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)
Mar 20, 2023, 3:17 pm
#1906
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 405
All the walmarts around my area are mostly SC and haven't had luck to find a register with a cashier whenever I visit there to load money.
Mar 20, 2023, 3:31 pm
#1907
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,445
Good point. Some of the WMs in my area are similar, with no cashiers at all. One with cashiers does not permit them to load BB either, so you are stuck, sadly.
Mar 29, 2023, 9:42 am
#1908
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St Louis, MO
Programs: AA L.T. PLT
Posts: 3,304
Just received this email from BB
Free cash reloads at Family Dollar
Beginning March 30, 2023, cash reloads on your Bluebird card at Family Dollar will be free! You can look up your nearest Family Dollar location here. The process for reloads remains the same – just swipe at the register!
Fee for reloads at Walmart
Also, beginning July 1, 2023, cash reloads at Walmart locations will no longer be free, and will incur a cost of $3.74.
Free cash reloads at Family Dollar
Beginning March 30, 2023, cash reloads on your Bluebird card at Family Dollar will be free! You can look up your nearest Family Dollar location here. The process for reloads remains the same – just swipe at the register!
Fee for reloads at Walmart
Also, beginning July 1, 2023, cash reloads at Walmart locations will no longer be free, and will incur a cost of $3.74.
Mar 29, 2023, 9:54 am
#1909
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 405
Just received this email from BB
Free cash reloads at Family Dollar
Beginning March 30, 2023, cash reloads on your Bluebird card at Family Dollar will be free! You can look up your nearest Family Dollar location here. The process for reloads remains the same – just swipe at the register!
Fee for reloads at Walmart
Also, beginning July 1, 2023, cash reloads at Walmart locations will no longer be free, and will incur a cost of $3.74.
Free cash reloads at Family Dollar
Beginning March 30, 2023, cash reloads on your Bluebird card at Family Dollar will be free! You can look up your nearest Family Dollar location here. The process for reloads remains the same – just swipe at the register!
Fee for reloads at Walmart
Also, beginning July 1, 2023, cash reloads at Walmart locations will no longer be free, and will incur a cost of $3.74.
Mar 29, 2023, 10:02 am
#1910
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St Louis, MO
Programs: AA L.T. PLT
Posts: 3,304
Mar 29, 2023, 10:31 am
#1911
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 108
Just received this email from BB
Free cash reloads at Family Dollar
Beginning March 30, 2023, cash reloads on your Bluebird card at Family Dollar will be free! You can look up your nearest Family Dollar location here. The process for reloads remains the same – just swipe at the register!
Fee for reloads at Walmart
Also, beginning July 1, 2023, cash reloads at Walmart locations will no longer be free, and will incur a cost of $3.74.
Free cash reloads at Family Dollar
Beginning March 30, 2023, cash reloads on your Bluebird card at Family Dollar will be free! You can look up your nearest Family Dollar location here. The process for reloads remains the same – just swipe at the register!
Fee for reloads at Walmart
Also, beginning July 1, 2023, cash reloads at Walmart locations will no longer be free, and will incur a cost of $3.74.
Is the process of loading AmBB the same at FD as it is at WM? Do they allow multiple loads at FD?
Mar 29, 2023, 10:34 am
#1912
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St Louis, MO
Programs: AA L.T. PLT
Posts: 3,304
Screwed is putting it mildly.
Mar 29, 2023, 10:39 am
#1913
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DUB-BOS
Programs: various
Posts: 3,692
Have not seen the email, but there does not seem to be any mention of debit loads getting a fee
The BB website differentiates the various ways you can add money, and cash is separate to debit loads
The BB website differentiates the various ways you can add money, and cash is separate to debit loads
Mar 29, 2023, 11:28 am
#1914
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 41
Well who's got experience loading at FD? The FDs in my city are all far away from me so I don't want to waste my time if it's a process
Mar 29, 2023, 11:48 am
#1915
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St Louis, MO
Programs: AA L.T. PLT
Posts: 3,304
Mar 29, 2023, 4:19 pm
#1917
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 41
For what its worth, I only got the notice on my Visa not my Amex. Maybe Amex is coming later but maybe, just maybe this means Amex is safe. Unlikely though...
Mar 29, 2023, 5:43 pm
#1919
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,445
So, I load at FD, but to date the only card I could load at FD was my Serve card. When I tried to load a BBVisa card, I got charged a fee.
The loading method is that they have to swipe on their cash register a specific barcode for Serve and then you swipe your card in the credit card reader. This is how they determine whether you are charged for a load or not.
This will not affect me at all since I dwell in the really really rural Midwest where FDs are considered a grocery store
There were some disturbing DPs out there that said that FD or DG stores limited the number of absolute loads a store could do in a day.........like one!!
So it will be interesting to see if those DPs are actually real. Will have to wait and see
The loading method is that they have to swipe on their cash register a specific barcode for Serve and then you swipe your card in the credit card reader. This is how they determine whether you are charged for a load or not.
This will not affect me at all since I dwell in the really really rural Midwest where FDs are considered a grocery store
There were some disturbing DPs out there that said that FD or DG stores limited the number of absolute loads a store could do in a day.........like one!!
So it will be interesting to see if those DPs are actually real. Will have to wait and see
Mar 30, 2023, 8:14 am
#1920
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 483
I still have a couple of good BB cards for the wife and I. I received the email as well but haven't loaded in over a year. Can we still load GCs to BB at FD?