How to Load Bluebird With Gift Cards at Walmart
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Update: You can no longer load a Vanilla Visa to your Bluebird. Update: There are new ways to load Vanilla Visa gift cards to Bluebird at Walmart!How Do You Load Vanilla Visa Gift Cards Now?
Are you 1 of the folks wondering how to use gift cards to load your Bluebird account at Walmart now that you can’t buy Vanilla Reloads with a credit card at CVS anymore?
Can Still Use Gift Cards to Load Your Bluebird!
Many of us were loading Bluebird with Vanilla Reloads, but that’s no longer possible. But you can buy PIN-enabled gift cards with a credit card to earn miles and points instead. And then load these gift cards onto Bluebird, but you have to go to Walmart in person. Then you can use Bluebird to pay bills you can’t normally pay with a credit card.
And don’t forget that you can also use Evolve Money to pay certain bills online with a gift card with a PIN without having to go to Wal-Mart.
If you’re new to this, I’ll show you how!
What’s Bluebird?
You can order American Express Bluebird online and use it to pay bills, write checks, and transfer money to other folks or to yourself. You can buy gift cards with PINs with a miles & points earning credit card (you’ll earn miles and points for using the credit card). And then load the gift card onto Bluebird.
Then, you can use Bluebird to pay bills like credit cards, mortgages, rent, student loans, utility bills, and other expenses you can’t normally pay with a credit card.
How to Load Bluebird With a Gift Card
1. Buy the Right Gift Card
You can use Visa or Mastercard gift cards to load your Bluebird. Many stores sell these cards, including CVS, grocery stores, gas stations, and office supply stores.
You’ll usually find them on the gift card rack.
You’ll pay a fee of ~$5 to ~$7 when you buy these cards, so it’s best to choose the highest denomination (usually $500) you can find. Vanilla Reloads only cost ~$4, so it’s become a little more expensive to load your Bluebird!
I prefer Vanilla Visa cards, because you can set the PIN by typing in a 4-digit number the 1st time you use it. Other types of cards require you to set the PIN by calling or registering the card online. Check the back of those other cards for instructions on how to set the PIN.
Also, in my experience, it is sometimes tough to get MasterCard gift cards issued from certain banks to be swiped as debit cards at Walmart. So I stay away from those!
Note: American Express gift cards can NOT be used to load Bluebird. Do NOT buy an American Express gift card!
2. Load Your Bluebird at Walmart
You can load your gift card to your Bluebird account at the Walmart MoneyCenter kiosk. If the gift card requires you to set a PIN by calling in or registering online, be sure to do that 1st.
Not all Walmarts have a MoneyCenter kiosk. And folks on Flyertalk report having trouble using the kiosk at some locations.
You can also load your Bluebird at the customer service desk or with any cashier. In my experience, some cashiers don’t know how to load Bluebird or will tell you you can’t load it with a gift card. If you’re loading Bluebird at a cashier, make sure you refer to the gift card as a debit card.
The card does say that it is a “debit” card so you’re not lying!
The cashier will swipe your Bluebird card, and you’ll be asked confirm the amount you want to load.
Then, you’ll be asked to swipe your debit card and to then enter your PIN. If you have a Vanilla Visa gift card and it’s your 1st time using it, enter the 4-digit number of your choice.
You should get a receipt for the transaction. I always keep the receipt until I can confirm the money is in my Bluebird account!
If the cashier won’t let you use the gift card to load Bluebird just use another checkout lane. Walmart has lots of checkout lanes, so you could try another one. Or go to a different Walmart!
Bottom Line
You can buy gift cards with a credit card to earn miles and points, then load the gift card onto your Bluebird account at Walmart.
Vanilla Visa gift cards are easiest because you can set the PIN the 1st time you use it. Do NOT buy American Express gift cards, because they can’t be used to load Bluebird!
At Walmart, you can load Bluebird at the MoneyCenter kiosk or at any cash register. But some cashiers don’t know how to load Bluebird, or won’t let you use a gift card. So you might have to try more than once!
What have your experiences been loading Bluebird with a gift card at Walmart?
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