Apr 3, 2013, 11:44 am
Last edit by: markr33
Read the wiki before posting a question.
Check your BB load limits BEFORE asking in this thread about "tender not allowed" or any other errors.
Bluebird website. There's no need to buy a Bluebird kit in-store; sign-up free on the website.
The original FlyerTalk discussion thread is here: Wal-Mart, Amex take on banks with Bluebird debit card
Bluebird Load Limits:
*For online debit load, only use of bank-issued cards is allowed. The use of pre-paid debit cards (Netspend, Paypower, Univision, Paypal, etc.) and VGC/MGC/AGCs is not allowed. Your account will be flagged upon first/second attempt. If blocked, call Account Protection Services at 1-800-660-2454 to clear it (9am-8pm EST, Mon-Fri).
The day currently resets around midnight Eastern/11pm Central/10pm Mountain/9pm Pacific.
For online bill pay
Loading with debit card at Walmart
Self checkout does not work for loading.
Many Walmart stores are enforcing a rule against the use of gift cards when loading, even though the register and the MCE do not enforce. Do not make your prepaid debit cards visible. Show them a bank debit card if asked. Otherwise, you may be asked by management to never visit the MC again to load with gift cards.
Loads at register over $500 will sometimes trigger ID requirement. There is a limit of four swipes per transaction; this means your card plus three payments.
If your card doesn't say "debit" on the front, it isn't a debit card.
Please see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manuf...bit-cards.html for additional information on using prepaid debit cards.
Training a WM cashier:
Error Messages:
DEBIT NOT AVAILABLE
Received when I used a card I thought I had activated but hadn't.
DEBIT NOT APPROVED
Received when the card's monthly load limit had been reached.
TENDER NOT ALLOWED
Card was incorrectly read, or wrong PIN entered .
HOST TIMEOUT
Connection problems. The GC may be drained but the transaction should reverse itself, and funds will become available again. Try again later.
UPdate Notice on Sept 15, 2014.
Some minor changes on the ATM limits and fees:
• Out-of-Network ATM Fees:
Beginning October 30, 2014, the fee for withdrawing funds using out-of-network ATMs will increase from $2.00 to $2.50. ATM operator fees may also apply.
• Free In-Network MoneyPass® ATMs:
Effective immediately, all Bluebird Customers can withdraw funds for free when using in-network MoneyPass ATMs. You can find one of the more than 24,000 MoneyPass ATMs below.
• ATM Withdrawal Limits Increase:
We have increased your daily ATM limit, so you can withdraw up to $750 per day. Your monthly ATM withdrawal limit will remain at $2,000.
-----
•If you use Wal-Mart Savings Catcher, you can earn double rewards by redeeming to your BlueBird account <== Doubling of savings catcher amounts ended sometime in the summer of 2015.
Check your BB load limits BEFORE asking in this thread about "tender not allowed" or any other errors.
Bluebird website. There's no need to buy a Bluebird kit in-store; sign-up free on the website.
The original FlyerTalk discussion thread is here: Wal-Mart, Amex take on banks with Bluebird debit card
Bluebird Load Limits:
- BB loading via VR or WM load: $2,500/day and $5,000 total per calendar month
- Online Debit Card Load* - $200/day and $1,000/month
- Checking/Savings Account - $2,000/month
- Checks - $2,000/day and $10,000/month
- ATM Withdrawals - $750/day and $2,000/month
*For online debit load, only use of bank-issued cards is allowed. The use of pre-paid debit cards (Netspend, Paypower, Univision, Paypal, etc.) and VGC/MGC/AGCs is not allowed. Your account will be flagged upon first/second attempt. If blocked, call Account Protection Services at 1-800-660-2454 to clear it (9am-8pm EST, Mon-Fri).
The day currently resets around midnight Eastern/11pm Central/10pm Mountain/9pm Pacific.
For online bill pay
- You can pay the credit card that you used to buy reloads
- Error 1302 means that you have 1 pending payment the same amount as the one you just submitted. For example, 1000 bill pay to sapphire preferred from Friday and then on Saturday you submit another bill pay for 1000 to sapphire preferred, you will get this error.
- Tip: if using online bill pay to the same place multiple times, vary your amounts by $0.01 to make it easier to track since your confirmation number does not match the tracking number on your credit card statement
Loading with debit card at Walmart
Self checkout does not work for loading.
Many Walmart stores are enforcing a rule against the use of gift cards when loading, even though the register and the MCE do not enforce. Do not make your prepaid debit cards visible. Show them a bank debit card if asked. Otherwise, you may be asked by management to never visit the MC again to load with gift cards.
Loads at register over $500 will sometimes trigger ID requirement. There is a limit of four swipes per transaction; this means your card plus three payments.
If your card doesn't say "debit" on the front, it isn't a debit card.
Please see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manuf...bit-cards.html for additional information on using prepaid debit cards.
Training a WM cashier:
- If the WM cashier doesn't know how to load the card, advise them to enter "70" then press "action code".
- If you are using a temp card that doesn't have your name on it, you can swipe the card from your side of the terminal. The WM rep never has to touch any of your cards. The screen will say "enter account." That is your prompt to slide the card.
- The terminal will ask the WM employee if you are loading in multiples of $2000. Advise them to enter "no."
- Avoid saying gift card. Always refer to your card as a debit card.
Error Messages:
DEBIT NOT AVAILABLE
Received when I used a card I thought I had activated but hadn't.
DEBIT NOT APPROVED
Received when the card's monthly load limit had been reached.
TENDER NOT ALLOWED
Card was incorrectly read, or wrong PIN entered .
HOST TIMEOUT
Connection problems. The GC may be drained but the transaction should reverse itself, and funds will become available again. Try again later.
UPdate Notice on Sept 15, 2014.
Some minor changes on the ATM limits and fees:
• Out-of-Network ATM Fees:
Beginning October 30, 2014, the fee for withdrawing funds using out-of-network ATMs will increase from $2.00 to $2.50. ATM operator fees may also apply.
• Free In-Network MoneyPass® ATMs:
Effective immediately, all Bluebird Customers can withdraw funds for free when using in-network MoneyPass ATMs. You can find one of the more than 24,000 MoneyPass ATMs below.
• ATM Withdrawal Limits Increase:
We have increased your daily ATM limit, so you can withdraw up to $750 per day. Your monthly ATM withdrawal limit will remain at $2,000.
-----
•If you use Wal-Mart Savings Catcher, you can earn double rewards by redeeming to your BlueBird account <== Doubling of savings catcher amounts ended sometime in the summer of 2015.
Bluebird prepaid debit, now with FDIC insurance and paper checks (2013-2014)
Oct 17, 2013, 11:25 pm
#2926
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: PHL suburbs
Posts: 216
Neither of these implies that WF does anything other than hold the money and process paper checks, though.
Oct 17, 2013, 11:41 pm
#2927
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,774
(Sorry if this is slightly OT and not specifically limited to BB but based on my one “test” transfer into my new BB account, BB seems to be among the worst offenders.) Why is it that AFTER an electronic funds transfer is successfully completed (as evidenced by initiating the transfer at the receiving account website and then seeing the withdrawal at the sending account website), the receiving bank still places a hold (not available) on the funds for 2 or 3 or now going on 4 days for BB? Are they simply generating additional income by earning interest on the funds for those few days? Is there something else I’m missing? (I see on the BB website that “The money transferred from your linked checking or savings account will generally be available within five business days after the request has been made”, my question is why there is a 5 day hold after the funds have (obviously) been transferred successfully”.)
It is a standard practice for almost all banks - if the ACH is initiated from the receiving bank's end, the incoming fund is subject to 5 business days hold. Capital One does that and the hold is even longer for new account.
All brokerage houses, put the same 5 business days hold on money transferred in initiated from the brokerage's end.
If the ACH in is initiated from the sending bank, the receiving bank would make the fund available immediately.
A transfer out from BB to your linked bank account would become immediately available the day ACH is received.
Fed fund wire is available immediately and it is also cost you a typical $25 wire out (send) and $15 wire in (receive) unless your bank account is a premier account.
Oct 18, 2013, 1:45 am
#2928
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 633
I haven't seen this discussed, but since it is bad to link the same Bank to two different BB, I assume it would also be bad to link a ST Debit to two different BB, correct?
Or can we get different ST debit cards for different people like AU's on CC and assign those to different accounts? I know I had a bunch of different ST cards for Bus acct in the past. I could do that again, but business ST Debit only gives .5 pt/$1.
Related, I take it that it would be OK to load at WM from the same ST Debit card to different accounts. That is reasonable that you may want to fund your son's BB account, etc. But am concerned about it online due to the separate bank requirement people have seen.
An extra auto 8K load each month would be a nice yearly sum, though.
Or can we get different ST debit cards for different people like AU's on CC and assign those to different accounts? I know I had a bunch of different ST cards for Bus acct in the past. I could do that again, but business ST Debit only gives .5 pt/$1.
Related, I take it that it would be OK to load at WM from the same ST Debit card to different accounts. That is reasonable that you may want to fund your son's BB account, etc. But am concerned about it online due to the separate bank requirement people have seen.
An extra auto 8K load each month would be a nice yearly sum, though.
Oct 18, 2013, 7:15 am
#2929
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist, *A Silver
Posts: 4,896
Just got a BB email saying that I can only link one debit card to my account instead of the usual four. Who has four debit cards?
Oct 18, 2013, 7:27 am
#2930
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 1,153
Account Ending in - xxx
Hello xxx,
We would like to inform you about a change to your Bluebird Account effective November 12, 2013.
For added security, you will no longer be able to link 4 debit cards to your Account and instead will only be able to link 1 debit card. As a reminder, the debit card must be in your name to successfully link to your Bluebird Account.
And don't forget, you can add money to your Account with a debit card at Walmart for free.
Should you have any questions about this change, you can contact a Bluebird Customer Care Professional at 1-877-486-5990.
Thank you for your Membership,
The Bluebird Team
Oct 18, 2013, 7:41 am
#2931
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 429
Maybe as a result of attempts to link the Chase Gift Cards
Oct 18, 2013, 8:05 am
#2932
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 891
I got the same mail, so buying visa/mc gift-cards with pin, and loading at walmart to bb, is over?
Oct 18, 2013, 8:14 am
#2935
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Dallas, TX U.S.A.
Programs: AA Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum Premiere, WN A-list, Hertz President's Circle,
Posts: 16
I think loading with giftcards and a pin is over... I have tried for three days in a row and failed with different pins. This e-mail seems to say you can only load with the card that is linked and gift cards can not be linked since it must have your name on them... Nice run while it lasted as we so often say...
Oct 18, 2013, 8:17 am
#2936
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 891
I think loading with giftcards and a pin is over... I have tried for three days in a row and failed with different pins. This e-mail seems to say you can only load with the card that is linked and gift cards can not be linked since it must have your name on them... Nice run while it lasted as we so often say...
Oct 18, 2013, 8:31 am
#2938
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,207
I think loading with giftcards and a pin is over... I have tried for three days in a row and failed with different pins. This e-mail seems to say you can only load with the card that is linked and gift cards can not be linked since it must have your name on them... Nice run while it lasted as we so often say...
Srsly, its probably an issue with your walmart or an issue with the cards you have, as many have reported success even in the last day. I had a problem with my walmart where I could not load cards for 48 hours because the system between my walmart and bluebird wasnt working properly, it would just time out even after it said approved, sometimes it wouldnt even get to the approved part. Individual events happen and until theres a s*** storm on flyertalk, its probably still up and running for most...
Oct 18, 2013, 9:06 am
#2939
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Dallas, TX U.S.A.
Programs: AA Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum Premiere, WN A-list, Hertz President's Circle,
Posts: 16
I agree my sample size is small but it was at two different Walmarts over three days. I even changed the pin which is a common problem. Then I get the e-mail this morning.
I read carefully and had not seen success the past two days other than the person who posted after me. I hope you are right but again I am seeing multiple reports of this not working and it happened to me someone who has loaded 15,000 k over the past 5 months with no problem. My only interest here is to post accurate info so maybe I should not have begun with "I think." But the rest of my post is factual. The two Walmarts I use (one in Dallas one in Cedar Hill, TX) are some 30 miles apart from each other... I'd love to hear more about successes, not just loading but using a VS giftcard...
I read carefully and had not seen success the past two days other than the person who posted after me. I hope you are right but again I am seeing multiple reports of this not working and it happened to me someone who has loaded 15,000 k over the past 5 months with no problem. My only interest here is to post accurate info so maybe I should not have begun with "I think." But the rest of my post is factual. The two Walmarts I use (one in Dallas one in Cedar Hill, TX) are some 30 miles apart from each other... I'd love to hear more about successes, not just loading but using a VS giftcard...
Oct 18, 2013, 9:41 am
#2940
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist, *A Silver
Posts: 4,896
Linking your debit card is not that same as swiping VGCs at Walmart from what I understand; otherwise, why would they say you can only link one instead of four? There must have been some rule before that says you can link a max of four debit cards, which means that swiping more than four cards at Walmart to load money is not considered linking debit cards.