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)
Jun 3, 2013, 8:22 pm
#901
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 809
+1. You are using BB as it was intended to be used. Putting $5K in cash to BB from CCs and then paying those same CCs with that $5K just deposited to BB obviously was never the intended purpose of BB and will at least look like abuse to Amex. When Amex shuts this down, they will focus on the "abusers" and not those who are using it like a checking account. That's my opinion only, so let's check back in a year or two and see where we are all at by then.
I predicted 8 months ago that the sky was NOT falling and that many on FT who predicted that CVS would soon stop selling VRs (or stop accepting CCs for VRs) were dead wrong. My prediction was right.
I predicted 8 months ago that the sky was NOT falling and that many on FT who predicted that CVS would soon stop selling VRs (or stop accepting CCs for VRs) were dead wrong. My prediction was right.
Yes, bill paying numerous bills may look less suspicious than loading 5K and unloading 5K to the CC. It may protect you from getting shut down. I disagree with that, but it is a very reasonable thought.
The notion that because you pay your mortgage with BB, you are getting points/cashback is false. You get the points when you load BB, regardless of how you unload.
Jun 3, 2013, 8:26 pm
#902
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: A few
Posts: 5,499
The point we are making and the point DCbob is making are completely different things.
Yes, bill paying numerous bills may look less suspicious than loading 5K and unloading 5K to the CC. It may protect you from getting shut down. I disagree with that, but it is a very reasonable thought.
The notion that because you pay your mortgage with BB, you are getting points/cashback is false. You get the points when you load BB, regardless of how you unload.
Yes, bill paying numerous bills may look less suspicious than loading 5K and unloading 5K to the CC. It may protect you from getting shut down. I disagree with that, but it is a very reasonable thought.
The notion that because you pay your mortgage with BB, you are getting points/cashback is false. You get the points when you load BB, regardless of how you unload.
Jun 3, 2013, 8:48 pm
#904
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: DL, WoH
Posts: 1,253
The point we are making and the point DCbob is making are completely different things.
Yes, bill paying numerous bills may look less suspicious than loading 5K and unloading 5K to the CC. It may protect you from getting shut down. I disagree with that, but it is a very reasonable thought.
The notion that because you pay your mortgage with BB, you are getting points/cashback is false. You get the points when you load BB, regardless of how you unload.
Yes, bill paying numerous bills may look less suspicious than loading 5K and unloading 5K to the CC. It may protect you from getting shut down. I disagree with that, but it is a very reasonable thought.
The notion that because you pay your mortgage with BB, you are getting points/cashback is false. You get the points when you load BB, regardless of how you unload.
Jun 3, 2013, 9:01 pm
#906
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: DL, WoH
Posts: 1,253
Umm...technically I am earning points from a mortgage payment, but the initial purchase of points was from gift cards. I could use chargesmart to pay my mortgage, but the fee rapes you. I just assumed that we all knew that the initial aquirement of the points was from gift cards/vr's...or...did I assume too much? My head hurts.
Jun 3, 2013, 9:03 pm
#907
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,396
There are only 12 SPG category 7 hotels in all of North America, and they include only expensive super luxury hotels like the St. Regis New York and the Chatwal in New York. So it would be best to compare a Hilton category 10 with an SPG category 5 or 6 (at least in NYC, where I travel frequently).
Here's a real life example:
If you want to stay at the Sheraton New York Times Square, it's a category 5 and the rate is 12K Starpoints on 6/22/2013.
A comparable Hilton family hotel to the Sheraton would be the DoubleTree Times Square. It's a category 10 and the rate is 95K per night on 6/22/2013 (note that it's 95K per night 7 out of 12 months of the year, so this is the usual HH points rate).
I would need to spend $12K to get the Sheraton and $15.8K to get the DoubleTree (and that's at 6X HH points per dollar - no longer possible with the HH Amex if you are buying at CVS). That's one example and we can each find other examples showing the other program to be a better buy.
Here's a real life example:
If you want to stay at the Sheraton New York Times Square, it's a category 5 and the rate is 12K Starpoints on 6/22/2013.
A comparable Hilton family hotel to the Sheraton would be the DoubleTree Times Square. It's a category 10 and the rate is 95K per night on 6/22/2013 (note that it's 95K per night 7 out of 12 months of the year, so this is the usual HH points rate).
I would need to spend $12K to get the Sheraton and $15.8K to get the DoubleTree (and that's at 6X HH points per dollar - no longer possible with the HH Amex if you are buying at CVS). That's one example and we can each find other examples showing the other program to be a better buy.
I guess I just figured that even without any category bonuses, SPG earns 30k on $30k spend and Hilton earns 90k on $30k spend. If I have a choice of 30k Starwood points or 90k Hilton points I would probably choose Starwood points.
However, even with the new categories at 5pt per $ - for spend within those categories - 30k spent would be 150k in Hilton points, whereas that same spend on an SPG card would yield the same 30k points. I would probably take 150k Hilton points over 30k SPG points. That is why, to me, when it is hotel points I am trying to bulk up on I will use the Hilton card within the bonus categories and the SPG card elsewhere.
By way of example - I have been researching for a trip to Cape Town. There is a Westin there as well as a Hilton. The two hotels are decent comps to one another. The Westin is 10,000 per night so those 30,000 points would get me 3 nights. The Hilton is 40,000 per night so I would have 3 nights, with 30,000 points toward a 4th night.
To me, this has meant that VRs have moved from the Hilton card to the SPG card, and category bonus spend has remained on the Hilton card.
Keep in mind that I never really use SPG points for transfer to airlines, and that part of the value in Hilton comes in the huge number of properties they have. To me, there is value in having points in both programs.
Jun 3, 2013, 9:05 pm
#908
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 809
You are not earning any points paying your mortgage with BB. The points have already been earned. Idk why you insist on arguing that.
Jun 3, 2013, 9:08 pm
#909
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: DL, WoH
Posts: 1,253
I'm not arguing. I'm completely agreeing with you. My thoughts were on how you use those points. And again I reiterate. I would much rather utilize them to pay bills that wouldn't otherwise be payable with a credit card, which IN TURN would not earn points. More clear? Or are we just chasing our tales?
Jun 3, 2013, 9:26 pm
#910
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA Plat MM, AA Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Gold, IHG Plat, Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 5,015
Jun 3, 2013, 9:30 pm
#911
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA Plat MM, AA Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Gold, IHG Plat, Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 5,015
I'm not arguing. I'm completely agreeing with you. My thoughts were on how you use those points. And again I reiterate. I would much rather utilize them to pay bills that wouldn't otherwise be payable with a credit card, which IN TURN would not earn points. More clear? Or are we just chasing our tales?
Jun 3, 2013, 10:13 pm
#912
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 672
Can you use the self serve station at Walmart money center to load BB with a debit card (or a gift card with a pin)?
Jun 3, 2013, 11:05 pm
#915
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: So Cal
Programs: UA Gold/0.744MM, WN AL, Hyatt Diamond, MR Scum, Hertz PC, National Exec, Avis PC
Posts: 5,562