It’s the end of an era. American Express has been sending out emails today to Bluebird and Serve account holders to advise that their accounts will be closing next year.
The email from Amex states the following:
We are writing to give you advance notice that we have made the decision to discontinue the Bluebird American Express Prepaid Debit Account program.
As a result, next year on June 3, 2026, we will be closing your Bluebird American Express Prepaid Debit Account ending in xxxx.
We are letting you know now so you have time to prepare and consider other options that may meet your financial needs. Next year’s key dates of the discontinuation include:
- February 24, 2026 – Last day to utilize bill pay functionality
- May 5, 2026 – Last day to add funds to your Account
- June 3, 2026 – All Bluebird American Express Prepaid Debit Accounts will be closed
What do you need to do?
Please review your Account information and ensure your email address and physical mailing address are up to date. You can continue to use your Account and Card through June 2, 2026, subject to the use limitations described in the “key dates” description above. If you do not plan to use your Account through June 2, 2026, you can close your Account any time prior to June 2, 2026 – details on how to do that can be found here.What will happen to any funds left on my Account after June 3, 2026?
If you have any remaining funds on your Account after June 3, 2026, they will be returned to you via check mailed to your address on file. If your remaining balance is $9.99 or less, your remaining balance will be returned to you in the form of an American Express eGift Card. Please ensure your physical mailing address and email address are updated in your Account.
Many people had given up on Bluebird and Serve years ago following a wave of shutdowns and a reduced ability to use the accounts for increased spending on their credit cards. However, the programs themselves were still going and some people still found use cases for it.
That’s now coming to an end, although it’s good that Amex is giving more than a year’s notice of its intention to close accounts. I imagine there are some people who are otherwise unbanked who use Bluebird or Serve as their main account, so this will give them plenty of time to find an alternative account to use going forward.
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Good riddance to The Bluebird system. I was kicked out about eight years ago for suspicious activities. Nothing but purchasing gift cards.
why didn’t you recommend a similar alternative???
Because I imagine that the majority of Frequent Miler readers with a Bluebird and/or Serve account was using it for manufactured spending purposes in the past, rather than just as a regular bank account/debit card.
I’m also not overly familiar with the merits of the alternatives. I know that Green Dot has been a big name in this arena, but most people who’ve commented on past Green Dot articles have slammed them.
The alternative is BB or Serve that is run through the Visa network.
My wife and I both have Serve and BB accounts (and had Redbird (Rip)) but we’ve been laying low for a few years after doing MS to avoid a shutdown. I guess now it’s time to go hard! What’s the best way to really MS these days?
It is unlikely that you will find answers to that question on public forums. Even in private forums, MSers might be reluctant to share for fear of their methods being shut down.
Yup, as Jack said, most people who do large-scale MS and have a reliable method to do so are going to probably try to keep their source secret for as long as possible. Banks and financial institutions have gotten pretty savvy to the MS game and will usually shut down any loophole within months or even weeks if those MS methods get popular enough to show up on their radar.
The most reliable, widespread MS method still seems to be buying fixed-value gift cards and then buying money orders to deposit back at your bank. However, what stores will actually let you buy money orders with gift cards, which gift cards you can use, and in what amounts is going to be highly specific to where you live and even individual stores. Your bank also might have something to say about what you’re doing as MSing looks a lot like small-scale money laundering. You’re going to have to do a lot of personal trial and error to find a reliable flow of MS, and be prepared to be burned by your bank if things go sideways.