Jan 7, 2016, 8:18 am
Last edit by: RedSun
This is the 2016 and onwards Bluebird thread.
The original discussion. The previous 2013- 2014 megathread. The previous 2015 megathread.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read the wiki before posting a question.
The most recent huge wave of shutdowns occurred in May 2019.
Most accounts used for MS were shut down on Jan 8, 2016. Another wave of shutdowns occurred on March 4, 2016. Using Bluebird for MS is very likely to lead to account closure. There is no clear pattern as to how to avoid the account shut-downs. Some of the dormant accounts were not shut down.
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.
For information on switching from BB to Serve, see the Serve thread wiki.
Bluebird Load Limits:
The cash load limit for a temp card is $1,500 total.
*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.
The original discussion. The previous 2013- 2014 megathread. The previous 2015 megathread.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read the wiki before posting a question.
The most recent huge wave of shutdowns occurred in May 2019.
Most accounts used for MS were shut down on Jan 8, 2016. Another wave of shutdowns occurred on March 4, 2016. Using Bluebird for MS is very likely to lead to account closure. There is no clear pattern as to how to avoid the account shut-downs. Some of the dormant accounts were not shut down.
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.
For information on switching from BB to Serve, see the Serve thread wiki.
Bluebird Load Limits:
- Cash loading: $2,500 ($1,999.99 at Walmart) per card per day; $9,000 per day all BB cards combined; $5,000 total per calendar month each card; $10,000 calendar month and $100,000 per year all BB cards combined for each SSN.
- Direct Deposit: $100,000 per year
- Online Debit Card Load* - $200/day and $1,000/month
- Checking/Savings Account - $2,000/month
- Mobile Check Capture by Ingo® Money - $5,000/day and $10,000/month
- ATM Withdrawals - $750/day and $2,000/month
The cash load limit for a temp card is $1,500 total.
*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.
Bluebird master thread (2016 onwards)
Dec 18, 2021, 7:20 am
#1681
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,445
Dec 18, 2021, 8:48 am
#1682
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 108
This poster mcgyvr116 is able to load 200 at MC. So not sure if the 99 limit at MC was also temporary glitch or not. I haven't tried it at MC since Dec 20.
Dec 18, 2021, 9:09 pm
#1683
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,061
For visa BB, any folks had success submitting bills pay to Barclay, Amex or Cap1? Thx
Dec 18, 2021, 10:46 pm
#1684
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DUB-BOS
Programs: various
Posts: 3,692
There are no issues at regular check out, 99 limit is specific to MC. So only useful DP will be for 99+ load at MC
Dec 19, 2021, 7:49 pm
#1686
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 220
Successful load of $200 Meta VGC (from staples) at CS tonight. Not sure if its back or still intermittent, but planning to try again in couple days.
Dec 20, 2021, 6:46 pm
#1688
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 26
My success with $200 VGC/MCGC loads at WMNM MC is on and off. I don't know whats going on there. I have had success at the register with $200 VGC and MCGC from staples. Having the cashier wait till AFTER you enter your pin to hit debit (on the keypad, and on the keypad only) raises your success rate of your load going through.
I have found something interesting though. I checked the balance on a MCGC from staples that failed to load and saw this on my transaction history.
It seems as though the load goes through and then something happens causing the transaction to be reversed/refunded. I don't know if this is on WM end or MCGC end but definitely something to look into. Anyone else have similar DP on this?
Off topic, but I successfully acquired a second Amex BB card under my name. I'm going to test a theory I have that loading becomes more difficult the more you do it. We'll see if this fresh card gives me any issues.
I have found something interesting though. I checked the balance on a MCGC from staples that failed to load and saw this on my transaction history.
It seems as though the load goes through and then something happens causing the transaction to be reversed/refunded. I don't know if this is on WM end or MCGC end but definitely something to look into. Anyone else have similar DP on this?
Off topic, but I successfully acquired a second Amex BB card under my name. I'm going to test a theory I have that loading becomes more difficult the more you do it. We'll see if this fresh card gives me any issues.
Dec 20, 2021, 9:43 pm
#1689
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 108
My success with $200 VGC/MCGC loads at WMNM MC is on and off. I don't know whats going on there. I have had success at the register with $200 VGC and MCGC from staples. Having the cashier wait till AFTER you enter your pin to hit debit (on the keypad, and on the keypad only) raises your success rate of your load going through.
I have found something interesting though. I checked the balance on a MCGC from staples that failed to load and saw this on my transaction history.
It seems as though the load goes through and then something happens causing the transaction to be reversed/refunded. I don't know if this is on WM end or MCGC end but definitely something to look into. Anyone else have similar DP on this?
Off topic, but I successfully acquired a second Amex BB card under my name. I'm going to test a theory I have that loading becomes more difficult the more you do it. We'll see if this fresh card gives me any issues.
I have found something interesting though. I checked the balance on a MCGC from staples that failed to load and saw this on my transaction history.
It seems as though the load goes through and then something happens causing the transaction to be reversed/refunded. I don't know if this is on WM end or MCGC end but definitely something to look into. Anyone else have similar DP on this?
Off topic, but I successfully acquired a second Amex BB card under my name. I'm going to test a theory I have that loading becomes more difficult the more you do it. We'll see if this fresh card gives me any issues.
Dec 20, 2021, 9:53 pm
#1690
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 26
Did you mean regular cashier terminal and not MC when you said register? Most cashiers don't know how to load BB so if you make it complicated by asking them to wait till I do this, they will call manager and make a mockery. The other poster just loaded 200 fine with MB VGC at MC/CS. Maybe try limiting load amt to 1000 over a two day period and see if that improves loading success at MC. Make sure u have a plan to unload as well. I pay mortgage and electricity bill every month. No ATM withdrawal, no peer to peer transfer, no payment to CC and some organic spending. No issues so far.
Dec 21, 2021, 6:25 pm
#1694
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,445
Yes I meant regular cashier terminal. I have had no problems instructing cashiers on how to do this, and most of them are thankful I walk them through it. I even had a cashier at a regular terminal call someone over to teach him and it was fine. Its the MC/CS folx who are the most grumpy most of the time. I ONLY pay off my CC with billpay when it comes to amex BB. I hit it hard every month and max out the 5k. The way I look at it, BB will shut me down eventually so I want to maximize as much as possible in the short amount of time I have.
I was banned in 2016, and somehow managed to get a replacement Amex BB card in 2018, most likely by error since I have been shut out of all the Amex products including a second BB card since then, although I have been a model citizen since then.
I hope that this ends at 7 years which is still almost 2 years away. However, it may be a permanent ban, which really sucks.
Dec 30, 2021, 1:58 pm
#1695
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 198
Is the bluebird app down?. I keep getting app is currently offline message when i launch it using my iphone.