Okay, I admit I'm being lazy here, but does anyone know if the AMEX Bluebird card still works for MS?
See below.
As I hazily recall, I could fund it via CC, then buy prepaid cards at grocery stores, then do free cash advances at WM. Cost was maybe $5 per $1000, which was OK with me.
CC funding of Amex Bluebird and (Target) Redbird was shut down last year.
You might manage one cycle of minimum spending with your Bluebird
card via VISA debit gift cards, but expect it to be shut down, just as
boarder42's Serve card was shut down yesterday.
I have one that did not get shut down (because I mixed in regular spending I think) and was hoping to use it for MS in an app-o-rama in a few months.
There's less reason for app-o-rama today than there used to be. Not that
I want to waste hard pulls, but I've never been denied for a card due to the
number of my recent credit applications. Your likely limitations are the more
stringent bank limits (Chase 5/24, Amex 1-per-lifetime, Citi 24 months)
and meeting your minimum spend -- which we're discussing now.
If this path no longer works, I'll have to look elsewhere, and that may impact my plans.
If you can manage your minimum spending organically one card at
a time, that might be the safest tactic. If not, you can consider
purchasing Vanilla VISA debit gift cards with your credit card, using
the debit card to purchase a money order to yourself, then depositing
the money order in your checking account. I've gone this route, but
it's a hassle and I'm not sanguine about this method's long-term
prospects.
Please be wary when reading about any MS techniques on blog posts
that are more than a couple months old. The situation changes rapidly.