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 30, 2022, 2:39 pm
#1846
Join Date: Dec 2022
Posts: 3
I have a question to how to do bill pay.
I opened a Bluebird Bank Account, which uses the Visa card. But I am having trouble adding payees in billpay. I have tried several credit cards, only had success adding Chase, but not Discover and CitiBank accounts.
Therefore, I am thinking of pulling funds from Bluebird. Anybody has done this? I could not find it anywhere it say one way or another, on this board or one Bluebird's website. I remember that pulling funds will get shut down quickly for the old AE Bluebird account, will it also be a risk to do this for the Bluebird Bank Account?
Thanks.
I opened a Bluebird Bank Account, which uses the Visa card. But I am having trouble adding payees in billpay. I have tried several credit cards, only had success adding Chase, but not Discover and CitiBank accounts.
Therefore, I am thinking of pulling funds from Bluebird. Anybody has done this? I could not find it anywhere it say one way or another, on this board or one Bluebird's website. I remember that pulling funds will get shut down quickly for the old AE Bluebird account, will it also be a risk to do this for the Bluebird Bank Account?
Thanks.
Dec 30, 2022, 4:28 pm
#1847
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,442
I have a question to how to do bill pay.
I opened a Bluebird Bank Account, which uses the Visa card. But I am having trouble adding payees in billpay. I have tried several credit cards, only had success adding Chase, but not Discover and CitiBank accounts.
Therefore, I am thinking of pulling funds from Bluebird. Anybody has done this? I could not find it anywhere it say one way or another, on this board or one Bluebird's website. I remember that pulling funds will get shut down quickly for the old AE Bluebird account, will it also be a risk to do this for the Bluebird Bank Account?
Thanks.
I opened a Bluebird Bank Account, which uses the Visa card. But I am having trouble adding payees in billpay. I have tried several credit cards, only had success adding Chase, but not Discover and CitiBank accounts.
Therefore, I am thinking of pulling funds from Bluebird. Anybody has done this? I could not find it anywhere it say one way or another, on this board or one Bluebird's website. I remember that pulling funds will get shut down quickly for the old AE Bluebird account, will it also be a risk to do this for the Bluebird Bank Account?
Thanks.
Maybe if enough people call, but I have a feeling that BBV put this in place in order to prevent us from paying CC accounts. I have not had any issues adding private accounts.
Dec 30, 2022, 9:13 pm
#1848
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 84
I have a question to how to do bill pay.
I opened a Bluebird Bank Account, which uses the Visa card. But I am having trouble adding payees in billpay. I have tried several credit cards, only had success adding Chase, but not Discover and CitiBank accounts.
Therefore, I am thinking of pulling funds from Bluebird. Anybody has done this? I could not find it anywhere it say one way or another, on this board or one Bluebird's website. I remember that pulling funds will get shut down quickly for the old AE Bluebird account, will it also be a risk to do this for the Bluebird Bank Account?
Thanks.
I opened a Bluebird Bank Account, which uses the Visa card. But I am having trouble adding payees in billpay. I have tried several credit cards, only had success adding Chase, but not Discover and CitiBank accounts.
Therefore, I am thinking of pulling funds from Bluebird. Anybody has done this? I could not find it anywhere it say one way or another, on this board or one Bluebird's website. I remember that pulling funds will get shut down quickly for the old AE Bluebird account, will it also be a risk to do this for the Bluebird Bank Account?
Thanks.
Jan 1, 2023, 9:39 am
#1849
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Northeastern United States
Posts: 597
It has been my experience in the past that trying to buy high dollar amount MOs with my BB Visa debt card often doesn't go through due to fraud protection on the bank end, but I haven't tried it recently as I usually use my BB Visa to pay my Citi Bank CCs over the phone.
Jan 1, 2023, 1:49 pm
#1850
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 84
It has been my experience in the past that trying to buy high dollar amount MOs with my BB Visa debt card often doesn't go through due to fraud protection on the bank end, but I haven't tried it recently as I usually use my BB Visa to pay my Citi Bank CCs over the phone.
Jan 1, 2023, 8:54 pm
#1851
Join Date: Dec 2022
Posts: 3
Never thought of doing that.
Still, I was wondering if I could link the Bluebird bank account (it has its routing and account #) directly to a credit card in other banks, then let the credit card company pull money from Bluebird.
Still, I was wondering if I could link the Bluebird bank account (it has its routing and account #) directly to a credit card in other banks, then let the credit card company pull money from Bluebird.
Jan 1, 2023, 10:16 pm
#1852
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 84
This was not allowed in bluebird amex I guess same rule will apply for visa too.
Jan 2, 2023, 11:43 am
#1853
Join Date: Dec 2022
Posts: 3
in the deposit account agreement of the Bluebird bank account, under Item 5.a.(1.), it says:
"(1.) ACH Debits. You may provide another party the ability to initiate transfers from your Account (on a one-time or recurring basis) through an ACH transaction. If you authorize the party initiating the withdrawal with advance authorization to make recurring ACH transfers to or from your Account, the transfers are referred to as “preauthorized transfers.” "
To me, pulling money from Bluebird bank account is such kind of transfer. Not sure if anybody has done that and it works fine?
On the other hand, nothing is mentioned in the AE debit card agreement at all for this kind of thing, so I guess that's why it cannot be done.
Jan 10, 2023, 6:41 am
#1854
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 8
Some of my Amex BB cards that survived the 2018 purge have an expiration date of 2024. Has anyone gotten any which have a later date than that? When the expiration date approaches, does BB send out a replacement?
Jan 10, 2023, 7:17 am
#1855
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 202
Never thought about exp date until now. Mine is 3/23. Should be getting a new one soon. Do the new ones have chips? I still have the OG card, not gold on side.
Jan 11, 2023, 6:31 am
#1857
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 108
Loaded AmBB with 4 MB VGC from Stapler in the full amt at MC. At a regular register I only see error code 1 from time to time. At MC I saw 1 then 56 then 1 and then the transaction eventually goes through.
Jan 11, 2023, 12:29 pm
#1858
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,442
However, I have plenty of Staples $200 VGCs, and I will give one a try when loading a BB card at the MC. However, i will not be surprised if I get a 56 code each time I try
Jan 11, 2023, 12:46 pm
#1859
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 8
You are truly the exception to the DPs on this thread. I have not been able to use a MB VGC at the MC for at least a year for amounts >$99.
However, I have plenty of Staples $200 VGCs, and I will give one a try when loading a BB card at the MC. However, i will not be surprised if I get a 56 code each time I try
However, I have plenty of Staples $200 VGCs, and I will give one a try when loading a BB card at the MC. However, i will not be surprised if I get a 56 code each time I try
Jan 11, 2023, 1:00 pm
#1860
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,442
I am in fly-over country, but I will definitely give the WM MC a test with my BB and a MB VGC from Staples, and let all know the results.