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Bluebird prepaid debit, now with FDIC insurance and paper checks (2013-2014)

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Old Apr 3, 2013, 11:44 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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:
  • 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.
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Bluebird prepaid debit, now with FDIC insurance and paper checks (2013-2014)

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Old May 17, 2013, 6:55 am
  #676  
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: MKE
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Posts: 639
Originally Posted by DCBob
I now have a photo of a VR prepaid card on my phone and show it to one of the cashiers at CVS whenever I can't find them in the gift card/prepaid card racks. Half the time, the cashier knows where they are and they are NOT on the rack. The rest of the time, they are either sold out or are not carried by that store ("we've never carried those at our store"). YMMV.
Somebody at the cvs by my house hides them behind the facebook cards. He or she was probably the same one that educated the cashiers about why these cards are so popular.
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Old May 17, 2013, 9:03 am
  #677  
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Originally Posted by Woolfman
Well i made my first boneheaded move. Paying bills with BB and i have a credit card and car loan at the same bank. I sent my car payment in and then the next day went to pay the credit card and inadvertently sent another 1k to my car payment instead of the credit card. Of course the bank can't just move the money from one account to the other.. That would just be too easy. They say "they tried to reverse the payment and send it back to the originating bank" but it was refused by BB.. So worst case i am 3 months ahead on my car payments. (which i also caught them in the fact they reversed it as a payment and changed it to a principal payment when they tried to send it back to BB) So i have to wait a few days to see how its going to play out.
Just a FYI, car loans do not work like way, you aren't ahead, just paid down on the principal. When making payments any extra over the monthly payment just gets applied to your principal.
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Old May 17, 2013, 9:08 am
  #678  
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Originally Posted by Happy
Have you read the package of the card?
No, since I'm not the one who bought that product, this is why I asked the question.

BTW, why can't the question just get answered, without getting questioned... this BB thread at times is tough to follow, in one day 2 pages of posting can happen and If you are busy and don't log into FT for a day or 2 there is a lot of information being given... I thought FT was about exchanging travel related information?
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Old May 17, 2013, 9:14 am
  #679  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 203
Originally Posted by FlightNurse
BTW, why can't the question just get answered, without getting questioned... this BB thread at times is tough to follow, in one day 2 pages of posting can happen and If you are busy and don't log into FT for a day or 2 there is a lot of information being given... I thought FT was about exchanging travel related information?
It's because of what you readily admit. You aren't willing to read and understand a few pages worth of posts, and would rather just ask a question that has been answered multiple times already.
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Old May 17, 2013, 9:39 am
  #680  
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Originally Posted by theacolyte
It's because of what you readily admit. You aren't willing to read and understand a few pages worth of posts, and would rather just ask a question that has been answered multiple times already.
Interesting, what question did I ask, and when was it answered?
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Old May 17, 2013, 9:49 am
  #681  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 117
Please forgive the ignorant question as I have been using credit cards for all purchases for many years now.

Can Bluebird be used as a debit card at stores that do not accept AMEX credit cards?

Scenario:
Sam's Club does not accept American Express credit cards. Can you use the Bluebird at Sam's as debit? Or will they not accept it as it's an AMEX product?

Last edited by FullMoonMadness; May 17, 2013 at 9:50 am Reason: grammar
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Old May 17, 2013, 10:12 am
  #682  
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
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Originally Posted by FullMoonMadness
Please forgive the ignorant question as I have been using credit cards for all purchases for many years now.

Can Bluebird be used as a debit card at stores that do not accept AMEX credit cards?

Scenario:
Sam's Club does not accept American Express credit cards. Can you use the Bluebird at Sam's as debit? Or will they not accept it as it's an AMEX product?
The BB debit card can be used everywhere you can use Amex and nowhere else. But why on earth would anyone use BB at a place that accepts a points earning debit or credit card, including most Amex cards? You get NO points or miles by using BB, whereas you do with SPG Amex, Hilton Amex, Delta Amex, any Amex eligible for and connected to a Membership Rewards account, etc.
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Old May 17, 2013, 10:39 am
  #683  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 117
Originally Posted by DCBob
The BB debit card can be used everywhere you can use Amex and nowhere else. But why on earth would anyone use BB at a place that accepts a points earning debit or credit card, including most Amex cards? You get NO points or miles by using BB, whereas you do with SPG Amex, Hilton Amex, Delta Amex, any Amex eligible for and connected to a Membership Rewards account, etc.
I guess I'm not as hardcore of a manufactured spender as the other folks, and I don't carry as many credit cards (yet). I'm realtively new to the maximization of points.

I carry a Freedom Mastercard and an AMEX PRG. Sam's won't accept my PRG (or any of the AMEX cards you mentioned), and my Freedom only gets me 1x there. If I manufacture with PRG at my grocery store, I'm loading Bluebird (or another prepaid card) at 2x. By using a prepaid debit card at Sam's, I'm effectually getting 2x on my purchases.

Given your answer, I cannot use Bluebird as debit at Sam's, so I'll have to either accept only 1x from Freedom or find a non-AMEX prepaid card.

Last edited by FullMoonMadness; May 17, 2013 at 10:40 am Reason: clarification
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Old May 17, 2013, 11:50 am
  #684  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 613
Originally Posted by groobie
This is perfect! I just did my taxes yesterday and have a few thousand in taxes and estimated taxes coming up. I will not pay the fee for using a credit card and don't have a miles-earning debit card, and I didn't like the idea of having BB send my payment separate from the tax return itself. BB checks are exactly what I need. I just ordered 100 - hope they're here before April 15! Now I need to hunt for more VR...my local source is out right now. At least earning miles will make paying those taxes (slightly) more bearable.
Curious as to whether you used a check to pay your taxes and, if so, how it went. I just mailed an estimated payment to the IRS and am concerned whether the IRS will call in the code on the check.

Anyone else have any IRS experience with Bluebird checks?
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Old May 17, 2013, 11:52 am
  #685  
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Originally Posted by JATR4
Curious as to whether you used a check to pay your taxes and, if so, how it went. I just mailed an estimated payment to the IRS and am concerned whether the IRS will call in the code on the check.

Anyone else have any IRS experience with Bluebird checks?
Why the concern?

They don't need to call it in, and if they do, BB would just tell them it's an authorization code
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Old May 17, 2013, 12:46 pm
  #686  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 613
Originally Posted by Stoughton
Why the concern?

They don't need to call it in, and if they do, BB would just tell them it's an authorization code
Misinterpretation by me. I thought the payee had to call to verify the code--before cashing the check.
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Old May 17, 2013, 12:49 pm
  #687  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
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Posts: 200
Originally Posted by JATR4
Curious as to whether you used a check to pay your taxes and, if so, how it went. I just mailed an estimated payment to the IRS and am concerned whether the IRS will call in the code on the check.

Anyone else have any IRS experience with Bluebird checks?
We paid estimated taxes in April. Bluebird lets you know when the check is cashed and you can link to an image of the front and back of the check on their web site. Can't remember how long after cashing the image was available - probably within a week or so. Whole process went smoothly for us.
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Old May 17, 2013, 12:51 pm
  #688  
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Deleted

Last edited by PaulMSN; May 17, 2013 at 1:00 pm
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Old May 17, 2013, 1:10 pm
  #689  
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Washington, DC
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Posts: 5,015
Originally Posted by JATR4
Curious as to whether you used a check to pay your taxes and, if so, how it went. I just mailed an estimated payment to the IRS and am concerned whether the IRS will call in the code on the check.

Anyone else have any IRS experience with Bluebird checks?
First of all, the IRS never sees your check. The check goes to a post office lock box rented by a bank and the bank processes the check automatically (under a contract with the IRS). No way will anyone at the bank ever look at your check (except for the amount). And a machine probably reads the amount, too.

Last edited by DCBob; May 18, 2013 at 5:27 pm
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Old May 17, 2013, 4:42 pm
  #690  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 25
Originally Posted by FlightNurse
Just a FYI, car loans do not work like way, you aren't ahead, just paid down on the principal. When making payments any extra over the monthly payment just gets applied to your principal.
actually they said it was originally posted like a normal payment and would have just not had a car payment for 3 months but then they reversed it and applied it as a principal payment. I can actually see the transaction on my loan . It did not immediately go straight to principal and i had already made my car payment .

05/09/13 $PaymentThankYou$1,000.00
05/09/13 $ Payment Reversal $1,000.00
05/09/13 $ Payment - ThankYou $1,000.00

Anyways problem solved they are cutting me a check .
Woolfman is offline  


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