This tutorial will show you how to load a bluebird account with Walmart using Visa/MasterCard or American Express gift cards. Before we go into this method it’s necessary to understand why this might be useful. Bluebird acts as a regular checking account and can be used for paying bills, rent etc etc.
Because Walmart Giftcards can be purchased with credit cards it’s now possible to purchase a giftcard (and receive bonus points/miles or hit a minimum spend requirement) and then load that card onto a bluebird account. Here’s how:
Contents
Things You Need
- A Visa/MasterCard or American Express prepaid credit card/gift card with a scratch-able pin
- Bluebird account and card
- Walmart store with a MoneyCenter
The gift card can be purchased from anywhere, it’s important that where ever you purchase it from allows credit cards as getting the bonus points/reaching the minimum spend is the point of this exercise.
How To Load Your Account
- Create a PIN for your new gift card, the process varies from card to card so do a google search to find out the specifics for your card. (we suggest doing this before you purchase the gift card to ensure the one you’re purchasing can have a PIN).
- Go to Walmart & hand bluebird card to MoneyCenter representative.
- Slide your card through the credit card reader.
- If “Alternate options” appears click this on the screen
- Click debit box on the screen
- Enter the PIN number
- Payment approved on screen
- Receive your receipt and check for any errors
As you can see this is a pretty easy method, we’re sure that Walmart or Bluebird will cancel this at some point so get in whilst it lasts. The beauty of this method over Vanilla Reloads + Bluebirds is that there are a lot of stores that stock prepaid visa cards and allow you to pay by credit card.
Where To Find Visa Gift Cards
You can find visa gift cards at the following locations:
Grocery stores:
- Acme, $500 [Find locations]
- Jewell-Osco, $500 [Find locations]
- Giant, $500 [Find locations]
- Harris teeter, $500 [Find locations]
- Ralphs, $500 [Find locations]
- Kroger, $500 [Find locations]
- Wegmans, $200 [Find locations]
- Winn Dixie, $500 [Find locations]
- Sweetbay, $500 [Find locations]
Well, a certain Walmart store manager has FORBIDDEN ANY LOADS to your Bluebird account using a Gift Card because she said that it is quote unquote “money laundering”. It doesn’t matter that I have the receipt to show I bought the card with MY credit card and the credit card that bought it with. That is her new policy as of 2 weeks ago.
The manager instructed everyone to refuse loading with a gift card.
The decision appears rooted in misguided Homeland Security gibberish she spouted off about money laundering. It makes no sense to me.
Walmart Money center desk had a paper saying you cannot load Serve/Bluebird with Credit cards or debit cards without a name on them. So is this method dead?
Did you see this yourself or are your saying from MilesToMemories?
I asked to open a bluebird and asked to fund it with credit or debit and the manager pointed to the paper on the desk.
“No debit card loads without a name on the card or credit card loads”.
I didn’t get to the POS terminal so I can’t confirm if what MilesToMemories claimed but the management is definitely enforcing it.
Thanks. Not sure if that paper is a corporate memo or store-specific rule. I’ve still been having success at Walmart.
I’ve been to 3 different local WalMart stores, and they all let me load my Bluebird with store-bought Visa gift cards. In all cases, the cashier never asked to see the Visa card- I just swiped it and input the PIN myself.
So, looks like your particular store has its own policy.
I would try another store. Don’t ask if you can do it, just buy a low value card and try it.
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Are any of these in the NY/NJ area?
Don’t think so, but can’t be sure.
I started doing this this month and got my wife in on it too. Today, they took her BB card and Visa gift card and ID and took it to manager because they suspected fraud. They came back and said it was okay but still gave us a look like we were doing something illegal. Is there anything illegal about using this method?
As long as you’re not using stolen credit cards to purchase the Visa gift cards, you’re fine. That’s the type of fraud they are trying to prevent.