Which AMEX Prepaid Card Is Right for You?

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Update:   One or more card offers in this post are no longer available.  Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.  Update:   You can no longer load Target Prepaid REDcard with debit cards or gift cards.

Now that you can no longer load American Express prepaid REDcard directly with a credit card at Target, readers have asked which AMEX prepaid card they should use.

You can still load AMEX prepaid REDcard at Target with PIN-enabled gift cards.  And you can fund Bluebird and Serve at Walmart, and Serve at Family Dollar.  But the rules for each card are different.

And you can only have ONE AMEX prepaid account.

Let’s take a fresh look at each of the American Express prepaid accounts to help decide which is best for you.

What’s the Deal?

Link:   American Express Bluebird

Link:   American Express Serve

Link:   American Express Prepaid REDcard

You can use miles-and-points earning credit cards to buy PIN-enabled gift cards, then load the gift cards to your AMEX Bluebird, Serve, or REDcard account.

Then, you can pay bills you can NOT normally pay with a credit card from your AMEX prepaid account.  This includes mortgage payments, student loans, car payments, and utility bills.

Simply put, you’re buying gift cards with your credit card.  Then using the gift cards to fund either Bluebird, Serve, or REDcard.  Then you use the bill pay feature of Bluebird, Serve, or REDcard to send a check to your landlord, electric company, etc.

This is a great way to meet minimum spending requirements!

To earn the most miles and points, many folks prefer buying gift cards from retailers that earn category bonuses.  For example, you could use:

• American Express SimplyCash at US office supply stores to earn 5% cash back
• American Express EveryDay Preferred to earn 3X points at US supermarkets or 2X points at US gas stations (and earn 50% more points if you make more than 30 transactions in a month)

But you have to buy the right kinds of PIN-enabled gift cards.  Certain gift cards do NOT work!  And each AMEX prepaid account has different limits.

1.   American Express Bluebird

How It Works

You can load your American Express Bluebird account using PIN-enabled gift cards at Walmart.  However, do NOT buy the following types of gift cards to load your Bluebird account:

• American Express gift cards (they don’t have a PIN)
• Vanilla Gift Cards (you can only use them to load a maximum of $49.99 at a time)

You can NOT load your Bluebird account online with a PIN-enabled gift card.

And here are some important monthly limits:

• Maximum $5,000 per month in PIN-enabled gift card reloads (maximum $1,999.99 per day at Walmart)
• Maximum $2,000 per month ($750 per day) in ATM withdrawals
• Maximum $2,500 per month ($2,500 per transaction) in send money transactions (i.e.: transferring funds to your bank account or to someone else)

Why Choose Bluebird?

AMEX Bluebird is convenient for folks who live close to a Walmart.  And it’s the only American Express prepaid account that lets you write paper checks.

But some folks have trouble loading their account at certain Walmart locations.  So it’s best to make a small denomination gift card purchase 1st and see if your Walmart will accept it.

Bluebird accounts also qualify for AMEX offers and Small Business Saturday.  So you’ll save money by making the most of these deals! 

2.   American Express REDcard

Update:   You can no longer load Target Prepaid REDcard with debit cards or gift cards.

Until recently, it was very easy to earn miles and points with the American Express REDcard.  You could load up to $5,000 per month at Target registers directly with a miles and points earning credit card (no fees!).

But that’s changed.  However, you can still load your AMEX prepaid REDcard at Target with PIN-enabled gift cards.  And, like Bluebird, you can pay bills online or transfer funds to your bank account.

However, REDcard does NOT offer paper checks.  Although you can instruct REDcard to mail a paper check to anyone you like, such as your landlord or babysitter.

And, like Bluebird, you can NOT use American Express gift cards to load your account (because they don’t have a PIN).

The monthly limits are:

• Maximum $5,000 per month in PIN-enabled gift card reloads (maximum $2,500 per day)
• Maximum $2,000 per month ($750 per day) in ATM withdrawals
• Maximum $2,500 per month in send money transactions (i.e.: transferring funds to your bank account or to someone else)

Why Choose REDcard?

If you’re close to a Target, REDcard may be a better choice for you.  Folks report fewer hassles loading their account with a PIN-enabled gift card at Target registers.

And when you use your Target prepaid REDcard for Target purchases (in-store and online), you’ll get a 5% discount.  And free shipping from Target.com!

However, you can NOT get discounts through AMEX Offers or Small Business Saturday.

3.   American Express Serve

Many folks used American Express Serve  because it was easy to load your account with a credit card online (up to $1,000 per month).

But Serve recently changed their rules.  Now, you can only use an American Express credit card to load your Serve account online.

And you won’t usually earn miles, points, or cash back.  Funding with an AMEX card also does NOT count towards minimum spending requirements.

However, there are American Express cards issued by other banks, like the AMEX Fidelity Investment Rewards, which do earn miles, points, or cash back.

Plus, you can still load Serve with PIN-enabled gift cards at Walmart (except Vanilla gift cards) and Family Dollar.

Some important limits to keep in mind:

• Maximum $5,000 per month in PIN-enabled gift card reloads (maximum $2,500 per day at Walmart, $500 per day at Family Dollar)
• Maximum $2,000 per month ($750 per day) in ATM withdrawals
• Maximum $2,500 per month in send money transactions (ie: transferring funds to your bank account or to someone else)
• Maximum $1,000 per month ($200 per day) in online credit card loads

Why Choose Serve?

Like Bluebird and REDcard, you can use serve to pay bills online and transfer funds to yourself or others.  There are no paper checks.

If you have an AMEX card issued by a bank other than American Express, online credit card loads are still an easy way to meet minimum spending requirements and earn miles, points, or cash back without paying gift card fees.  But there aren’t many of these cards!

This card could be handy for folks who live near a Walmart or Family Dollar.  And Serve accounts are eligible for AMEX Offers and Small Business Saturday.

Bottom Line

You can only get ONE American Express prepaid account.  So you’ll have to decide if Bluebird, REDcard, or Serve is right for you.

Even though these cards have changed, you can still load them with PIN-enabled gift cards.  And earn miles, points, and meet minimum spending requirements by buying these gift cards with a credit card!

These prepaid cards have a lot in common.  So often the best choice depends on whether you’re close to a Target, Walmart, or Family Dollar.

And remember, Bluebird and Serve accounts are eligible for discounts through AMEX Offers and Small Business Saturday.