Amex Bluebird and Serve Account Shutdowns
Well, it appears to be happening again, Bluebird and Serve accounts are being shut down. Many people reported receiving emails saying their accounts have been closed. The last round of shutdowns was in January, so many people thought they might be in the clear. Not the case!
People who use these accounts to generate spend are always in danger of being shut down by Amex. Basically, they load the cards with gift cards and pay bills- which is a prohibited use of the account. Cardholders who report surviving shutdowns generally report staying under certain dollar amounts in addition to using the card for legitimate purchases.
If you did get shutdown, you are permanently stripped of your ability to load more money into your account. You still have access to the money in your account and any sub-accounts.
History of Shutdowns
This has happened 5 or 6 times in the past and we’ve been here to cover it (well, Shawn has at least!). Here are some links to past coverage.
- A Few Thoughts & Considerations Regarding Today’s Bluebird/Serve “Shutdown”
- More Bluebird/Serve Shutdowns Today: My 4 Year Old Bluebird Still Lives!
- Another Round of Bluebird/Serve Shutdowns & My Old Bird Lives!
- BREAKING: American Express Shutting Down Bluebird & Serve Accounts for MS:…
- Amex Serve Shutdown Dilemma: Pay Fees for Amex Offers or Close…
- Round 2! Amex Is Shutting Down Many More Serve/Bluebird Accounts Today…
- A Few Thoughts & Considerations Regarding Today’s Bluebird/Serve “Shutdown”
Conclusion
If you value your account for some other purpose, you should discontinue using the card to generate spend to avoid losing it completely. Also note, that once you get shutdown you cannot get the card again. Amex Bluebird and Serve are no longer viable methods to create spend in the long term because they will eventually cut you off. Did you get shutdown today? Let us know in the comments. Did you survive despite “prohibited activity”? Let us know in the comments.
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I made the cut and loaded both Serve accounts yesterday so I live to see another ODOM deal!
Same here. Mine got shut down yesterday. Only 500-1000 loading per month for 4 months. Amex is trying to clean the house before selling the biz.
My Serve got hit yesterday. I’ve only done 3k in the past 4 months with none in the last 30 days. Makes me wish I would have hit it hard. I’m guessing my BB and Serve VIP were hit but haven’t verified.
This is great! Hope they continue to weed out all the phony MS’rs which will allow for more bonuses to those who actually use the CC in a way that allows the banks to profit. Win-win means more opportunities for everyone!