Last Updated: 04/18/2025
American Express Bluebird
Claimed
Last Updated: 04/18/2025
SuperMoney User Recommendation Score -69
Strongly not recommended148 total votes
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Highlights
Community Rating
Strongly not recommended
Monthly Service Fee
$0(Verified 06/21/2024)
Disclaimer popup with additional information
Card Reload Fee
$0 - $3.95
Number of Reviews
American Express Bluebird Review
The American Express Bluebird is designed for consumers who want the convenience of paying with plastic but don’t want (or don’t qualify) for a regular credit card. American Express Bluebird only allows you to spend money already in your account. So you can avoid interest payments, bounced checks, or overdraft fees.
American Express Bluebird Pros & Cons
| The Good | The Bad |
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American Express Bluebird FAQ
Who issues American Express Bluebird?
American Express Bluebird is issued by American Express® National Bank, which is based in New York, NY and was founded in 1850.
What fees does American Express Bluebird charge?
American Express Bluebird does not charge a monthly service fee.| Description | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Free In-Network ATM Withdrawal? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No Signature Purchase Transaction Fee? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No PIN Purchase Transaction Fee? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Activation Fee | $0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Card Reload Fee | $0 - $3.95 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How Much Does American Express Bluebird Cost?
There is no activation fee.
A great thing about this card is it doesn't charge a monthly maintenance fee, which can save you a lot of money over time.
There is a reload fee of up to $3.95 fee every time you reload the card.
Does American Express Bluebird charge an activation fee?
American Express Bluebird does not charge an activation fee .What is the daily ATM withdrawal for American Express Bluebird?
American Express Bluebird has a daily ATM withdrawal limit of $750.
What is daily direct deposit limit for American Express Bluebird?
It looks like American Express Bluebird does not have a set daily direct deposit limit.
What is the Card Replacement Fee for American Express Bluebird?
It looks like American Express Bluebird does not charge a card replacement fee.
What is the Maximum Balance for American Express Bluebird?
The maximum balance you can have on American Express Bluebird is $100,000. If you are often close to the maximum balance, it may be time to put your money to work and deposit it in an account that yields interest, such as a savings account, a CD, or a money market account.
How to apply for American Express Bluebird
- Visit the American Express® National Bank website.
- Fill in the application form. Some prepaid cards require you to provide some personal information, such as your full name, address, date of birth, email, and SSN.
- Check the information is accurate and submit your application.
SuperMoney Disclosure: SuperMoney.com is an independent, advertising-supported service. The owner of this website may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. Read more...
Editorial Disclaimer: Editorial and user-generated content on this page is not provided or commissioned by the issuer. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone and have not been approved or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution, including those that are advertising partners.
Message from American Express Bluebird
Message from our editor
What we love about American Express Bluebird
Through Bluebird, American Express offers a prepaid debit card that skips a lot of the fees that other prepaid cards usually charge. If you have trouble qualifying for a checking account, Bluebird can serve as a substitute.
What could American Express Bluebird do better?
American Express Bluebird isn’t perfect. It still charges a fee for some services that you could get for free at a bank. For example, you have to pay a fee to set up your account if you want to get the card in-person. You also have to pay to make cash deposits to your account though direct deposit and online transfers are free.
American Express also doesn’t offer any fee rebates for using an out-of-network ATM and will charge you a fee if you use another bank’s ATM. Essentially, any cash-based interactions with the card will come at a cost.
American Express also isn’t accepted as widely as Visa and Mastercard, so you may find yourself unable to use the card at certain stores.
American Express Bluebird‘s backstory
American Express, founded in 1850, is one of the four largest card issuers in the United States. The company is likely best-known for its charge cards before branching out to offer credit cards and the Bluebird prepaid debit card. The company launched Bluebird, in partnership with Walmart, in 2012.
American Express has a reputation for strong customer service and offering perks to the people who use its cards. This is true even for the Bluebird card as customers can access 24/7 customer support and take advantage of cardmember services like roadside assistance.
The Verdict
If you’re struggling to open a checking account, American Express Bluebird can be a reasonable substitute. If you set up direct deposit and don’t use cash much, the account will be mostly fee-free. However, cash transactions such as adding funds or making ATM withdrawals can get expensive.
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Headquarters
Hours of Operation
Sunday
7:00AM - 12:00AM
Monday
7:00AM - 12:00AM
Tuesday
7:00AM - 12:00AM
Wednesday
7:00AM - 12:00AM
Thursday
7:00AM - 12:00AM
Friday
7:00AM - 12:00AM
Saturday
7:00AM - 12:00AM
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Other Prepaid Debit Cards from American Express® National Bank
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Monthly Service Fee
Up to $7.95
Signature Purchase Transaction Fee
N/A
PIN Purchase Transaction Fee
N/A
Card Reload Fee
$0 - $3.95
Monthly Service Fee
$6.95
Disclaimer popup with additional information
Signature Purchase Transaction Fee
$0
PIN Purchase Transaction Fee
$0
Card Reload Fee
$0 - $3.95
Rating not yet determined
Monthly Service Fee
Up to $6.95
Signature Purchase Transaction Fee
$0
PIN Purchase Transaction Fee
$0
Card Reload Fee
$0 - $3.95
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Learn MoreSuperMoney Net Recommendation Score
SuperMoney users don't recommend this product, giving it a user recommendation score of -69, or 1.6 on a 5-point rating scale.
-69
-1000+100
No one recommends
Everyone recommends
American Express Bluebird Community Reviews
Would you recommend American Express Bluebird to your friends?
Joseph C.
Mar 25, 2024
May or may not recommend
DO NOT USE THEM FOR BILL PAY. When you leave a memo on the check it doesn't show up. If you try to view it in the transactions, it is completely gone. GONE FOREVER. I've spoken to their customer service, and they didn't care, and they could not help me. Two BIG FAT THUMBS DOWN. Use the card only as a debit card. ...Show More
WA
William a H.
Feb 1, 2024
May or may not recommend
I have had an AMEX Bluebird account since the inception of the product. I have never had any problems whatsoever with the account. I have recommended the card to many people, especially those who are not able to obtain a regular bank account. They have had zero problems also. Very simple to use, understand, and manage.
FH
F H.
Oct 19, 2023
May or may not recommend
I had a account with them & there was a unauthorized transaction on my account for $175, they closed my account with no explanation, didn't try to recover funds, nor did they let me appeal the decision. When companies is like that, I feel they are part of the fraud that happens to people. I truly believe that blue bird helps criminals steal account holders money. My $175 just magically ...Show More
DM
Darren M.
Sep 23, 2023
May or may not recommend
I have been trying to move my money from my bluebird account to anything else and have spent the last 3 months attempting to do so in several ways but all have failed.
I have spent countless hours with customer 'service' on several occasions and I cant think of a single time they were able to actually do anything at all to help.
It seemed things had been cleared up a week ...Show More
BA
Bruce A.
Sep 2, 2023
May or may not recommend
Am fighting to retrieve $500 from the thieves at american express. Deposited cash to my buebird card from my bank at Walmart. Transaction showed successful. I have receipt. Funds never got on my card. American express investigated for two weeks and refused to credit me my money. FIVE HUNDRED BUCKS! Not $5. Not $50. And this $118 BILLION company says, "I'm sorry, you poor, struggling bast*rd. Your $500 is more ...Show More
DW
Denise W.
Aug 28, 2023
May or may not recommend
$200.00 just disappeared from my account! It was supposed to be a Mobile Check Load that I opted to wait 10 day so I wouldn’t be charged a fee. I got an email saying the check had cleared and was added to my account but it never did. I’ve been on hold now for 63 minutes after being told by a very confused, non English speaking lady that it’s in ...Show More
RI
Renee I.
Jun 28, 2023
May or may not recommend
They claim that one can add funds via debit card, but I haven't gotten this to work. A non-descript error is given when attempting to do this online or via app. Customer service is awful. I've called twice - the first person told me that 'he could see that I linked my debit card' and that 'it would take 24 hours to validate'. Which was a ...Show More
KC
Kendra C.
Jun 27, 2023
May or may not recommend
I have been trying send my husband some money that he requested for two months. We called customer support and the person not helpful. I am unable to send him money and I am unable to accept his request for money. The card and outs features was fantastic before they made all of the new changes.
TH
Timea H.
Jun 24, 2023
May or may not recommend
Worst ever customer service. I called them 6 times to fix an admin glitch with my mailing address which was a honest error on my side. I got disconnected 2 times when I was on the phone with my other bank to help to verify my mailing address. Then I called back another few times where the customer service rep did not really want to help me even though he ...Show More
Brownlow M.
May 4, 2023
May or may not recommend
Bluebird has issues, although the concept is good. They only offer support by phone after waiting on hold for a long time, then they do little to help. There are 2 versions offered, both with significant problems that make them of little use. Both have a main account that can add or remove money from sub accounts. You CANNOT move money between the AmEx and MasterCard versions. They both have ...Show More
U
Anonymous
Apr 26, 2023
May or may not recommend
I just tried to sign up online for the prepaid card registration, not the checking account. I provided my personal identifying information like like DOB, Address, Phone, Email, and SS#. Everything was correct. After hitting submit, I received a screen message saying they cannot confirm my identity. There wasn't a number to call for further verification steps and I did not receive an email confirming my attempt to register. RED ...Show More
Jon C.
Apr 15, 2023
May or may not recommend
They suck. What else do you need to know? Ten
CB
Christopher B.
Apr 10, 2023
May or may not recommend
Shifty customer service. Loves to hold your moneyy. Will charge extra to account when you use it, so always make sure you have 5 to 10 dollars more than what your buying.
DH
Daniel H.
Apr 4, 2023
May or may not recommend
I first got my Bluebird card in Dec 2012. If I wanted to, I could have a balance of 3 cents for months and I would never get charged any fees. The only ATM machines I could use to avoid fees were at 7-Eleven. But in August 2022, I learned of 4 separate withdrawals at a Duane Reade pharmacy in Brooklyn were made unbeknownst to me. They totalled $750 plus ...Show More
VT
V T.
Mar 11, 2023
May or may not recommend
BlueBlue Prepaid debit DO NOT RECOMMEND.
Someone hacked my card by testing a -.10 cent withdrawl.
Then charged 25.00 at a starbucks. I filed a dispute with
these idiot customer care dummies from INDIA and they declined
my dispute. DO NOT use BLUBIRD they are a FRAUD credit card CARTEL !
PH
Patricia H.
Nov 18, 2022
May or may not recommend
I have never had such a frustrating "banking" experience in my life. I opened this account for a specific purpose and have encountered nothing but roadblocks at every turn whether trying to add funds to the account or attempts to use it for bill pay. Do not use Bluebird unless you literally have NO other alternative and then you should prepare to experience unending frustration. ...Show More
RO
Ralph O.
Sep 30, 2022
May or may not recommend
Money was taken out our account twice in CALIFORNIA, we live in TEXAS! American Express refused to return the funds to our account! We haven't been to Cali since 1992, RIDICULOUS!! DO NOT USE THIS CARD!! TOO EASY TO HACK!!!
JB
Jodi B.
Sep 24, 2022
May or may not recommend
I was having trouble transferring money into the card. Customer service was unable to help. I kept having to reset my password (so frustrating) and eventually they shut down my account permanently before I was ever able to use it. I know see how fortunate I am based on previous reviews. I’m confused why it gets such good reviews on money sites.
TD
Thomas D.
Sep 2, 2022
May or may not recommend
It is without a doubt one of The Worst Poorly Run’d Companies! Cannot Communicate with a Human Being. Phone Calls do not ever go nowhere! They..The Clucking nitwits, knuckle dragging morons of this hideous poorly run Warren Buffett Company! I’m calling my Congress Representative to find out Why Clucking American Express can Treat All Customers Like dog do! Horrible Company. If you cannot communicate by phone or their own poorly ...Show More
U
Anonymous
Aug 1, 2022
May or may not recommend
I use this card for my pre-teen to control her expenses and to teach her about credit.
Be aware of the fees associated with the card to avoid extra costs. I use a bank debit card account to reload the Bluebird card for $0 fees.
IOS App is easy to use and comprehensive.
I rate this card as a 8 out of 10. I would like to see a ...Show More
Showing 20 of 148 reviews
1 other review that is currently hiddenOther Services by American Express® National Bank
Business Checking Accounts
Be the first to rate
CD Accounts
Be the first to rate
Checking Accounts
Be the first to rate
Savings Accounts
5
1
3
9 Reviews
Business Lines of Credit
Be the first to rate
Business Loans
1
5
6 Reviews
Merchant Cash Advance
Rating not yet determined (3 Reviews)
Personal Loans
7
2
2
11 Reviews
Credit Monitoring Services
2
1
4
7 Reviews
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