Topic Wiki

Open Serve: Do 1 of the following:
1) Buy a temporary card. (free in cvs in NJ won’t take cc)($3.95 fee), or
2) Open online. They’ll send you a card. (free)
Note that you COULD have more than one of these: Bluebird (BB), Redcard and serve. 

Loading Serve: Serve does not have any fees to load money.
a) At CVS, 7-11, and Rite Aid ONLY CASH can be loaded.
b) At Walmart GCs …uh Debit Cards (besides Vanilla cards) can be loaded onto Serve just like onto BB. Load limit: $2500/day up to $5000/month
c) At Family Dollar max $499.99/Day, not hard coded, YMMV, Cash or Debit/Gift Card.
WARNING: There are reports of debit cards being drained at FD, and not loading onto Serve, so FD is not recommended.
d) An Amex CC of the serve cardholder can be linked and used to fund your Serve ONLINE. Load limit: $200 per day/$1000 per month
Amex cc loads are not considered cash advance. They DO NOT earn points, or count towards a spending threshold.
e) Debit Cards linked to Serve: $200/day up to 1000/month ONLINE.  But only a permanent DC with your name on it. (NOT GCs)

So your total loading limit per month, if using all 3 methods is $7K.

-Serve has a $1 monthly inactivity fee (waived in VA, NY and TX) that is waived if you use Direct Deposit OR add $500.
-If Serve has a bonus for using direct deposit, use AP.

Using the funds on Serve:
-Free ATM use/withdrawal at MoneyPass ATMs. $2 elsewhere.
-Serve has a Bill Pay feature – same as BB.  You tell them who to pay, and they send a check for you.  You can pay up to 5k of unregistered billers, but 10K of registered ones (registered= those on their bill pay list). Pay your Credit Cards bills as well as many other bills or any person!
WARNING: Do not use the bill pay feature to pay the Credit Card that is linked for online loads.
-money in your Serve account can be withdrawn directly to a linked bank account, which, if done too much, may be seen as risky by Serve, but in moderation should be fine.
Withdraw to your bank https://secure.serve.com/Actions/WithdrawMoney

Make sure the name, address and phone number on your profile match your credit card billing address, or you may get declined.  When linking your credit card at serve.com, the website will only show you the address on your profile, but not the phone number, so this is easy to overlook.  Go to profile, and check/update your phone number there.

Error likely with the Serve account:
When you create a new account and add a credit card, you will be allowed to do the first transaction. After that, your account will probably go into system lockdown until you verify some information. Likely error message for this case is "Risk declined operation" when you try to add money on to the account. You will need to send in (online, fax or mail) a photo ID and a copy of your credit card or statement. Upload your documents here -
https://secure.serve.com/User/SecureFileUpload. Then Call up AMEX Account Protection Services at 1-800-555-4318 and tell them you uploaded the documents and ask them to verify it for you.
« Last edited by Iz on August 18, 2016, 10:36:02 AM »

Author Topic: Amexserve/Softcard  (Read 1405443 times)

Offline bermo

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4060 on: October 16, 2015, 04:59:24 PM »
I cancelled RB. Now I get an error message when I am attempting to apply for Softcard.  ::)
How much time need to pass before it goes through? I cancelled 1 RB today and another one a couple of days ago.
Did you use a different email address then rc?

Offline Thingywingy

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4061 on: October 16, 2015, 05:07:20 PM »
Are the only differences between Serve and BB the $1 monthly fee and the ability to load online? Anything else?
I am sometimes accused of overthinking things. I am still mulling over whether that accusation has merit.

Offline NoonRadar

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4062 on: October 16, 2015, 05:23:43 PM »
I cancelled RB. Now I get an error message when I am attempting to apply for Softcard.  ::)
How much time need to pass before it goes through? I cancelled 1 RB today and another one a couple of days ago.

As soon as you're able to close the Redbird acct and all transactions there have been completed, you can register for Serve/Bluebird, but you have to use the same email & phone nr as you had on Redbird before you closed it. Using a different email and/or phone number might make you wait days, or even over a month, due to some glitch into the prepaid Amex system.

Make sure to download statements and other transaction history before you close Redbird, you won't be able to login back to your Redbird acct to do that if you sign up for Serve/Bluebird with the same email & phone nr as you had on Redbird.

Offline mdrills

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4063 on: October 17, 2015, 11:26:53 PM »
Can I reactivate the permanent serve card?

Offline ual902

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4064 on: October 17, 2015, 11:31:38 PM »
I did not understand the Wiki well, but can I load Vanilla Visa Gift card  to Serve at Walmart?

Offline Adam101

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4065 on: October 17, 2015, 11:32:20 PM »
I did not understand the Wiki well, but can I load Vanilla Visa Gift card  to Serve at Walmart?

No

Offline ual902

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4066 on: October 17, 2015, 11:35:35 PM »
Thanks,

Quote
uh Debit Cards can be loaded onto Serve just like onto BB.

What does uh stand for?

Offline Adam101

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4067 on: October 17, 2015, 11:36:47 PM »
Thanks,

What does uh stand for?
Probably uhhhhh

Offline Ydad

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4068 on: October 17, 2015, 11:37:07 PM »
Thanks,

What does uh stand for?
Uh, like, umm, like...

Offline mdrills

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4069 on: October 17, 2015, 11:38:17 PM »
Can I reactivate the permanent serve card that I got before I switched to RedCard?
Bump

Offline Freddie

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4070 on: October 17, 2015, 11:55:03 PM »
So, I used to have BB. Then I had RC. Now I just signed up for Serve.

Can someone point me to where I can see the relative advantages of Serve over BB?

Offline Ydad

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4071 on: October 17, 2015, 11:56:53 PM »
So, I used to have BB. Then I had RC. Now I just signed up for Serve.

Can someone point me to where I can see the relative advantages of Serve over BB?
Serve allows online loads of $1k from amex. Methinks that's basically it.

Offline PutANameToIt

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4072 on: October 18, 2015, 12:09:14 AM »
Been getting an error adding a fid Amex AU card to my wife's account. If the card is already connected to mine, does the serve system not allow me to use the same card with hers?

Offline Adam101

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4073 on: October 18, 2015, 12:14:40 AM »
For some reason, Dan has not written comprehensive guides/comparisons of the various cards. Other bloggers have. See, for example, here:
http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/the-complete-guide-to-bluebird-redcard-serve-and-softserve/
-1 don't know if you've searched. Pretty easy to pull up.

http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/58272

Offline CS91

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4074 on: October 18, 2015, 12:19:58 AM »
No

Wiki just says Gift Cards work. Did something change? (Had Serve a while ago and only switching back now so a little out of the loop.)

Offline Adam101

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4075 on: October 18, 2015, 12:20:50 AM »
Wiki just says Gift Cards work. Did something change? (Had Serve a while ago and only switching back now so a little out of the loop.)
Vanilla does not load anymore at Walmart on to bluebird Or serve. Hasn't in a long time

Offline CS91

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4076 on: October 18, 2015, 12:21:19 AM »
Vanilla does not load anymore at Walmart on to bluebird Or serve. Hasn't in a long time

So need the Metabank ones?

Offline Adam101

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4077 on: October 18, 2015, 12:21:44 AM »

Offline lunatic

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4078 on: October 18, 2015, 12:23:45 AM »
-1 don't know if you've searched. Pretty easy to pull up.

http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/58272
Not up to date

Offline ual902

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4079 on: October 18, 2015, 12:28:58 AM »
Metabank cards are Generally sold at Staples and Office Max?