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-money in your Serve account can be withdrawn directly to a linked bank account, which, if done too much, may be seen as risky by Serve, but in moderation should be fine.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 1398298 times)

Offline rockstarhockstar

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #880 on: July 30, 2014, 07:41:16 PM »
1: You can load up to $500 at once. However, there's a velocity limit that seems to be $1000, though the time frame isn't clear. If you hit the limit, the register will lock up and you'll need to swipe your card again in order to get the funds back. If you don't, you'll need to call Family Dollar and they'll return the funds within a couple of weeks IME. I got burned even doing one load. The way I've been protecting myself is by loading a little under $500, which has been working so far.

2) This is only Family Dollar.

Thank you! :)

Offline smaxber

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #881 on: July 30, 2014, 09:14:53 PM »
So far I've been using $500 OneVanillas (and loading a little under $500). I'm waiting for some more Staples gift cards to come in and then I'll see how well split tender works.

It wasn't so hard to get them to release the funds, but it took a lot of time to first figure out where they went, then finding the right person to talk to at Family Dollar corporate, then waiting for the accounting department to verify that the load never went to Serve and wasn't refunded, then for them to process the refund, then wait for the funds to actually post back on the gift card. It's just more hassle than I like, so I'm keeping under $500 at a time.
So each time you go you only do less than 1000?

Offline kangarruu

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #882 on: July 30, 2014, 09:38:18 PM »
So each time you go you only do less than 1000?


Each time I go I do less than $500. I'm fortunate to have an accessible Family Dollar that's right where I need to be anyway. I'll probably try multiple sub-$500 loads soon.

Offline fafa123

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #883 on: July 30, 2014, 09:41:54 PM »
My experience was different than the wiki.  Maybe this newbie misunderstood what to do but this is what happened:  I got the required case for my iphone, the nice people at the AT&T store helped me download the Isis app, I went to the dollar store and bought a serve card (and loaded it with $500 via cc).  When I got home I opened the app to register the serve card I purchased.  Never asked for any card details.  Instead, a new serve account was made.  Spent a LONG time with both AMEX and ISIS customer service on the line.  I can't have 2 serve accounts, don't want to use the serve I purchased as a gift card, and don't want to lose the signup bonus for the serve account created through ISIS.  I was advised to register the purchased one in my husband's name.  After waiting for both permanent serve cards to arrive (7-10 business days) I will do a transfer funds from his account to mine.   Lost the purchase price of the serve but that's the learning curve I guess.

Offline smaxber

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #884 on: July 30, 2014, 09:44:21 PM »


Each time I go I do less than $500. I'm fortunate to have an accessible Family Dollar that's right where I need to be anyway. I'll probably try multiple sub-$500 loads soon.
Keep us posted please. Gonna have to go find one now.
So if I do this cash load at family dollar it's 5k/month
Therefore can't use to load GC to it at WM?

Offline lifetimedeals

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #885 on: July 30, 2014, 09:57:31 PM »
What is the advantage of Buying a temporary serve card at cvs ($3.95 fee) versus signing up online?

Offline Shmulie

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #886 on: July 30, 2014, 10:06:25 PM »
What is the advantage of Buying a temporary serve card at cvs ($3.95 fee) versus signing up online?
If you can pay for it with a credit card thats extra points
I think best would be signing up through Isis http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/48406 so you can get the higher limits plus if you do it by tomorrow you get can get up to $25

Offline ckmk47

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #887 on: July 30, 2014, 10:09:48 PM »
Keep us posted please. Gonna have to go find one now.
So if I do this cash load at family dollar it's 5k/month
Therefore can't use to load GC to it at WM?
Unclear Q, but I think the answer is: This is instead of going to Walmart and its part of the same limit per month.
My favorite cause: cssy.org

Offline kangarruu

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #888 on: July 30, 2014, 10:10:51 PM »
Unclear Q, but I think the answer is: This is instead of going to Walmart and its part of the same limit per month.

Exactly. Walmart is way more convenient if you have easy access, but this is great for NYC.

Offline smaxber

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #889 on: July 30, 2014, 10:28:11 PM »
Unclear Q, but I think the answer is: This is instead of going to Walmart and its part of the same limit per month.
Exactly. Walmart is way more convenient if you have easy access, but this is great for NYC.
so now need to decide if 5ppd is worth the hassle of going to WM

Offline lifetimedeals

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #890 on: July 30, 2014, 10:28:50 PM »
If you can pay for it with a credit card thats extra points
I think best would be signing up through Isis http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/48406 so you can get the higher limits plus if you do it by tomorrow you get can get up to $25
ya ya tried already I don't have access to ISIS its crazy hard to get I was gonna signup from someones Verizon phone but the app told me I need special sim card big hassle.

Offline Shmulie

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #891 on: July 30, 2014, 10:33:10 PM »
ya ya tried already I don't have access to ISIS its crazy hard to get I was gonna signup from someones Verizon phone but the app told me I need special sim card big hassle.
I had the same problem but someone posted a few pages back that they went to the verizon store and used the display phones so I tried it and it worked for me.

P.S. If you do end up going to the verizon store try using the LG G3 it worked for me I tried using the Galaxy s5 but it had a glitch when it was referring to the website.

Offline lifetimedeals

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #892 on: July 30, 2014, 10:54:33 PM »
I had the same problem but someone posted a few pages back that they went to the verizon store and used the display phones so I tried it and it worked for me.

P.S. If you do end up going to the verizon store try using the LG G3 it worked for me I tried using the Galaxy s5 but it had a glitch when it was referring to the website.
I went they told me it will not work cuz its not active and it needs to store ur information bla bla sucks. But why not just do online order serve why pay for it at cvs?

Offline Centro

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #893 on: July 30, 2014, 11:08:19 PM »
My experience was different than the wiki.  Maybe this newbie misunderstood what to do but this is what happened:  I got the required case for my iphone, the nice people at the AT&T store helped me download the Isis app, I went to the dollar store and bought a serve card (and loaded it with $500 via cc).  When I got home I opened the app to register the serve card I purchased.  Never asked for any card details.  Instead, a new serve account was made.  Spent a LONG time with both AMEX and ISIS customer service on the line.  I can't have 2 serve accounts, don't want to use the serve I purchased as a gift card, and don't want to lose the signup bonus for the serve account created through ISIS.  I was advised to register the purchased one in my husband's name.  After waiting for both permanent serve cards to arrive (7-10 business days) I will do a transfer funds from his account to mine.   Lost the purchase price of the serve but that's the learning curve I guess.
We all learn from our mistakes.. That's life.

If you'll look again at the wiki you'll see that you have 3 different ways of getting your serve card, you did option #1 "and" option #3, you're not suppose to do both.

Offline Shmulie

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #894 on: July 30, 2014, 11:11:32 PM »
I went they told me it will not work cuz its not active and it needs to store ur information bla bla sucks.
The phones are active
I did it at the one on Kings highway no one gave me a problem I just walked right up to the phone and created an account (just have to make sure to logout before you leave)

But why not just do online order serve why pay for it at cvs?
I think bec loading the temp card doesn't count against your monthly limits

Offline lifetimedeals

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #895 on: July 30, 2014, 11:15:07 PM »
The phones are active
I did it at the one on Kings highway no one gave me a problem I just walked right up to the phone and created an account (just have to make sure to logout before you leave)
I think bec loading the temp card doesn't count against your monthly limits
ok but then there is a fee, load how with cash?

Offline chamdena

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #896 on: July 31, 2014, 12:13:35 AM »
I closed BB at 3pm. Opened Serve via ISIS at 11:55 pm. Got $50.00 credit. Wooohooo!

Offline D93

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #897 on: July 31, 2014, 12:19:16 AM »
I closed BB at 3pm. Opened Serve via ISIS at 11:55 pm. Got $50.00 credit. Wooohooo!
why $50? i thought $25

Offline chamdena

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #898 on: July 31, 2014, 12:25:18 AM »
Dunno. T mobile?

Offline etech0

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Re: Amex Serve.com
« Reply #899 on: July 31, 2014, 10:45:11 AM »
I went they told me it will not work cuz its not active and it needs to store ur information bla bla sucks. But why not just do online order serve why pay for it at cvs?
When I bought mine at CVS I loaded it with $20 cash and they waived the $3.95 fee
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.