Load Bluebird with Gift Cards without Walmart

Before you read this post, please read Load Bluebird with Gift Cards at Walmart. The following step-by-step guide is more complex and costlier than the above linked post, but is worth it if you do not have gift cards with PINs or a Walmart Store close by.

To load Bluebird with a Visa, MasterCard, or an AMEX Gift Card, you will need 5 things:
1. Bluebird Card
2. Target Store
3. Target AMEX Card (instructions below)
4. CVS Store (that sells Vanilla Reload Cards)
5. Gift Card(s) (PIN not required, so this will work with all gift cards)

Step 1: Go to your local Target Store and find the Target Prepaid Reloadable AMEX Cards (found on the gift card rack by the checkout counters).  You will need to use a credit card to load the temporary card.  The maximum load for the temporary card is $500.  During the checkout process, you will need to enter your mailing address, phone number, email address, and social security number (this is just a soft pull which will not affect your credit score).  After everything is complete, your temporary card will be activated and you will receive the permanent card in the mail within 1-2 weeks.  In the meantime, you can use the temporary card just like a prepaid gift card.

Step 2: When you receive your permanent Target Prepaid Reloadable AMEX Card in the mail, activate the card online, and set up an account at www.americanexpress.com/target.  At that point, the balance from your temporary card will automatically be transferred to your permanent card.  The transfer should be instantaneous.  You can view your current balance online.  In a few hours, the temporary card will no longer be activated (because it will no longer have a balance).

Step 3: Go back to your local Target Store with your Target AMEX Card and your Visa, MasterCard, and American Express Gift Cards.  Go to the Customer Service and Returns Department and tell the representative that you want to load your Target AMEX Card.  (They may look at you strangely if they have never loaded a Target AMEX Card before).  Just like your Bluebird Card, your Target AMEX Card has a $1,000 daily reload limit and a $5,000 monthly reload limit.  The monthly reload limit is based on a moving 30 day time period.

Step 4: You can reload your Target AMEX Card from $1 to $1,000 with a $3 service charge for your entire reload.  I always reload $1,000 on my Target AMEX Card, so the total amount due is $1,003.  You can use gift cards and credit cards to reload your Target AMEX Card, but I always use my gift cards first.  When you swipe your gift card on the credit card reader, it will ask you if you want to use debit or credit – click credit every time.  The credit card reader is smart and will automatically drain the balance of your gift card down to $0.  Then you repeat with your next gift card.  If you used all your gift cards and still have a balance due, you can use a credit card to pay the remaining balance.  For example, I once used 8 $100 gift cards and charged the remaining balance of $203 to my credit card.

This is the view online of my Target Reload:

Step 5: Your Target AMEX Card will now have a $1,000 balance (or whatever amount you decided to reload on the card). Drive to your local CVS Store (assuming they sell Vanilla Reload Cards) and get 2 Vanilla Reload Cards. Since each Vanilla Reload Card costs $3.95 to load, subtract $3.95 twice from $1,000, which gets you $992.10. To make your life and the cashier’s life easier, get a $500 Vanilla Reload Card and a $492 Vanilla Reload Card. Your total will be $999.90. Use your Target AMEX Card to pay. They may ask to see your driver’s license also. If they tell you you can’t use a gift card to pay, tell them it is a credit card and the name matches your drivers license (your experience may vary).

This is the view online of my CVS Purchase:

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

UPDATE 6/20/14: Do not use OVGCs or VGCs at Walmart.  Use other gift cards from other banks.

Load Bluebird with Gift Cards at Walmart

To load Bluebird with a Visa, MasterCard, or American Express Gift Card, you will need:

1. Bluebird Card
2. Walmart Store
3. Gift card with a PIN (most gift cards have PINs, but not all)

You will have to experiment with different gift cards to find out which ones have PINs.  I have the best luck with Vanilla Visa Gift Cards from office supply stores.  If you do not have a Walmart close by, please read Load Bluebird with Gift Cards without Walmart for an alternative way to load your Bluebird Card with gift cards.  Assuming you have all 3 things listed above, go to your local Walmart and find the Money Center (near the customer service department).

Give your Bluebird Card to the representative and tell him/her how much you want to load. Bluebird has a $1,000 daily reload limit and a $5,000 monthly reload limit.  The monthly reload limit is on a 30 day moving time period.  Slide your gift card though the credit card reader. If you see a small yellow box on the bottom of the screen that says something like Alternate Options, click that button really fast.  Then click the Debit box on the screen.  Now you will enter your PIN (hopefully the PIN works).  If your PIN works, a message will say Approved! on the screen and a receipt will automatically print.  If your PIN does not work, the screen will say Payment Not Approved.

To minimize the chances of getting a declined reload, read Activate a Gift Card and Create a PIN (before visiting Walmart).  Some gift card websites will let you create a PIN online.  Some gift cards have PINs that can be created the first time you use them for debit.  Also, some gift cards use the last 4 digits of the gift card number as the PIN.

I always load the full amount of the gift card onto my Bluebird Card.  For example, if I had a $500 Visa Gift Card, I would load $500 onto my Bluebird Card.  If I had 2 $500 gift cards, I would load them in 2 separate transactions.

Also, you can search for Walmart ATMs here.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Update 6/3/14 at 8:00PM PST: Vanilla Reload Cards can no longer be purchased with credit cards at most stores, including CVS.  Please read this post for more information.

Load Bluebird with Vanilla Reload Cards

Go to your local CVS store and purchase 1 or 2 Vanilla Reload Cards with your credit card.  Most CVS stores have a $1,000 daily limit on these cards, so just purchase 2 each visit.  You might have to ask the cashier if they have these cards behind the counter if you do not see them in the gift card rack.

This is the front of the Vanilla Reload Card (VRC).  New designs may vary slightly.

This is the back of the VRC.

This is my CVS receipt after purchasing 2 VRCs.  $500 load value plus a $3.95 activation fee. 2 VRCs plus 2 activation fees = 2 x $500 + 2 x $3.95 = $1,007.90 total.

Currently, my Bluebird account has a $0.00 balance.

Go to www.vanillareload.com (probably smart to bookmark this site too).

Turn over the VRC and scratch off the silver coating to reveal the PIN, enter the 10 digit PIN online, then click the Load Prepaid Card button.

Enter your 15 digit Bluebird account number in the box.  Your account number is the 15 digit number on the front of your Bluebird card.  Check the “I agree to the Vanilla Reload Terms and Conditions” box and click the Apply Reload button.  If nothing happens, you may have to scroll to the bottom of the Terms and Conditions.

Recently, Vanilla Reload added a captcha text box below the terms and conditions box.

Verify that the VRC has the correct balance before you click the Yes, I Am Sure button.

Success!  Your VRC has been successfully transferred to your Bluebird card.  If you have another VRC, please go back to the home page and repeat the above steps.  Vanilla Reload recently added your VRC PIN to the confirmation screen so you can see which card you just loaded.

Bluebird will send you an email after your VRC has been successfully reloaded onto your Bluebird card.

I logged into my Bluebird account and see the $500 reload right away.  The transfer is instant from VRC to your Bluebird account.

Bluebird has a $1,000 daily reload limit and $5,000 monthly reload limit for loading Vanilla Reload Cards.  The monthly limit resets every first of the month.

Now for some math.  Each VRC costs $3.95 and you earn 504 miles or points.  That equates to $3.95 / 504 = 0.78 cents per mile or point.

Are you getting an error message?

If you try to enter an invalid PIN, you will get the following message:

If you try to enter the same PIN twice, you will get the following message:

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.