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)
Jan 30, 2016, 5:55 pm
#197
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 19
I tried something I've never done before, I took a rebate check from Ebates to the money center and loaded that just to play with some features that I figure won't get me blacklisted. They handed me my receipt which shows a 1% charge to deposit checks. My first non-MS lesson learned.
Jan 30, 2016, 6:32 pm
#198
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 19
Even more, let us know when you have successfully loaded and paid off cc bills with multiple thousands of $. No point in opening new accounts that just get immediately shut down. But if the shut downs were a one time thing, of if it takes many months of activity to get the new account shut down....
Jan 30, 2016, 8:54 pm
#199
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
I tried something I've never done before, I took a rebate check from Ebates to the money center and loaded that just to play with some features that I figure won't get me blacklisted. They handed me my receipt which shows a 1% charge to deposit checks. My first non-MS lesson learned.
Jan 31, 2016, 8:47 am
#200
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,784
On the other hand, if the first time you try a BP it fails, and they shut it down immediately 
I'm hoping you give it a try and let us know. I can do that myself, but you already have the card, and I'd have to wait a couple of weeks to get mine. If you're not going to try it out, post that, and I'll have to go that route.
Last edited by RobertHanson; Jan 31, 2016 at 4:12 pm
Jan 31, 2016, 10:31 am
#202
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 19
Less a matter of if than when. If you make full use of the account for 6 months or so before that happens On the other hand, if the first time you try a BP it fails, and they shut it down immediately I'm hoping you give it a try and let us know. I can do that myself, but you already have the card, and I'd have to wait a couple of weeks to get mine. If your not going to try it out, post that, and I'll have to go that route.
On the other hand, if the first time you try a BP it fails, and they shut it down immediately I'm hoping you give it a try and let us know. I can do that myself, but you already have the card, and I'd have to wait a couple of weeks to get mine. If your not going to try it out, post that, and I'll have to go that route.
Jan 31, 2016, 4:26 pm
#204
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,784
I tried to do BP with that, but the site said $1 is the required minimum. So I can't add funds, and I can't close the account because I don't have enough $ in the account to make a payment. Today I figured out that I can link my checking account to my BB account. Which I did, but I was loathe to give BB my bank account log in info. So to verify my account, for my $0.74 withdrawal, they are going to do several small deposits to my checking account sometime over the next week. Then I go back to BB and verify what those amounts are, so they are sure I am who I say I am.
If they would just put $0.26 in the BB account, I could BP the entire $1 out, close the account, wait a bit, then try to open another one. But I'm guessing they aren't going to deposit an entire $0.26...
So like I said before, several weeks until I can find out if a second BB account will "fly".
Jan 31, 2016, 6:04 pm
#205
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,837
I was still able to receive money to an account that received a shutdown notice by sending a payment from an account that didn't receive one.
I was then able to write a check.
I was then able to write a check.
Jan 31, 2016, 6:45 pm
#206
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
I just started the process to find out. I couldn't close my account bc I still had funds in it: $0.74
I tried to do BP with that, but the site said $1 is the required minimum. So I can't add funds, and I can't close the account because I don't have enough $ in the account to make a payment. Today I figured out that I can link my checking account to my BB account. Which I did, but I was loathe to give BB my bank account log in info. So to verify my account, for my $0.74 withdrawal, they are going to do several small deposits to my checking account sometime over the next week. Then I go back to BB and verify what those amounts are, so they are sure I am who I say I am.
If they would just put $0.26 in the BB account, I could BP the entire $1 out, close the account, wait a bit, then try to open another one. But I'm guessing they aren't going to deposit an entire $0.26...
So like I said before, several weeks until I can find out if a second BB account will "fly".
I tried to do BP with that, but the site said $1 is the required minimum. So I can't add funds, and I can't close the account because I don't have enough $ in the account to make a payment. Today I figured out that I can link my checking account to my BB account. Which I did, but I was loathe to give BB my bank account log in info. So to verify my account, for my $0.74 withdrawal, they are going to do several small deposits to my checking account sometime over the next week. Then I go back to BB and verify what those amounts are, so they are sure I am who I say I am.
If they would just put $0.26 in the BB account, I could BP the entire $1 out, close the account, wait a bit, then try to open another one. But I'm guessing they aren't going to deposit an entire $0.26...
So like I said before, several weeks until I can find out if a second BB account will "fly".
Feb 1, 2016, 5:43 am
#207
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
I had to put .09 on a WMGC using SCO to empty one Serve account. My BB is still active.
For those with subaccounts, they have to be closed first before you can close the primary account.
For those with subaccounts, they have to be closed first before you can close the primary account.
Feb 1, 2016, 8:00 am
#208
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 148
Is anybody able to load today, now that's it's a new month? If so, how much, what type of GC, and where at (Kate, CS, etc.....?
Feb 1, 2016, 8:08 am
#209
Suspended
Join Date: May 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, Hilton HHonors Gold
Posts: 2,863
$300 GC not loading?!
Hi,
so I am one of the lucky ones with his BB still on.
I loaded $4000 over the weekend, $1500 Saturday night and $2500 Sunday morning, all at the same Walmart. Those were all $500 VGC from giftcard.com and a major grocery store.
I went back this morning to load some $300 VGC bought online from Staples, and I kept getting a "Debit not approved" error. Now, I understand that error comes up whenever the limit is reached; but today is February, and this is my first load of the day, and still I had no luck. I had previously activated the cards and called the number to set up my own PIN. When I tried to use one of the cards at my work's cafeteria, it worked just fine. My BB balance is $4000.
Am I doing something wrong?!
Thanks
so I am one of the lucky ones with his BB still on.
I loaded $4000 over the weekend, $1500 Saturday night and $2500 Sunday morning, all at the same Walmart. Those were all $500 VGC from giftcard.com and a major grocery store.
I went back this morning to load some $300 VGC bought online from Staples, and I kept getting a "Debit not approved" error. Now, I understand that error comes up whenever the limit is reached; but today is February, and this is my first load of the day, and still I had no luck. I had previously activated the cards and called the number to set up my own PIN. When I tried to use one of the cards at my work's cafeteria, it worked just fine. My BB balance is $4000.
Am I doing something wrong?!
Thanks
Feb 1, 2016, 8:48 am
#210
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 429
Hi,
so I am one of the lucky ones with his BB still on.
I loaded $4000 over the weekend, $1500 Saturday night and $2500 Sunday morning, all at the same Walmart. Those were all $500 VGC from giftcard.com and a major grocery store.
I went back this morning to load some $300 VGC bought online from Staples, and I kept getting a "Debit not approved" error. Now, I understand that error comes up whenever the limit is reached; but today is February, and this is my first load of the day, and still I had no luck. I had previously activated the cards and called the number to set up my own PIN. When I tried to use one of the cards at my work's cafeteria, it worked just fine. My BB balance is $4000.
Am I doing something wrong?!
Thanks
so I am one of the lucky ones with his BB still on.
I loaded $4000 over the weekend, $1500 Saturday night and $2500 Sunday morning, all at the same Walmart. Those were all $500 VGC from giftcard.com and a major grocery store.
I went back this morning to load some $300 VGC bought online from Staples, and I kept getting a "Debit not approved" error. Now, I understand that error comes up whenever the limit is reached; but today is February, and this is my first load of the day, and still I had no luck. I had previously activated the cards and called the number to set up my own PIN. When I tried to use one of the cards at my work's cafeteria, it worked just fine. My BB balance is $4000.
Am I doing something wrong?!
Thanks