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-money in your Serve account can be withdrawn directly to a linked bank account, which, if done too much, may be seen as risky by Serve, but in moderation should be fine.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 1408218 times)

Offline Iz

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4120 on: October 19, 2015, 08:58:31 PM »
Thanks! So do you think if I make sure to get there when they open it's worth a shot? Or not bother?

Otherwise, it seems like my only option to MS is to buy VGCs and then just make sure not to lose them, and spend them over time. Seems like buying MOs with them is too fraught and FD too sketchy. Am I missing another avenue?
I wouldn't risk it, but I can't advise you.

Offline David Smith

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4121 on: October 19, 2015, 09:00:21 PM »
Worst case scenario, PayPal is 1.9% +$.30 per transaction.
Who do you think you are fooling? You think you are going to pull a quick one on your Creator? Good luck with that.
JTZ

Offline lindnuck

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4122 on: October 19, 2015, 09:04:14 PM »
Worst case scenario, PayPal is 1.9% +$.30 per transaction.

Good tip!

Offline bermo

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4123 on: October 19, 2015, 09:31:31 PM »
Worst case scenario, PayPal is 1.9% +$.30 per transaction.
I thought  it's %2.9?

Offline Thingywingy

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4124 on: October 19, 2015, 09:41:39 PM »
Do they occasionally ask to verify address like with redcard? I.e. Can I put in unverifiable address?

Do online loads from Amex Everyday count towards the 30 transactions?
I am sometimes accused of overthinking things. I am still mulling over whether that accusation has merit.

Offline David Smith

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4125 on: October 19, 2015, 10:08:37 PM »
I thought  it's %2.9?
Yup, but you get 1% back, so it's really only costing you 1.9%.
Who do you think you are fooling? You think you are going to pull a quick one on your Creator? Good luck with that.
JTZ

Offline doovid d

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4126 on: October 19, 2015, 11:58:41 PM »
How do you get 1% back

Offline David Smith

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4127 on: October 20, 2015, 12:09:44 AM »
How do you get 1% back
You get one point per dollar that you spend, on most cards.
Who do you think you are fooling? You think you are going to pull a quick one on your Creator? Good luck with that.
JTZ

Offline yoyo414

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4128 on: October 20, 2015, 12:25:09 AM »
Hi I'm kind of new to the game and I had a few questions that I tried to look through the forums to answer but alas it was to no hope. First I just opened the serve vip card was that a good idea or should I have opened a different serve card. Second I just bought a vanilla gift card at cvs can I load it onto to my serve. And third where is the best place to buy the gift cards and which ones should I get.
Help Me!!!!!! Thank You

Offline D93

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4129 on: October 20, 2015, 12:28:04 AM »
Would that raise any flags on the CC end that someone else is paying your bill?
No

Offline Josef.koney

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4130 on: October 20, 2015, 12:28:19 AM »


Hi I'm kind of new to the game and I had a few questions that I tried to look through the forums to answer but alas it was to no hope. First I just opened the serve vip card was that a good idea or should I have opened a different serve card. Second I just bought a vanilla gift card at cvs can I load it onto to my serve. And third where is the best place to buy the gift cards and which ones should I get.
Help Me!!!!!! Thank You

Vip is good not at Wal-Mart. Online? Wal-Mart? Just got to look around. Non vanilla. If it has another bank name I don't know

Offline yoyo414

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4131 on: October 20, 2015, 12:31:50 AM »
No
Why not good at Walmart? Will it work?

Offline yoyo414

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4132 on: October 20, 2015, 12:33:00 AM »
Sorry quoted wrong one

Offline D93

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4133 on: October 20, 2015, 12:33:23 AM »
Why not good at Walmart? Will it work?
What does Walmart have to do with what I was saying?

Offline leaf

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4134 on: October 20, 2015, 12:34:45 AM »
Why not good at Walmart? Will it work?
I think he meant not to load the Vanilla gift card at Walmart.  Walmart does not allow Vanilla gift card loading to Serve. 

Offline Josef.koney

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4135 on: October 20, 2015, 12:35:07 AM »
Why not good at Walmart? Will it work?
Vanilla doesn't work at Wal-Mart

Offline yoyo414

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4136 on: October 20, 2015, 12:39:01 AM »
What does Walmart have to do with what I was saying?
I meant does the VIP card not work at Walmart? Or is it just annoying? And can I load the vanilla at family dollar

Offline ranhan429

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4137 on: October 20, 2015, 04:46:14 AM »
is there any difference when opening serve for a 2nd time? The first time i did it back in the day was with softcard but I since closed all my accounts. Are all the old blog posts/wikis still relevant?
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Offline rileywiles23

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4138 on: October 20, 2015, 01:01:44 PM »

is there any difference when opening serve for a 2nd time? The first time i did it back in the day was with softcard but I since closed all my accounts. Are all the old blog posts/wikis still relevant?
They should be. The only thing that changed was no cc loading besides Amex cards.
Life is as good as you make it...

Offline ariIs

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #4139 on: October 20, 2015, 04:56:25 PM »
Anyone have trouble with closing redbird and opening serve?
I closed online, with $0 in account yesterday.
Tried opening serve VIP today, it says that I still have a redbird and can't open an account.