to tell me, due to the sensitive nature of their security review procedures. He did finally tell me that it could “any number of things, such as invalid attempts to login, suspicious transactions and linking of bank accounts”. Since it was a new card, I quickly realized that the suspicious activity was due to the bank account that we had linked, just before leaving for Maui. I had linked our joint bank account to my wife’s BlueBird account, right before we received the email. What caused it to be suspicious was that same joint account was linked to my BlueBird account last month. Now, we hadn’t conducted any transactions with the bank account as we were still waiting for the two deposits to show up in the account for verification purposes, yet they still suspended her BlueBird account. I guess they find it suspicious/irregular for two people with a joint bank account to link to the same bank account.

To rectify the issue, I was asked to fax a copy of the social security card to their offices for identification purposes. Being in Maui, we didn’t have a copy with us, so we waited to return to the mainland to do so. After returning, I faxed a copy of the card and called the Customer Service line for further instructions. I was told that the fax was too “light” and they couldn’t read it. I asked if I could email a scan, but again, due to the sensitive nature of their security procedures, they can only accept faxes. I faxed another darker copy and another even darker copy and finally, on the 4th call to Customer Service, they acknowledged receiving and identifying my wife and subsequently released the suspended account. I again asked the Representative how I can avoid this situation again and again they said “….we can’t tell you, just know that your account is fine and you want have any problems anymore…”.

Moral of the story, do not link the same bank account to two separate BlueBird Accounts, as it will cause a security review of your account, resulting in a temporary suspension of your BlueBird Card.

travel light

Wife's BB account has now twice over three days declined to accept the same VRs which immediately loaded onto my own BB account. Bank accounts are separate.

???

IkeEsq

$5K per month?

DCBob

If you actually were able to load the SAME VRs to two different BB accounts, you would be committing fraud. So what do you mean by "SAME"? Or do you simply mean you can load VRs to your account that the wife cannot?

AlohaDaveKennedy

In the early years of the 16th century, to combat the rising tide of religious unorthodoxy, the Pope gave Cardinal Ximinez of Spain leave to move without let or hindrance throughout the land, in a reign of violence, terror and torture that makes a smashing film. This was the Spanish Inquisition...

To quote Cardinal Ximinez: "Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise"

You are lucky they did not use the dreaded dish rack on you to force your confession.

travel light

Yes, that turned out to be the issue.

The BB transactions are displayed on a list of ten, with earlier transactions only appearing after a click on "next". So, while $5K had been loaded during the month, only part of that appeared on the top screen. Our error in arithmetic occurred as a result.

BTW, the CRs at both Vanilla and Amex were competent, patient, and willing to help me though I informed them I was calling on behalf of my wife.

DC Bob- right. The VR that was rejected by my wife's BB account loaded successfully to mine.

Thanks to everyone.

iridium

I am actually not able to load a card to my wife's account and I am at 4496 limit. I do have a $5 refund for a purchase that was made using the card. Not sure if that is blocking the $500 to be loaded to the account. Well, will find out next month as the other account has had the monthly limit loaded already.

amolkold

Purchases don't factor into the limit. The $5K/calendar month and $1K/calendar day limit are only for Vanilla Reloads or for swipe reloads at Walmart. Add up all the loads in the month of March, and you'll find that your wife's account has had >$4500 loaded to oit.

mileshound

There has been a lot written about getting VR to load BB and some on what not to do. The what not to do advice gets lost in all the BB/VR threads. I wanted post dedicated to what NOT to do with BB and best ways to lower your chances of a FR from AMEX.

I imagine the biggest no no is to buy VR with an AMEX card then pay off the AMEX with BB.

What else shouldn't we do?

Dean19

Maybe paying your AMEX balance as soon as it posts rather than waiting until the end of billing cycle would help to deter the FR?

CMHFlyerOH

Despite this and another similar thread, it's interesting to note that there is not a single report of a closed Bluebird account.

Because of that any conjecture as to what would result in a closure is speculative at best.

As far as the actual topic of the thread, the best way to avoid a FR would be to not buy more VR than your reported income to them at the time of application would support.

tsmith12

That's all I've done for the last 3 months...no issues yet.

Bender464

^^