October 17th, 2012
Review: Bluebird by American Express – a Better Prepaid Card
In a partnership with Walmart, American Express has launched a new prepaid debit card called Bluebird. It hopes to revolutionize the prepaid space, which is typically known for numerous high and hidden card fees.
Bluebird – An Alternative to a Traditional Checking Account
Prepaid debit cards have gotten a bad rap. (Remember the Suze Orman card? Or the Kardashian card?) American Express and Walmart are trying to turn that around with Bluebird, which lets consumers take control of their finances:
- Cash deposit: With Bluebird, cardholders can deposit cash via direct deposit, transfers from a bank account, by adding cash at virtually any Walmart, or by depositing checks with the card’s mobile app.
- Free bill pay: Using Bluebird’s website or mobile app, members can pay their bills digitally, with no fee.
- Cash withdrawals: Bluebird members can withdraw cash at any ATM that accepts American Express cards or that’s included in the MoneyPass ATM Network.
- Family budgeting: Bluebird offers a feature called Sub-Accounts, which allows the account owner to create accounts for other people, like family members. The card member sets up the Sub-Accounts and can adjust settings for daily spending limits and ATM access. Each Sub-Account member receives his or her own Bluebird card.
So, what are the fees?
Bluebird comes with a few fees, but much less than the traditional prepaid debit card. It has no monthly or annual fee, which is refreshing. Here are the main fees cardholders can expect:
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Fee Type
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Amount
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Adding money from a debit card
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$2 per transaction
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Out-of-network ATM
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$2 per withdrawal or decline (waived through 11/4/12)
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MoneyPass Network ATM (for Bluebird cards NOT receiving direct deposit)
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$2 per withdrawal or decline (waived through 11/4/12)
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Who should get Bluebird?
This card isn’t for the person looking to establish a credit history. Remember that prepaid cards aren’t credit cards. They won’t help you build your credit. (For a cash-backed card that does, try a secured credit card.)
This card is for unbanked consumers—folks who don’t have traditional bank accounts, either because they can’t get one or they prefer not to do business with a bank. There are approximately 10 million unbanked U.S. households, according to the FDIC, which is a huge market opportunity. And consumers can do just about everything with the Bluebird card that can be done with a traditional checking account and debit card. Plus, there’s no credit check when you apply for a Bluebird card.
Bethy Hardeman is the Social Media Manager and Writer at Credit Karma.
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Disclaimer: All information posted to this site was accurate at the time of its initial publication. Efforts have been made to keep the content up to date and factual. This content is not provided or commissioned by the bank or issuer. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of the bank or issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank or issuer. For complete product details visit bank or issuer website for details.
Reading all these negative comments gives me a headache. Lol. I have not had one problem since I purchased my card. I have paid multiple bills, transferred money, and deposited money no problem. 5 to 6 days to process a check really isn’t that bad considering you don’t even have to go anywhere. As for the cards not working I have used my card for purchases and never had any problems. As for customer service, have any of you realized this is a fairly new thing? Of course they will not be able to solve every problem because they haven’t been around for long, it’s called trial & error. On top of that I am sure they are way under staffed to even handle all of the phone calls from everyone. I have an iphone and not once had a problem with my account freezing, so maybe the problem is not with bluebird itself, but with android phones. Yelling at the phone rep or getting pissed off at them is just going to make them put you on hold longer or not even try to help you.(trust me I know from experience) I think it’s a great service!
It has taken over 9 days for my money to transfer. SHAME ON YOU AMERICAN EXPRESS! My money is in limbo–and forget trying to get help.
Bluebird is the worst prepaid card to buy. It takes seven days to get a store refund deposited back on your card, can’t get cash back at the register, they always atm fees, and everytime I’ve tried to order anything without it getting declined for no reason. As soon as my last deposit is poste.d I’m closing my account. So before you buy bluebird know the facts.
Being new to the Debit Memo scene is no excuse for incompetence on their part.
Unlike Happy, I’ve had nothing but problems with the account, and I’m finding out just how many retailers and businesses don’t accept American Express, since getting this card.
Last week Thursday was the breaking point for me. I tried to log onto my account to verify my direct deposit, only to find that I had been locked out. My account was frozen because of presumed fraud. This wouldn’t have been a problem; however they never bothered to notify me by e-mail of their actions. After waiting for more than ½ hour to be connected to a Customer Service rep in the fraud department, I get a condescending and rude individual that finally unlocked my account. When I asked him about my direct deposit, he told me it would not be affected by the account being frozen, and my deposit would most likely post later that day.
It was almost 9:30 am. EST when I finally hung up with him. At 9:38, I received an E-mail that since my account was frozen, they had refused my direct deposit, and that I needed to contact my employer to make other arrangements to get my pay.
Customer Service is in India, and to say that they aren’t very helpful would be an understatement. All they continued to tell me is that it would take 3 to 5 business days for MY MONEY to be returned to my Employer. I requested to speak with a Supervisor. When I asked her for their mailing address, she told me she couldn’t give it to me. I asked her why and she told me because she was in India. I then requested to speak with a Customer Service representative in the United State, and she refused.
I’ve gone to my employer, but they can’t re-issue me my paycheck until the money comes back into the payroll account, which as of this morning, it has not, so Bluebird/American express is using my money for free, and I’m stuck without a paycheck.
I’ve found a lawyer that’s willing to take on American Express and No, this won’t get my money back any faster, but I’m tired of people telling me to hurry up and wait, when they aren’t the ones being made to go without due to their negligence. I know that they are new to the Debit Card game, but that doesn’t excuse them for making their customers pay for poorly training their employees.
I’m dissatisfied with the Bluebird card. My direct deposit fails to make it to my account on payday, and when I’ve called about this I’ve been talked to in a condescending, accusatory tone by the Bluebird representative. It also takes five or six business days before other deposits show up in your account. The money will be withdrawn from your bank account, but it won’t show up anywhere (even as a pending deposit) in Bluebird. It scares me and makes me wonder if my money was stolen or mistakenly deposited into the wrong Bluebird account. Especially since Bluebird accounts are not FDIC insured!!
I also found out the hard way that if you want to transfer funds from your bank account to the Bluebird account, you HAVE to initiate the transaction FROM the Bluebird end. When I called to find out why the money was gone from my bank account and not showing up in my Bluebird account, they told me I wasn’t allowed to do it that way. So I had to wait for the funds to electronically be returned to my bank account, initiate a new transfer from Bluebird, and then wait that five/six business days for it to be available.
They market this card to be SO convenient and hassle-free. What a lie! There are a lot of complicated stipulations that are hidden in the find print. You only get free ATM access IF you have direct deposit, but that’s hidden in the fine print. And then the direct deposit isn’t even available on payday like any other direct deposit I’ve ever had at any other bank. I’m trying to get my finances in order, and I was hopeful when I saw how wonderful Bluebird seemed. What a let down. Bluebird has done nothing to help ease the stress of learning how to manage my money responsibly.
This card is terrible and here are the reasons why in direct comparison to what they say they offer:
Direct deposit: my direct deposit paycheck isn’t put on the card until 10am the next day
Direct Deposit – is ONLY for paychecks – nothing else (like your FSA’s can be directly deposited)
Online banking – dont make a single error because it posts immediately and there’s no way to change it (even though they don’t send the check out till the next day) and if you want to ‘dispute it’ it takes 6-8 weeks to get the money back
ATM – the banks charge 3.00 (even ATMs that take American Express) and they charge 2.00 and it’s only waived if its their Money Pass ATM and you have direct deposit
You can’t get a money order off of your card, so they lie when they say it’s your ‘DEBIT ALTERNATIVE’.
Even the Customer Service agents at Walmart can’t stand the card, says it terrible.
DONT BOTHER!!!!
My only complaint about this card is when i make purchases the cash register screen and my printed receipt BOTH show my card balance!!!!!! I dont like that at all
This card is perfectly HORRIBLE! Great idea, nice little app for the phopne but checking deposits takes days, Debit card deposits are instant but change $2 each and can only be $100 per day. As if that wasn’t a hassle enough the Account Protection is OVERKILL! They throw you into verification for anything. most recently my account was under review because I was ” a new card holder”. That’s it, that’s all, nothing else. I’ve been using the card for months and all the sudden its a problem. I won’t even get into the problems we had with my partner’s card. Get a regular prepaid and be done with it.
I agree with everyone in the previous posts. I should have read the reviews first before going with this card. My direct deposit wouldn’t show up until at least 10:00 AM, when using ATM’s at their preferred locations, I was never reimbursed the fees. So I got rid of this card and went elsewhere.
before you purchase a card, call customer service, 2 knw d features and benefits of d card.
I have read all the negative comments. I have not any problems. But I swiped my card at the pump and they took all my money for Pre authorization. That was not Bluebird. It was Shell gas station. I called Bluebird reversed the preauthorization in a matter of seconds. When I got off the phone with them my money was back where it was suppose to be. The phone operator was very nice and handled the problem immediately. I didn’t have a long wait on the phone. Great customer service. They get to thumbs up from me!!!
I hate bluebird, it’s worthless. I had my work check direct deposit into it and at first it went in around 8 am on payday then the next time around 9 am then the next time after 10am . And when I call each time to find out where my money was those Illiterate customer service people that you can hardly understand say the same thing, they are programed to say the same thing, wait untill 2 pm. DO NOT AND I MEAN DO NOT GET A BLUE BIRD CARD IF YOU WANT ANY CONTROL OVER YOUR MONEY!
I HATE this card. It is horrible. I got a bonus check D-Deposited right after I got the car. It was 7,000. So after receiving the money I tried to do a withdraw of 2000 at the bank. They didn’t take them and come to find out NOONE did. You can NOT get a cash advance, not only that but you can only withdraw 500 a day and up to 2,000 a mth!!!!!!!!!!So that means I have to use the remaining 5,000 as card purchases! I have had several prepaid cards and all of them offer get cash advance with a small fee and they don’t have a 2,000 cut off every mth. After this I am closing my account!
I got this card looking at the features it offered compared to the Vision prepaid card I already had. But didn’t realize how much it sucked until my paycheck that usually appeared on the Vision card at 5:00am and with the Bluebird card it is now 10:00am and I still haven’t received my money. I don’t like that it can only be used as a credit card. I pay my rent by money order and I cannot buy them using credit transactions. I used the atm and was only allowed to withdraw $300. If I’m paid on the last day to pay my rent then I’m screwed because I will now have a late fee. This cared SUCKS. Don’t get this card if you think that you will get your pay in a timely manner. I was told that I may not get my money until around 2:00pm. I work all week and I have to wait till the end of my day to get paid. Thank God I didn’t need gas this morning to make it in to work.
I am in the same boat as Stacey, I got this card with the impression that it would be better and with little to no fees. I have had nothing but issues with this card since we got it in November. This is the first of such issues though where i do not get my check direct deposited. I called earlier this morning and they told me that it should be around 14:00. It is now 14:01 and nothing. I just tried called a half hour ago and their phones aren’t even allowing you to speak to an operator. they only get your information, than say” due to the success and high demand of bluebird, we cannot take your call at this time. and than they hang up on you I am done with these people after today.. pathetic excuse for a card. Just like walmart, always out to take the hard earned dollars and give shit in return…..
I agree Jared. I was told the same thing and now it is an hour later than I was told I would receive my money and when I called they said that because of the high volume of direct deposits I may not get my pay until 4:00 pm. I don’t have a computer at home so I use the one at work to pay all of my bills and that just went out the window for today. I’m glad I didn’t use their bill pay because I may have been sitting in the dark tonight. I too will remove all of my money within the next few days since there is a limit in place and put it in the checking account I just opened up. I WANT MY MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve never had a problem with direct deposit with Bluebird but today I didn’t receive my direct deposit at all!!! I called and they said by 2pm and here it is 3pm and nothing!!! I can’t call because they ate nit accepting calls? What company does that????? It’s my paycheck and I need it to pay bills! Never again will I use this company after this!
Same issue here with direct deposit. I’ve been calling since 6 am EST and keep being told to call back in 2 hours. Its now 3:45 pm EST and I’m still waiting. I can get through to customer service but its like a broken record – call back in 2 hours. As soon as my money is available I’m removing it and closing the ripoff card. AMEX should be ashamed for putting their name on this product.
I am having the same issue as you guys! Its 340pm and still I have not received my money! Now this is the first time Im having this issue but cant get a hold of nobody. Their customer service SUCKS!!! There is no reason why it should take this long it is very frustrating. I am now done with this card I cant afford to get paid when they feel like it!
Now customer service isn’t answering. Freakin great. My son needs his medication and I needed to fill it this morning. Its now after 4 pm EST and a call to customer service just hangs up the phone. As soon as my deposit is available – I’M DONE! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bluebird is the worst pre-paid credit card. They have now screwed up my direct deposit for the 2nd time in only 5 pay periods. There is no way to contact customer service. The customer service line says that it is not accepting calls at this time and there is no way to e-mail them. My bank finally gave me a private customer care line and I have now been on hold for over 20 minutes with no hopes of talking to a live person. I have no idea when I will get my paycheck, but you better believe that I will immediately take off all funds and shred this card. I have never had any trouble with other prepaid cards like visa or mastercard.
OMG!I’m now in panic mode. My direct deposit did not post until after noon today. What the heck is that about?! I just sent a message to our h.r. administrator that I was changing my Direct Deposit. I am praying it doesn’t take long. I haven’t had any other issues but that one is enough!!The worst is you get no answers to your questions. I will not recommend this card to anyone. At least not using direct deposit!!
I will never use this bluebird card again ever!!! I have been calling all morning to find out where my money is and at first I was told to call back if I didn’t have it at 2PM, then 3PM, then 6PM, now the representative is saying 7:15PM. In between calls I was placed on hold for thirty to forty five minutes to be hung on and then have to call back and stay on hold for another thirty to fourty five minutes to be hung up on again…this is so unprofessional shame on you American Express for this piss poor customer service!!!
OMG, I so wish I would have read the reviews before buying this card and doing direct deposit. I always that American Express or anything related to Amex was top of the line. It was ok at first until I had my first bad experience with the customer service department with miss information regarding bill pay. Inspite of what they told me, I was able to send money and pay a personal bill. Next incident I realized that an unauthorized charge had taken place. I phoned customer service and the lady wouldn’t give me any information except that I would receive a decision by mail in 2 business days. Which I did, ONLY informing me that the account was credited. THEY TOTALLY DIDN’T mention anything about cancelling the card or sending a new one. I had no access to my money what so ever. I phoned and the man assured me that they would send me one overnight. Guess what, no card the next day. Phoned again, and asked for a tracking number. They stated they had no way of giving me that information. The card didn’t show up for 7 days after a total of 4 phone calls and no return calls from managers explaining the situation or offering further assistance. Dumb me, THATS RIGHT, I WAS STUPID ENOUGH to keep the account with them. I rerouted the direct deposit again to the account. In the past the money was always there first thing in the morning, but this time the money was not there even though my paycheck stub stated it was. I phoned and the lady gave me the spill about 2pm which I had never heard of. Finally the funds were there, but when I went to use the card, declined!!! Now, again no access to MY MONEY, and can’t they can’t tell me anything until Monday MORNING….. PISSED!!!
DON’T DO IT!!!!!!!! This has been the biggest headache EVER, so much so I have opted to go back to regular checking.. I understand some people have issues opening a checking account, however, many financial institutions do offer second chance banking.. Trust me you would rather pay the service fee. First, anytime you call customer service you ALWAYS get someone from India who lacks common sense or training. I lost my card 1 MONTH ago and I still haven’t gotten the replacement yet! I tried using my sub-accounts card to purchase groceries but they declined the transaction(with more than enough funds available to cover the charge), when I called and asked they said I never tried running my card! Really? Because I was standing there with groceries that I wasn’t able to take! THEN they tell me that it was declined because my card wasn’t active, I had used it the night before. *sigh* I can’t stand people who lie and people who have no clue as to what they’re saying and instead of admitting they’re stupid and transfer the call to someone who MIGHT know, they tell you whatever in hopes you believe it..Once again, DON’T DO IT!!!!!! Just remember you DO get what you pay for!!
OK, My wife and I have had BlueBird for over 6 months now… It wasn’t too bad, I can live with ATM fees, the Account locks because we forgot the pin etc… BUT They locked my account and told me they are closing it because my funding source did not pay them and wouldn’t tell me anymore info…. On hold for over 2 hours today, no supervisor would talk to me… I do not know if my unemployment “bounces” but this is ridiculous… AND they wont give me the money on my card…. I have a broke car, 2 kids in diapers, job interviews and I cannot use my money.. WTF!!!! CANT STAND THIS!!! DO NOT USE BLUEBIRD!!! SCAM BY AMEX!!!!!!
My direct deposits take an additional day to post to my account and the deposit check using the mobile app always results in a decline. I have not had any other issues as far as function is concerned however I was able to purchase an item online using the incorrect security code. Does not make me feel too secure using the card. I have moved over to Green Dot Visa and LOVE it. I cannot deposit checks, which was the only reason I went with Bluebird, but it is FDIC insured, accepts government (SSI, refunds) deposits. They have a list of no fee ATM’s you can look up by zip code, I’ve never incurred a fee to withdrawal money and the locations to load funds places I shop at regularly. Its unfortunate Bluebird has so many issues, I was really hoping it was a better and easier alternative to a checking account.
I bought the card, deposited 30. 35 spent. Card would not register. Card was not “approved yet Now 15 days later called customer service again. Balance was only 29. They told me I was charged a dollar by PayPal. PayPal does not charge fees. Liar. All I tried to do was connect PayPal or my card to a website with NO purchase at the time for future possible purchases. Also neither was connected. The card was not accepted, just charged. Cust service was snotty. I tried to be nice so they would activate my card, since it wasn’t working. Now it is Supposed to be…we’ll see. Walmart on the phone told me they would not take any refunds for these cards when I called a week ago with the 30 balance. So Walmart is in collusion with this fraud and theft and lying business. I am going to go back there and threaten to call the police and 911 for credit card theft and theft in progress to start. They are all a bunch of lying crooks. Also after stealing, they wanted my SS number too. ?????
DO NOT BUY FILE BBB complaints do contact law enforcement.
I been with Blue bird since August 2012 . at first it easy a pretty
Good card, but all of a sudden i’ve been having problems back
To back. It first started when long after i filed my taxes i logged
On to my account a month later and blue bird had put in faqs that
Government and federal checks couldnt not be deposited into the
Account, so I go into panic mode, because thetes no way that was
There in the beginning because i wouldve noticed it because i read
Evrrything in the faqs when i first got the card. So wheni call them upset
One of representives lied to me and told me it might go through
But when I call back the other rep. Said theres no way thats true,
Because american express declines any government direct deposits
It ended up coming through in the end. Clearly someone doesnt know what their talikng about.
Then recently, I decided i want to buy a car. So itry to see how can i remove all my funds
Off this ridiculous card and to find out the only way to do that is to transfer money
To another bank account which i decided to or i would have remoce 500 a day
From the ATM which would take forever and alot of money . Well i did the transfer and after doing that it said it could take up to 2 to 3 days so on day 2 i notice the money withdrawal was no longer pending in my account, so i decided to call which i hate doing. And the lady tells me it will take 3 to 5 days soooo why would the site say one thing and the rep say another. No sense at all . So now i am waiting on my funds to hit mybank so that i can put the rest of my down payment down on my car. Im frustrated and very pissed off. Moral of my text . Blue bird is full of shit . I would rather pay monthly fees then to deal with this lame company. #fact
THIS is NOT the card to use. I suggest you check out CHASE Bank. The fees are better. THEY are accepted every where. THIS card sucks all your money up with all it’s fees. RUN away from this.
Terrible, talk to 3 people in different countries. I have double billing and they wont do anything. Bottom line and its no secret they are not a bank. Paypal debit card works much better, and you are not sent to India to discuss your account. I am taking my money out and no more will be deposited. After using the account for 5 months now, I am sent to the fraud dept for review. I do have a real bank, and there is a reason, bluebird exists. Some people are shady, others have had issues that cause real banks to reject them. The economy is terrible and services like this are a shame. DO NOT DIRECT DEPOSIT YOUR MONEY TO THEM EVER
I thought getting this prepaid card would be better then the Walmart card because of all the fees that the Walmart card has, well I feel completely stupid I should of stuck with the Walmart card… I went to add money to my account and they kept denying my cash, then we called customer service and they told me how I would need to purchase another card (because they don’t think they sent out the right card), and also because I didn’t add money to my card sooner. I just got my card after ordering it online.. I will be closing this account ASAP..
Bluebird American Express is by far the worst debit card as well as the worst customer service. I had made a purchase online with the company that I work for. In a two hour time span I had canceled the transaction. Same day cancelation and the company had not even completed the transaction. Any other bank and the pending amount would have been automatically put back on the card. As soon as my money is deposited, I will cut this card up. I should have known better than to trust anything associated with Walmart. Plus the fact is, another company that you call customer service and your sent over seas to another country.
Bluebird card is the worst card ever !!! EVER!!! You know why you cant deposit taxes cause even the goverment knows its a ripoff!!!
This catd is the worst card ever!!!!!!!! I absolutly HATE this company they should have never started this card. I can’t get my money back or nothing. I’m stuck with a worthlessstupid gift card
I would have liked to use it if I could ever have activated it. Nothing worked and after several phone calls and re-visits to Walmart Customer Service–and after failing to get through the online activation process–I tossed the card. It is a waste of money and does not work.
Horrible service, horrible card, worst experience ever! Don’t get it for your direct deposit they limit you to $2000 a month that you can take out of your account, freeze your card at their whim. It is the worst card ever, no one accepts it so you are embarassed to not be able to use it. Now they are telling me that my account is frozen because of fraud, I think they are the fraud posing as a legitimate business, shame, shame on you American Express!
Bluebird DO NOT GET ONE.
I have been using it for a few months now. I have four sub accounts for my children in college overseas. Today one of my children forwarded me an email from Bluebird saying her account was suspended and to get the suspension lifted she had to Fax to Bluebird, either a copy of her W2, her social security card, her medicare card or a copy of an earnings statement from the last three months showing her SS number. I called customer service and spoke to a foreign land and a person who could barely speak English. I asked to be transferred to the fraud dept , long wait. The lady from fraud (Arizona) was rude and did not know what she was doing. They had no idea why emails were sent to my sub accounts and stated if I did not fax the info required, my card would be cancelled.
NOBODY FAXES THIS TYPE OF DATA TO SOME RANDOM NUMBER SENT VIA EMAIL.
No other credit card company asks for this to be faxed either. Most state if this info is asked for its a scam and they will never ask for it.
I’ve had the card for a few months now and all of sudden they want to confirm who I am?
Do not get this card its a joke.
AMEX should be ashamed and embarrassed.
I have now got real AMEX cards for my children.
I have had a bluebird card since January. I have made several deposits and numerous transactions. Today, I received an email saying my account had been frozen without an explanation as to why. The email said I needed to fax a copy of a recent pay stub, medicare card, my W2 or my social security card that displayed my entire social security number within 10 days or my account would be closed. SERIOUSLY??? If it were for verification purposes, this information should have been requested prior to them issuing my card! I will NOT be giving them my social security number. I have 2 other prepaid cards and have never been asked for this information. As far as I know, that fax number could belong to an employee looking to steal my identity. I will just have to take the loss of my money because bluebird will not get any additional personal information from me. I will also contact not only the BBB, but any forum that will listen to my experience. My son will be leaving for college this fall with a Net
spend card because it’s a company I trust. Bluebird by American Express is cruel joke that needs to be stopped before they can steal from people who fall for their scams and find their hard earned money held hostage! American Express should be ashamed! I believe it’s just going to be a matter of time before their name shows up in a class action lawsuit!!
I’ve tried using this card at several locations. Nobody accepts it. They say they accept American Express but this card is always rejected. So why should I keep it? I’m not. I thought it might be a useful add on to my online shopping but it’s just been a wheezy, time trap.
American Express I always had good feelings about your company. Now I’m wondering if you’re just like all the other greedy bastards. Obviously floating my money for your benefit while pretending to have super sharp security thus freezing my account every time I want to use it. And I thought I was getting a no-fee debit card. Stupid on me, but worse on you cuz if you ever want your customers back it’s going to be all up hill. You’re losing trust by the billions. You’re good name is gone.
And bye bye to you.
why in the world would you guy put your “pay check” into a pre paid card?im sorry guys i just think that’s crazy!!!these prepaid cards are made for little stuff like paying Netflix or ordering stuff off online,iv had my blue bird for like 6 months it works fine cause i only put on there what im going to use.If you guy are doing direct deposit go to a real bank like chase,boa,wells get it?come on guys stop giving these guys ways to screw you!!!
I have recently ran into trouble with my checking account so I decided to switch to a prepaid card for awhile until I can get everything straightened out. I picked Bluebird as I saw it had the least amount of fees.
At first I was just having my paycheck sent to me and loading money at Walmart. That was working well but my company wanted me to go back to direct deposit so I decided to add it to the card.
Today was the day the deposit was supposed to take effect. My employer had sent the money in but there is no change in my balance. I waited a couple of hours and checked again. Still no change. So I called customer service. Got through quickly and spoke to someone. She looked up my account and said there wasn’t even a pending transaction. Then she went on to tell me that my employer was supposed to notify them a day in advance before the deposit is sent so I wouldn’t have funds until tomorrow. I checked the forms again and looked over some of the agreements and unless I missed something I didn’t see anything mentioned about early notification. Needless to say I am a little pissed!
Just goes to show you get what you pay for. If you don’t pay fees you don’t get anything. Going to start looking for another alternative and stop my dd asap!
Sure this card has low fees, but also extremely lousy service that accompany those low fees. I have used this card for about two months, and with the aggravation I’ve experienced, I’d rather pay a fee with a different card for better service.
Slow availability to deposits (unless made at a Walmart, which is extremely inconvenient for me, plus the added hassle of dealing with moronic Walmart employees). The previous reviews about long wait times, being placed on eternal hold, or just simply abandon the call are all true. I can only assume that Walmart/AMEX are outsourcing to the cheapest Indian call center they could find. Completely lacking accountability.
I had an issue recently where my card was charged $94 for a $10 purchase. The retailer could not find where they charged me the $94, and could only assume it was an error on the part of the dumbasses at Bluebird. Upon calling the Bluebird customer service (worst Indian call center ever), I am forced to deal with people that have no clue what they’re doing, and refuse to listen (or are just too friggin stupid to do their job correctly). When I asked the crappy service rep. for her name (to make a complaint) she simply hung up on me. Furthermore, after the retailer agreed to refund me the $94 (despite the fact it wasn’t their fault, they did so to provide the service that Bluebird lacks), the fools at Walmart/AMEX/Bluebird reversed that retailers credit, leaving me out the $94…….AGAIN!
I use debit cards frequently, and have never experienced the problems I’ve had with these numb nuts.
Heed the warning of previous posts:
•DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SCAM!!!!!
•Fair Warning – If you want grief and headaches and not having access to your cash, this card is for you!
•My advice – RUN! Don’t sign up for it!
•DO NOT GET THIS CARD!!!
•they are definitely ARE NO HELP AT ALL!! DO NOT GET THIS CARD AT ALL!!!
•It was a great concept, but severely fails in so many areas.
•ALL IN ALL PLEASE NEVER USE THIS CARD ITS A WASTE OF TIME.
Why companies like AMEX & Walmart spend so much money to release & market a product like this – only to completely fail on the service side and alienate customers is beyond me.
This is the absolute worst investment I have EVER made. We bought the card yesterday to send money to my mom and we are still trying to find a way to accomplish this. First it was the expiration date… it’s too far in future for other companies to recognize. Then it says the temp card cannot be used at an ATM the e-mail option… the other person has to have a bluebird card as well or they can’t access the money. This is ridiculous! Please do not waist your money. We thought we were making a wiser choice to have an actual “bank card” instead of the Wal-Mart card that charges like a bank without the same advantages. turns out we should have just gotten one of those and had done with it.
Worst card ever. They have a million rules that they don’t tell you. Hidden fees, and then ended up closing my account because my dad put money on my card which is a violation of the card??? now they have to mail money back to me, and he has to request his bank to ask for his money back. What the hell!! Total crooks. Bad customer service. This is going to ruin Amex’s reputation. They treat everyone like they are deadbeats, when we just got it so we could pay for a trip without it showing up on statements so that the trip would be a surprise. Ridiculous.
WORST CARD EVER. American Express is BY FAR the worst credit card experience I have EVER had. AVOID GETTING THIS CARD IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. I am out of $209 because of a CANCELLED pending transaction that will take SEVEN DAYS to post back to my account. The customer service reps CLAIMED they could do nothing about. I’m appalled at the lack of “CUSTOMER SERVICE” American Express really has. I will NEVER let them handle my finances AGAIN!