Online and at certain retail locations
No
cash register, check, ACH transfer, direct deposit, Walmart, mobile check
No
No
Yes
Yes
Bluebird prepaid card is among the favorite prepaid cards based on customer recommendations. One of the main reasons cardholders recommend this reloadable card more than any other is because of its low fees. The Bluebird prepaid card, offered by American Express, is an excellent alternative to both credit cards and debit cards for unbanked Americans. Bluebird is a low-cost (or even free) way to spend your money and be in control of your finances, by tracking spending on the free app that is offered to all of Bluebird’s cardholders. It’s also great card for teens to learn how to manage their money.
Bluebird Scorecard
Features
Fees
Limits
Reload
Rewards
The Bluebird card gets a score of 50. There are not many unique features that come with this reloadable card besides the basics of viewing transactions, linking a card, and viewing available balance and direct deposit information. However, there may be more to the app but as you will see below the recent update of the app has brought the card rating from a 4 star app...to a 2 star app.
The Bluebird card fees is one of the reasons this prepaid card is the most recommended by consumers. The Bluebird card is practically fee-less, without doing tricks to avoid fees. The only real fee users have to focus on is ATM fees which can easily be avoided.
The limitations placed on this card is great for the average user. Bluebird has one of the highest maximum balanced allowed by a prepaid card at $100,000 limit.
Bluebird gets a a Reload Score of 90 which is better than most prepaid cards. cardholders can add funds to their card in numerous ways including the typical reload locations such as CVS, Duane Reade, 7-Eleven, Dollar Tree etc, ACH transfer, deposit check by mobile app, deposit check at Walmart and reload at Walmart. Reloading at Walmart is also free, a great benefit for those who do not choose to direct deposit.
This prepaid card is not high on the list when it comes to rewards. There is no cash back rewards, or cash giveaways but users can obtain Walmart Buck$TM with their Bluebird card. Here's information on "How to Redeem Walmart Bucks with Bluebird"
Serve offer cardholders unlimited 1% cashback when they make purchases at certain retailers and online stores.
Signing up is easy and straightforward! Simply register online for a new account and a card will be issued to you in the mail. You also have the option of walking into a local retail location such as Walmart and purchase a starter pack for a low, one-time cost of $5. This will give users a temporary card where they can store funds immediately, while waiting for their personalized card by mail. The funds transfer to the temporary card is unfortunately NOT protected or backed by FDIC, which is a very important factor to keep in mind. The Bluebird card is also only accepted where American Express is accepted which isn’t much of an issue but Visa & Mastercard are accepted by more locations than American Express.
The Bluebird prepaid card offers an easy to navigate mobile application. Through the app cardholders can view direct deposits information, pay bills transfer money, and view transaction history. The Bluebird prepaid card boasts absolutely no monthly or hidden fees, no overdraft charges and free access to all MoneyPass ATMs.
Adding funds to the user account is incredibly convenient, as there is multiple options for doing so. Cardholders can make a direct deposit, reload their card at Walmart via Rapid Reload, transfer funds directly from their existing debit account or cash a check within the app, dubbed the Bluebird “Mobile Check Capture” feature.
Customer service is 24/7 and the Bluebird card has both fraud and purchase protection, making it a safe and reliable card. There is also an option to add a “family account,” which can help kids manage money and learn about budgeting. Users can add up to four cards onto one account, which can be managed by setting spending limits and tracking expenditure within the app.
Although Bluebird is a virtually free prepaid card, there are some small fees that are applicable. Adding funds in alternate ways, such as at a retail location other than Walmart, can cost cardholders up to $3.95. Withdrawing funds at any ATM other than MoneyPass or other surcharge free ATMs like AllPoint will cost cardholders $2.50.
Overall, the Bluebird prepaid card is one of the best prepaid cards in 2020 because of its low fees and easy user interface & customer experience. It is also one of the top prepaid cards recommended by other prepaid cardholders.
The Bluebird prepaid card doesn't have strict limits. Bluebird, like the Serve card, has one of the highest maximum balance allowed by a prepaid card which is $100,000. ATM Withdrawals allowed per day is $750, cash reloads per month is up to $10,000 and bank transfer to a linked card is up to $15,000 per month. Below is a simple chart of Bluebird prepaid card limits.
Amex Bluebird card can be purchased at major retail locations such as 7-Eleven, Walgreens, CVS and Walmart for a fee of $5. However, the card you receive from the store is a temporary card and you can only spend the initial load amount. The temporary card cannot be reloaded. Users will have to create an account with Bluebird to get a personalized Bluebird card and once the form has been completed your card will arrive in the mail in 3-5 business days.
💡Tip: If you do not need a Bluebird card right away, we suggest visiting the official website Bluebird.com and signing up for the card online. You will not have to pay the $5 fee required in stores and considering you still need to sign up anyways it is more convenient to have the card mailed to you without visiting the retailers.
Bluebird card can be loaded at participating retail stores such as Walgreens, CVS, 7-Eleven & Dollar General. Bluebird reload locations uses the same retailers as most other reloadable cards. These retail stores are in the Reload Network. You can try our Reload Locations tool to find the nearest retailer.
Yes, Bluebird cardholders can receive cash back at the register if the retail stores allow it. Certain cash registers will automatically ask customers if they would like to receive cash back. For the cash registers that don't, simply notify the cashier that you would like to receive cash back if they allow it. Select the amount of cash you would like to receive, select "debit". The amount will be deducted from your Bluebird account.
No, unfortunately Bluebird cardholders cannot link their card to Cash app. Cash app allow users to link their debit card on their platform. We've tried every prepaid card and were unsuccessful a linking them to Cash App. However, we recommend applying for a Chime Bank account. Most people are able to apply and open a Chime bank account and their fees are almost non-existent (just like the Bluebird card). You can link a Chime debit card to Cash app.
Is Bluebird a good reloadable card. Yes, American Express Bluebird card is a great card, in fact it's number #1 on our best prepaid cards in 2020. We first came across the Bluebird card after hearing multiple people mention them as one of the best cards. After doing our own due diligence we confirm what everyone else was saying about the prepaid card. Bluebird pride itself on being a prepaid card that has virtually no fees, a major factor for prepaid cardholders when deciding which card to go with. The only notable con with this card is that American Express isn't accepted in as many places, online & off, as Visa® or Mastercard.
There are several ways to load your Bluebird prepaid card, however, the best way is to direct deposit funds onto your Bluebird card. Here are all the ways to add money to your Bluebird card/
Direct Deposit - Asap Direct Deposit is by far the best way to fund your Bluebird card. Not only do you receive your paycheck and/or benefits 2 days faster than a bank account, but you also avoid any deposit fees.
Reload @ The Register - Users can add money to their Bluebird card using Reload @ The Register service. This service allow users to reload their Bluebird card at the register of participating retailers such as CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Dollar tree and more. There is a $4.95 fee to load money onto your card when selecting this method.
Walmart MoneyCenter - Alternative to the Reload @ The Register method users can load their Bluebird card at Walmart via Walmart MoneyCenter or at the cash register. The best thing about loading your funds at Walmart is it's completely free.
ACH Bank Transfer - If you have a bank account you can link the two cards together and send a bank transfer to your Bluebird card. This method is usually free, however, it takes a longer time for the transaction to complete (3-5 business days).
No, you cannot overdraft on your Bluebird card. American Express Bluebird card is a prepaid card. Users can only spend the amount of money they load onto their card. Debit cards, which requires that you have a bank, account allow members to overdraft. Overdrafting typically incurs a fee of around $30 per overdraft.
Amex Bluebird card does not build your credit. Bluebird is a prepaid card and prepaid card transactions does not get reported to any of the three major credit bureaus. Bluebird card allow users to make transactions online and in-stores and help with money management but does not affect users credit. If you are looking for a card that will help build your credit and report your transactions to the major credit bureaus, we recommend Chime Bank account.
We hope that you've found this review of the Bluebird card to be valuable! If you're interested in reading more, please subscribe below to get alerted of new reviews as we write them.
