Have you tried loading a Serve at a "cash only" location? Is the loading procedure similar to Walmart with Bluebird?

I only load Serve at the CVS that accept CC for Beans. I ordered some AMEX GC. I might try to load at Cash only CVS with it, and see what they say.

Bergen County. Wife just told me she went there, the manager called the bank to 'verify', and now she's all good. No more checks anymore. He also told her that I'd be good to go as well. Should be OK as several of the cashiers know us.

As long as you can still get the beans it's all good. :D

i load $10k a month spread across 3 trips to the same CVS

Jordan, I know that many MS pros here do pay their credit card right from BB. I personally don't do this. I transfer electronically from BB to my checking account, and then pay my credit cards from my checking account. My CC banks are used to seeing me pay from my checking account so, I don't want to complicate by adding another funding account to my credit accounts.

As for paying your mortgage by check, if you were paying them with a check from a personal checking account, then you can use a BB check to pay them! Don't even ask, just do it. BB checks works just like a regular check from the check casher's point of view. Have your ordered your BB checks yet? I believe they are free until April 1st. So go online and place that order for your BB checks. Once you get them, start writing BB checks to pay off your lenders!

Happy BBing!

Ruhr

Doesn't BB have a cap of $2K/month that you can transfer electronically to your checking account. Honestly if you are transferring money from BB to checking account and paying it from your checking account it doesn't help you in terms of hiding your BB account. Your checking account statements will show that you receive funds from BB each month. If you load BB with $5K then how do you liquidate the other $3K from your BB account to pay off your bills? Write yourself a BB check and deposit it in your checking account?

Well, I have tried to be small fish so far. I haven't gone over the 2K monthly transfer yet. I've used other funding as a buffer to pay off my credit cards. Still a newbie; guess I will have to deposit some BB checks to get that money out of BB.

No Bluebird does not have a limit on a funds transfer to a bank account. There is a $400 daily cash withdrawal limit from an ATM though.

I pay the credit card and other bills directly from Bluebird since it closes the payment loop quite a bit and keeps my bank out of the picture. I don't think the card companies care as long as the bill gets paid. For example, with Chase a Bluebird payment posts as "Payment Thank You Bill Pa". If you pay via Chase's website it says "Payment Thank You - Web". Both post as a payment, and there is no mention of Bluebird.

Most bill pay services (likely your bank as well) pay the same 3rd party service as BB does for electronic bill pay services.

Your CC likely has no idea where your payment originated from.

The Fees and Limits section of BB says there is a limit of 2K/month to add funds TO the BB, though I don't see info for money transactions FROM BB. <Raises hand> Help! Experts/pros who have done this longer than I have--what is the limit? Is it also 2K FROM BB?

Ah, you had answered this question before I had posted! Thank you! Yeah as I get more comfortable I will likely simplify and cut my checking account out of this picture.

I do not mean to be a jerk, but would it there is a BB thread a few threads below this one. Would it kill you to look there?

Where did you get this information from that says no limit? I see the site below in the "Spend Money" section where it says

Send Money Transactions $2,500 per transaction, $2,500 per month. Even ATM withdrawals is $2,000/month.

Actually looking more at the options at the BB site, I don't know how you request money to be placed in your checking account directly like a withdrawal. It seems like you can only withdraw money at ATM or send money between BB accounts.

https://www.bluebird.com/faqs#fees-and-limits

I was mistaken on the ATM withdrawals. For some reason I thought it was $400/day, but the website clearly says $500/day, up to $2,000/month. The $2500 limit on send money transactions means sending money to someone else from a Bluebird account. You can still withdraw up to the balance of your Bluebird account to a checking account.