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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-money in your Serve account can be withdrawn directly to a linked bank account, which, if done too much, may be seen as risky by Serve, but in moderation should be fine.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 1385711 times)

Offline Daniel

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #80 on: June 27, 2011, 12:37:46 PM »
Any reports about Chase cards posting as a purchase or CA using serve?

Offline lybbtthl

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #81 on: November 16, 2011, 06:45:43 PM »
Can anyone confirm that funding a Serve account with a Citi credit card (Mastercard) will come through as a transaction not a cash advance?

Online AsherO

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #82 on: November 16, 2011, 06:59:23 PM »
Can anyone confirm that funding a Serve account with a Citi credit card (Mastercard) will come through as a transaction not a cash advance?

I don't have experience with Citi (AFAICR), but I'd be wary of them.
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Offline lybbtthl

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #83 on: November 16, 2011, 07:02:08 PM »
let's just say they do charge it as a cash advance, would it be too late to do anything?

Online AsherO

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #84 on: November 16, 2011, 07:06:23 PM »
let's just say they do charge it as a cash advance, would it be too late to do anything?

AFAIK, yes.
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Offline HelpMe

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #85 on: November 17, 2011, 07:41:47 AM »
Can anyone confirm that funding a Serve account with a Citi credit card (Mastercard) will come through as a transaction not a cash advance?
Call Citi and set your cash advance limit to 0.00. This will stop charges from being processed that are cash advances. It is not fool proof but IMHO works over 99% of the time.
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Offline HelpMe

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #86 on: November 17, 2011, 07:43:28 AM »
let's just say they do charge it as a cash advance, would it be too late to do anything?
As a onetime courtesy some have had the fee reversed.
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Online AsherO

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #87 on: November 17, 2011, 09:39:05 AM »
As a onetime courtesy some have had the fee reversed.

I wouldn't rely on that.
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Offline Shmelly

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #88 on: November 23, 2011, 08:12:55 PM »
They're now giving $10 to anyone who signs up.

To receive a $10 credit to your Serve account, you must complete account registration for a new Serve account by January 9, 2012. Offer limited to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 or older. Valid for new Serve account holders only. Offer is subject to change or cancellation at any time.

Cash money.
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. - Dr. Seuss

Online AsherO

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #89 on: November 23, 2011, 08:27:45 PM »
They're now giving $10 to anyone who signs up.

To receive a $10 credit to your Serve account, you must complete account registration for a new Serve account by January 9, 2012. Offer limited to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 or older. Valid for new Serve account holders only. Offer is subject to change or cancellation at any time.

Cash money.

Once you sign up and get your card, get $10 via the Serve Money Mover game.
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Offline lybbtthl

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #90 on: November 24, 2011, 06:00:39 PM »
Ok, now I have a $100 charge with Citi, they are notorious about Cash Advance fees, but figured I'd risk it.

So, what's the outcome? did citi charge it as a cash advance or purchase?

Online AsherO

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #91 on: November 24, 2011, 06:13:17 PM »
I don't have experience with Citi (AFAICR), but I'd be wary of them.

Correction, as lybbtthl pointed out, I do.

So, what's the outcome? did citi charge it as a cash advance or purchase?

It took a while to find this, but it turns out I didn't get charged a fee. Out of curiosity, how do you plan on cashing out once you load your Serve card?
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Offline lybbtthl

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #92 on: November 24, 2011, 06:16:31 PM »
ATM or cash advance in a branch

Online AsherO

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #93 on: November 24, 2011, 06:27:39 PM »
ATM or cash advance in a branch

You do know that you can only load $100/day and $250/month per serve account and that after the 1st ATM withdrawal (per calendar month) you pay $2.00 per withdrawal?
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Offline lybbtthl

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #94 on: November 24, 2011, 06:31:22 PM »
You do know that you can only load $100/day and $250/month per serve account and that after the 1st ATM withdrawal (per calendar month) you pay $2.00 per withdrawal?
I'm aware, but if I do a cash advance in a branch, will Serve charge me the $2 fee (after the 1st free one)?

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #95 on: November 24, 2011, 06:38:46 PM »
I'm aware, but if I do a cash advance in a branch, will Serve charge me the $2 fee (after the 1st free one)?

Ostensibly yes, but you're welcome to try and report back. What's the point though, if you're limited to $250 a month?
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Offline yitzyul

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Free $10 credit when signing up to SERVE (Amex version of Paypal)
« Reply #96 on: December 05, 2011, 04:41:50 PM »
Not sure if thie is a new promotion: (Similar to PAYPAL from AMEX)

http://www.serve.com/


Offline good sam

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Re: Free $10 credit when signing up to SERVE (Amex version of Paypal)
« Reply #97 on: December 05, 2011, 04:51:12 PM »
1. Does not seem like you can use a credit card.  It says you can use a cc to fund your account, which I'm sure is a cash advance.  No spending opportunity here.

2. You have to give your SS# to open an account.  You think there's a pull?
If you don't care why would you comment?
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Re: Free $10 credit when signing up to SERVE (Amex version of Paypal)
« Reply #98 on: December 05, 2011, 08:43:53 PM »
Not sure if thie is a new promotion: (Similar to PAYPAL from AMEX)

http://www.serve.com/

Repost, next time please search.

1. Does not seem like you can use a credit card.  It says you can use a cc to fund your account, which I'm sure is a cash advance.  No spending opportunity here.

2. You have to give your SS# to open an account.  You think there's a pull?

1. Not necessarily true, see the thread I linked to above for more details.
2. No pull IME, YMMV but I'm confident you're safe too.
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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #99 on: December 06, 2011, 02:57:55 AM »
it seems that come 2012 they'll be charging a load fee (2.9% + $0.30) for CC. any idea whether it's likely to include CC as backup funding for card transactions?

(if venmo has a lifetime limit of 3 CC, this would be a way to be able to use venmo for more cards)