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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-money in your Serve account can be withdrawn directly to a linked bank account, which, if done too much, may be seen as risky by Serve, but in moderation should be fine.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 1411181 times)

Offline karen

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5320 on: January 08, 2016, 12:26:46 PM »
Same here. Did anyone who never used online reloads get shutdown?
Me

Offline mdrills

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5321 on: January 08, 2016, 12:27:48 PM »
Now what?!
I can open a card in my wifes name but who's to say that wont get closed down?

Offline luckyluck

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5322 on: January 08, 2016, 12:31:29 PM »
Was this part always there? I don't remember it.

Did this section 15.d always exist or was it added recently?

Neither do I. And no notification about the change.

Offline justanotherguy

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5323 on: January 08, 2016, 12:32:18 PM »
Now what?!
I can open a card in my wifes name but who's to say that wont get closed down?

probably depends on how you use the new one, I have a new serve card just opened and I wasn't closed down yet but not sure how to use it in a way that they shouldn't close it

Offline David Smith

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5324 on: January 08, 2016, 12:33:13 PM »
Neither do I. And no notification about the change.
There was always a clause about closing the account at their discretion, but I don't remember anything about "manufactured activity" (AKA MS).
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 justanotherguy

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5325 on: January 08, 2016, 12:33:24 PM »
Neither do I. And no notification about the change.

if that's true, we can probably fight it, anyone have the old agreement to use as proof?

Offline mdrills

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5326 on: January 08, 2016, 12:33:49 PM »
probably depends on how you use the new one, I have a new serve card just opened and I wasn't closed down yet but not sure how to use it in a way that they shouldn't close it
Exactly what we need to find out. Whats interesting is that I only did my 2nd load not online (loaded online for about 2 months)

Offline David Smith

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5327 on: January 08, 2016, 12:36:06 PM »
I'm waiting for someone to try signing up again, too, though I can't imagine it'd work.
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 mdrills

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5328 on: January 08, 2016, 12:36:48 PM »
I'm waiting for someone to try signing up again, too, though I can't imagine it'd work.
To just close their account and re-apply?

Offline David Smith

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5329 on: January 08, 2016, 12:37:39 PM »
To just close their account and re-apply?
Yup.
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 mdrills

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5330 on: January 08, 2016, 12:38:45 PM »
Yup.
Why dont YOU try?
I wonder if applying for a different SERVE version would effect it at all

Offline David Smith

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5331 on: January 08, 2016, 12:39:41 PM »
Why dont YOU try?
I will, as soon as I close this. I'd be incredibly shocked if it worked, though.
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 luckyluck

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5332 on: January 08, 2016, 12:40:19 PM »
There was always a clause about closing the account at their discretion, but I don't remember anything about "manufactured activity" (AKA MS).

Funny thing is back in October I got shutdown with the following email pointing to section 22D which doesn't even exist:

Quote
Your American Express Serve® Account has been locked because we found activity that violated section 22D of our Member Agreement.

If you have questions or feel this was an error, please call us at 1-800-555-4318—we’re available 24/7.

Thanks,
The American Express Serve Team

Offline luckyluck

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5333 on: January 08, 2016, 12:42:46 PM »
I'm waiting for someone to try signing up again, too, though I can't imagine it'd work.

Just closed my account and tried to reopen - got a message that they could not approve me for an account.  It seems that if your account was closed they will not approve you for another account.

Offline David Smith

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5334 on: January 08, 2016, 12:43:16 PM »
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 mdrills

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5335 on: January 08, 2016, 12:43:40 PM »
Has anyone tried calling them?

Offline DealChaser

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5336 on: January 08, 2016, 12:46:31 PM »
Just tried to load a card that didn't received the shut down notice at RA and it said payment approved on my side but didn't go through on the register. Was anyone able to load at RA today?
Yes, I was. On my wife's OneVIP card, which didn't receive an email.

Offline Freddie

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5337 on: January 08, 2016, 12:49:42 PM »
Has anyone tried calling them?

Yes, I called them and asked them why they stopped manufactured spending. When the rep didn't know what that was, I asked for a supervisor. Finally, I got someone on the phone who knows what manufactured spending is. I have an appointment to come down to their offices on Monday and explain more. I am making a presentation for them with DDS powerpoints that I took pictures of with my phone.

Offline DaveInLA

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5338 on: January 08, 2016, 12:56:46 PM »
I manage 3 OneVIP cards, 1 for me, 1 for wife, 1 for mom. ONly my wife's got shut down. I reviewed all 3 accounts to see what was different between them.

Mine - loaded $5000/mo in Nov and Dec (WM and RA), $1000 so far this month. Load $1000/mo online with debit using PPBDMC. A couple active AMEX offers but didn't use them. No real purchases. No email.

Wife - loaded $5000/mo in Nov and Dec (WM and RA), $1000 so far this month. No debit online loads. I may have had a couple AMEX offers loaded, but not used. No real purchases. Got the email this morning.

Mom - loaded $5000/mo in Nov and Dec (WM and RA), $0 so far this month. No debit online loads. Added a couple AMEX offers, but not used. 1 real purchase in November, for $0.55 at Redbox. No email.

I don't know if any of this means anything, but the only one that got the email has no online debit loads, no purchases, no active AMEX offers. The 2 accounts still alive (for now) either have online debit loads or active AMEX offers or a real purchase.

I'm too scared to try to load today. Will probably make a couple small purchases with my 2 remaining cards, then try an online PPBDMC load on my card, then try RA again.

Offline Aerial Dag

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Re: Amexserve/Softcard
« Reply #5339 on: January 08, 2016, 01:00:05 PM »
Datapoint:
So far no letter. I just successfully loaded $200 from Freedom CC on to my Soft Serve online. I'll try RA load today or tomorrow.