American Express Serve Reloadable Prepaid Debit Card 2023 Review (2023)

FAQs

Is American Express prepaid card worth it? ›

We wouldn't recommend this card, however, if you frequent merchants that don't accept American Express or do a lot of traveling abroad. Ultimately, the American Express Serve card is best for everyday spenders who regularly use direct deposit and have access to MoneyPass ATMs.

Please contact American Express directly at 800‑954‑0559 if you're having trouble withdrawing money from your American Express Serve. Your card may have been blocked to prevent unauthorized access to your account. Your Serve account is normally enabled for ATM withdrawals against your balance.

A daily withdrawal limit of $2,500 applies for each Serve account held, and a cumulative $2,900 daily limit applies across all your Serve accounts.

In addition to having good to excellent credit and the rules on how many cards you can have or apply for, American Express will also review credit report information including your payment history and credit utilization. Bottom Line: You will need good to excellent credit to be approved for an Amex card.

We chose Bluebird by American Express as the best low-fee prepaid card. It offers free in-network ATM withdrawals and has no monthly, replacement nor inactivity fees.

There are a number of possible reasons why a purchase could be declined: You don't have enough money left on your card. You haven't activated or registered your card. The address you gave to make an online or phone purchase is different from the address you have on file with your prepaid card provider.

Your Gift Card may be declined if there aren't enough available funds to cover the amount of your purchase or a pre-authorization request. Some types of businesses request a pre-authorization for a dollar amount that may be higher than your actual purchase.

Free Cash Reload at thousands of locations at over 45,000 CVS/Pharmacy^®, Family Dollar^®, Walmart^® and participating 7-ELEVEN^® locations. You can add money to your Serve Account from your checking or savings account by intitiating a transfer from your bank into your Serve Account.

Because you can't overdraft your Serve^® American Express^® Prepaid Debit Account, there are no overdraft fees. Additionally, you can add a backup funding source to ensure your transactions will not be declined due to lack of funds in your Account.

How do I get cash from a bank? Present the Serve^® Pay As You Go Visa^® Prepaid Card to a teller at a Visa member bank location and request the amount of cash you'd like to receive. This is known as an over-the-counter (OTC) cash withdrawal.

How much money can I have on my serve account? ›

The American Express Serve deposit limit is $2,000 per day and $10,000 per month. This includes transfers, direct deposits, and adding money from your bank account. WalletHub Answers is a free service that helps consumers access financial information.

Which Amex card is the easiest to get? The easiest Amex cards to get are ones with a lower minimum spending requirement for rewards, as well as a low annual fee or no annual fee. Examples include the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express and the American Express Cash Magnet Card.

Although American Express doesn't specify any minimum credit score requirements, you'll need good credit (or better) to qualify, which means a FICO score of at least 670. A premium Amex card — say, the American Express Gold Card — likely requires a “very good” FICO score, somewhere in the range of 740 and above.

Many American Express credit card applications will be approved immediately. However, if your application status is pending it can take up to 60 days to get a decision. If that happens, you'll be notified by mail once a decision is made.

The Bottom Line. Prepaid debit cards do make sense in some situations, but many people will find them to be inconvenient and full of fees. The best way to avoid these fees is to educate yourself about them, ditch the card as quickly as possible, or avoid prepaid debit cards altogether.

Debit cards are linked to a checking account, while prepaid cards aren't and instead require you to load money onto the card. Neither card helps you build credit, but despite this drawback, both prepaid cards and debit cards can help you manage your money in different ways.

Using a reloadable debit card is fairly simple. You buy the card, then follow the activation instructions that come with it. Once the card is activated, you can load money onto it. Depending on the card, you may be able to load money online, by phone, using direct deposit, or in-person where you bought it.

Winner: Visa

More merchants accept Visa than American Express. In fact, Visa is one of the most accepted payment networks in the world. American Express is accepted by 99% of the merchants that accept credit cards, but it's still not as widely accepted as Visa.

The American Express Prepaid Card is perfect for family, friends, employees or yourself: no monthly fees, no customer service fees, no replacement fees, and no expiration of funds. The Prepaid Card can be used at merchants in Canada, U.S. and other countries virtually everywhere American Express^® Cards are accepted.

While some issuers offer cards designed for those with less-than-stellar credit scores, American Express does not offer any subprime or secured cards. In most cases, you need at least good credit to get approved for an American Express card, which FICO typically defines as a score of 670 or higher.

Why is it so hard to get an American Express? ›

Yes, it's hard to get an American Express card because you will need a good or excellent credit score for approval, along with enough income for monthly bill payments. The easiest American Express cards to get are those that require a minimum of good credit for approval, as opposed to excellent credit only.

The different fees often make or break a deal for a merchant. This is why many merchants, especially small businesses, don't accept American Express. American Express' interchange fee is just too high. Providers like Visa and Mastercard charge between 1.15% and 2.5%, while Amex charges merchants between 1.43% and 3.3%.

In most cases, you won't be declined for a prepaid card. In general, anyone can buy and use a prepaid card. Some providers require you to register your card when or after you purchase it by asking you to provide certain personal information.

Since many gift cards aren't personalized to you, there is no name or zip code to enter, and Amazon won't be able to validate the card. Even if you get through that first hurdle, Mastercard, Visa or Amex gift cards aren't well-suited to online purchasing.

Gift Cards are available in amounts $25-$3,000. eGift Cards are gift cards sent via email delivery.

Yes, it's usually possible to transfer from a prepaid card to a bank account. Almost all general-use prepaid card issuers, including big names like Visa and American Express, permit the practice.

For Serve^® American Express^® Prepaid Debit Accounts, you can enjoy FREE ATM withdrawals at over 37,000 ATMs in the MoneyPass^® ATM network in the US. Transactions at non-MoneyPass ATMs have an up to $2.50 Serve fee. ATM operator fees and decline fees may also apply.

Cash load fees vary by retailer and account type. You can load cash for free with the Serve^® American Express^® Prepaid Debit Account – Free Reloads at participating retailers. For Serve^® American Express^® Prepaid Debit Accounts, when you purchase a temporary card, you can add between $20-$500.

The short answer is yes – you can withdraw from a negative account. But this depends on your bank, any overdraft coverage offered and meeting specific criteria as a customer. The number of times you can overdraw a negative account comes down to your bank.

Cash — the money that you add with cash will be available immediately. Checking or savings account — If you already have a linked checking or savings account, bank transfers may take up to 3-5 business days.

How much can you withdraw from American Express debit card? ›

Cash advance limits

American Express® Green Card – $3,000. American Express® Gold Card – $6,000 (Terms apply, see rates & fees). The Platinum Card® from American Express – $8,000 (Terms apply, see rates & fees). Centurion® Card from American Express – $10,000.

It's easy to use your Serve Account to pay individuals or merchants located in the United States, such as your cell phone provider, your landlord, or your utility company. You must have activated your personalized Serve card and verified your email in order to use the Bill Pay feature.

You can add money from checks directly to your Serve account using the Mobile Check Capture feature in the Serve Mobile App on your iPhone® or Android device.

Your Serve Account comes with a card that can be used online or in stores everywhere Visa^® or American Express^® Cards are accepted.

You can transfer money only to your linked checking or savings account, but not to a debit card. Log into your Serve account. Go to Money Out then select Transfer to Bank. If you already have a linked bank account, the bank name will be displayed.

Unlike a credit card, prepaid cards have their funds stored in a stand-alone prepaid account which you can reload. So you can only spend what you've deposited into your account. That's why they don't help build personal or business credit.

Account Basics

The American Express Serve® card is a reloadable prepaid debit card that functions similarly to a basic debit card tied to a checking account at a traditional bank. A prepaid debit card is an account that allows you to spend only the amount of money that you have loaded into the account in advance.

According to the score ranges from FICO, that means American Express applicants typically have at least a 670 score: Exceptional. 800 and above.

The hardest Amex card to get is the Centurion® Card from American Express. Also known as the “Black Card,” this Amex card is hard to get because it is available by invitation only, and potential candidates are rumored to need an annual income of at least $1 million.

To apply for Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express, you should have good credit, meaning a FICO® Score of 670 or higher. American Express will look at several factors in addition to your credit score, but your credit is a key part of whether your application is approved or denied.

How to go from 650 to 750 credit score? ›

To apply for The Platinum Card® from American Express, you need to have a good or excellent credit score. This means you need a credit score of at least 700. The average applicant has a score of 715. Although, some applicants have been approved with a credit score as low as 643.

Getting the Amex Gold Card isn't the easiest card to qualify for as you need good or excellent credit. That means having a minimum 670 FICO score and existing cards in good standing. Being an existing American Express cardholder can also make it easier to qualify.

Prepaid cards don't give you a line of credit or help you build credit. You can only spend what you deposit into the prepaid card account. A secured credit card, however, is a type of credit card that requires you to place a refundable security deposit.

Disadvantages of AmEx cards

One disadvantage of AmEx cards is that they charge both the seller and the buyer for processing a transaction. Since they do not rely on financial companies, such as Rupay, Mastercard or Visa, and have their own payment network, they charge additional fees on the transactions.

The American Express Serve® card is a reloadable prepaid debit card that functions similarly to a basic debit card tied to a checking account at a traditional bank. A prepaid debit card is an account that allows you to spend only the amount of money that you have loaded into the account in advance.

Which Amex card is the easiest to get? The easiest Amex cards to get are ones with a lower minimum spending requirement for rewards, as well as a low annual fee or no annual fee. Examples include the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express and the American Express Cash Magnet Card.

Since you won't pay credit card-related fees, spending with your prepaid card won't affect your credit score. If your prepaid card provider allows you to load funds from a credit card, you will have to pay your credit card bill for that card as usual.

The different fees often make or break a deal for a merchant. This is why many merchants, especially small businesses, don't accept American Express. American Express' interchange fee is just too high. Providers like Visa and Mastercard charge between 1.15% and 2.5%, while Amex charges merchants between 1.43% and 3.3%.

American Express is one of the leading card issuers in the United States. It's known for its top-notch customer service and some of the best rewards available. From ultra-elite business travel cards to everyday rewards, American Express has credit cards that are a good choice for many different types of cardholders.

What is good about having an American Express card? ›

They allow you to earn Frequent Flyer points on every purchase, which you can redeem for flights, hotel bookings and car hire. Many of our Credit Cards also offer luxury travel benefits, such as complimentary lounge access and travel insurance.

You must pay in full, by the Payment Due Date, all charges that are not added to a Pay Over Time, Cash Advance, or Plan balance. We will begin charging interest on cash advances on the transaction date.

American Express Gift Cards cannot be used at ATMs nor can you get cash back from any of your purchases.

Is there a direct deposit limit on the Amex Serve Card? There is an annual direct deposit limit of $100,000.