It has been awhile since the last round of Serve/Bluebird shut downs, but it was bound to happen again. I think we’re up to shut down wave #6 now. The first wave of shut downs happen in January 2016. The second wave of shutdowns came in March, the third in May, and the fourth in August all in 2016 and then the fifth was January 2017. Serve and Bluebird cards are an easy way to liquidate Visa/MC gift cards by using them to load these prepaid cards at Walmart.
Once banned, you can not get the an Amex prepaid card again. Some people like getting the card under a different SSN (e.g. a spouse) and using it for a few months for old time’s sake.It’s still possible to load other prepaid cards or buy money orders with Visa/MC gift cards, but it’s not always easy to find a vendor or a card which allows it.
Hat tip to readers Jeff L & Charles
