October 24th, 2012
Review: Serve from American Express
Prepaid cards are typically marketed to unbanked and underbanked consumers. In the past, prepaid cards have offered little innovation and a slew of predatory fees. But Serve from American Express is attempting to be the new, technologically advanced prepaid card on the block.
Serve from American Express – Prepaid Goes Digital
Serve attempts to set itself apart with some innovative benefits:
- The Serve mobile app. Members can send, receive and request money through the app, by email or by text on the go.
- The Serve Facebook app. Serve is the first prepaid service to give members the ability to send and receive money through Facebook – now that’s innovative.
- Earn Zynga. If you sign up for a Zynga-linked Serve account, you’ll earn rewards toward social games such as FarmVille and CityVille.
- Personal Widgets. Serve also allows you to create your own widgets to sell items, raise money for charity, or collect cash for a group event. Widgets can be placed on personal websites, blogs and even Facebook walls.
So, what are the fees?
Similar to the American Express Bluebird Card, Serve comes with fewer fees than most prepaid products.
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Fee Type
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Amount
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Monthly fee
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$0
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Annual fee
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$0
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ATM
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$0 for first withdrawal each month; $2 for each subsequent withdrawal
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Adding money to Serve
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$0 if done online from a U.S. checking account;
2.9% of the loaded amount if done from a credit card, plus $0.30 per transaction (waived through March 15, 2013) |
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Sending money
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$0
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Who should get Serve?
Serve may be a good fit for consumers who aren’t interested in credit cards but still want innovative financial products. Since applying for Serve doesn’t initiate a credit check, those with poor credit or little credit history could find this card a welcome alternative to traditional credit products.
Apply for Serve from American Express
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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.
While this is the first time Zynga’s implemented a reward-based mobile ad campaign, this isn’t the first time it has created interactive brand partnerships in its games.Level up your gaming with Zynga Credits, the official currency of Zynga. Earn Zynga Credits by completing easy offers, winning contests, using our toolbar and more at – http://www.fanup.com/items/177
Zynga is fighting desperately to survive.
I used to spend lots of money on Farmville but now I’ve changed to the real games like Guildwars and Age of Conan, where I know what I am buying.
And anyway, I prefered using prepaid cards like Paysafecard after my credit card was copied while I was shopping online. So, no, thank you.
DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. Problems, problems, problems!!!!. If there is a problem expect to be on hold for at least an hour before they disconnect you.
Unexpected from American Express, but very true.
O MY GOD what a pain in the neck it takes over 5 days just to register your card to add money from a bank account. If your a student and your parents want to add money from their account or debit account they can’t. Trying to add money is more difficult then it’s worth it; you would be better off getting a bank card and putting limited funds in that account. As a parent sending a student away from home and protecting our son from overdrawing and or running up a huge CC bill this was a not the answer. Long story short DON’T USE THEIR SERVICES will cost you more money and aggravation then the benefits associated with having the card.
When you talk to the service personnel they are rude and don’t offer any help even after you’ve waiting on the phone.
American Express Serve.com: Bank fraud & Racketeering
File your complaint with the FTC.
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en
May 07, 2013
Response from Serve:
Hello John Scheldroup, Thank you for your recent inquiry about Serve from American Express and we apologize for the inconvenience this matter has caused you. At this time, our Account Protection Services department has placed an account concern tag on your account which is why you cannot access your funds. Please contact our Account Protection Department at 1-800-555-4318 to have your account reviewed and the matter resolved. They are available to assist you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you need further assistance regarding your Serve account, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-954-0559. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for your convenience. You may also contact us through Twitter at @AskServe, or through secure email by logging into your account and clicking on the Contact Us link. Sincerely, Joffre Customer Care | Call Center Operations 1-800-954-0559 | http://www.serve.com
DO NOT EVER USE AMERICAN EXPRESS PREPAID PRODUCTS! First, let me say that I am a permanently disabled person who receives SSDI. I got suckered in to using their Serve card and moved the balance of my checking account to the card and everything seemed okay, until today.
I needed some cash, so I went out to use the card at the ATM like I had many other times. Despite the fact that there was no activity on my account other than my phone bill, they said my account was suspended for suspicious activity.
While on the phone and on crutches following a recent hip surgery, they refused to let me use my card until I faxed a copy of my social security card and photo ID, even though there was no suspicious activity on my account and the representative admitted that.
So, they left me in the pouring rain during a massive thunderstorm, on crutches, with no concern for my pleas for assistance, and still refuse to release my account even though I have since faxed the information they requested. Now, I have no access to my own money until I get paid via my checking account on Tuesday, injured myself getting home because I could not afford a cab, and have left me moneyless for three entire days. American Express Prepaid does not care about their customers at all!
So I went to sell my books back to Chegg.com, which was alright, until they told me that they no longer issued checks and now would only give you your money on an american express serve card. That was just whatever. So I signed up for the Serve card, linked my accounts and did everything I had to. They were running a promotion that said you would get $10 for using your serve card. Well that all seemed awesome. So I did it, and sent my books in to Chegg.com to get paid. A few days later I got the email from Serve saying that money has been sent to my account. So I went to serves website and signed in and went to approve the transactions. All three transactions when I tried to approve them sent me an error message and when I refreshed the page said that all three transactions had been cancelled. So I didn’t receive over 130 dollars. So I called the customer service line several times over the course of a week and finally I got to speak with a manager (who was a complete Di@k btw!) named Jason. He pretty much told me that they would be sending me a check instead of putting the money on the dumb serve card that I signed up for. This meant that the money would not be funded to my account, which means that in order to get that $10 dollar credit that they promised I would have to load more money, my own money on to the card and they spend it from the card. They literally made it so that I had to do that to get the promotional $10 that they promised me! Its a trick and they completely make it so you have to put more money into their services even though their promotion says that you just need to use the serve card!!! I am completely unsatisfied and still have to wait the 7-10 business days to get my money, if they even send it!!! I do not recommend!!!