Amex Serve Card Review: Simple, Convenient, Travel-Friendly

PersonalCreditCards
4 min read

The $1 monthly fee with no strings, no credit check, or minimum balance makes the American Express Serve prepaid card ideal for travelers. With online bill pay, free reloads, and deposited funds accessible worldwide, Amex has made hassle-free banking aboard that much easier.

Why Serve

American Express Serve is a prepaid card that supports various transactions including mobile check and direct deposits. It’s an excellent option for customers who do not want to open the traditional credit account. Unlike other prepaid cards, American Express Serve has no credit checks and minimum balances. You simply use the card until its empty. This is a rare feature as most card issuers are notorious for charging expensive fees.

You can use the card at millions of merchants that accept American Express cards worldwide. American Express Serve Pre-paid Card competes well with rivals such as MasterCard Worldwide, Visa, and Discover Financial Services.

Being a prepaid card, Serve does not report your activity to credit reference bureau. This is one of the upsides of this credit card because you don’t have to fix your credit score to use it. Plus, reloads are free at more than 45,000 locations including Wal Mart, Family Dollar, CVS, 7-eleven and Rite Aid locations.

Features

The card uses the Serve Mobile App to keep track of every dime. Furthermore, you can use it to deposit checks, pay online bills and check your balance. The card also offers protection benefits typically seen on
credit cards. This gives customers an alternative to banking at the palm of their hands. Apart from the typical benefits of prepaid cards, there is an option of earning cash on purchases.

American Express uses a nationwide cash load network to add new money management capabilities. To help customers make smart financial decisions, the card has new features like mobile check capture, bill
pay, direct deposit, and personal financial management tools. All these enhancements are designed to meet the needs of millions of Americans who are still using traditional financial services. Besides that, customers can add government disbursements or paychecks directly to their accounts. If you need fast cash, you just transfer money onto the card.

Cardholders can also use mobile check capture to snap a photo of a check and then add directly into their account using Serve Mobile App. However, you have to wait for ten days if you want to receive money without paying a fee.

  • Type of card: Amex
  • Multiple Currency Load: Yes- GBP, USD, AUD, CAD, EUR, JPY, and MXY.
  • Mobile app: Yes – Android and iOS
  • Text & email alerts: Both
  • Online account management: Yes
  • Signup process: I.D, social security number, phone number, and an email address. Your credit history is not required.

Card Fees

What makes American Express Serve stack up against similar cards is that it comes with fewer fees. There is no monthly fee, and you can load cash for free. Being a prepaid card, you can’t overdraw the account unless you opt for overdraft protection. No credit check is required for approval and you cane easily view the prepaid card fees and limits online.

  • Set-Up/Activation: Free
  • Monthly: $1 in NY and TX, ($0 direct deposit of $500 and more)
  • Inactivity: N/A
  • Signature Transactions: Free
  • Pin Transactions: Free
  • Tap Transactions: N/A
  • Cash Withdrawal: $2.50 per transaction
  • In Network ATM Transaction: Free
  • Out-of-Network Transaction: $2.50
  • Foreign ATM Transaction: 2.7%
  • Direct Deposit: Yes
  • Cash Reload: Up to $3.95: varies by retailer
  • Bank Transfer: Free
  • Check Reload: Free
  • Card-to-Card Transfers: Free
  • Overdraft fees: N/A

How to Apply

Signing up for American Express Serve Pre-paid Card is straightforward. You take as little as 15 seconds. First, you need an email address which is required to provide essential updates, account information, and disclosures. Secondly, you need to verify your identity using the social security number and phone number.

Activation

To activate your temporary card, a confirmation link is sent to your email. Just follow it to confirm your identity and finish the setup. Alternatively, you can call 1-855-431-6035 using the number you used to
register your account. This takes a minute or so. Once it’s activated, you can add cash and make free ATM withdrawals to over 24,000 ATM’s. However, activating your personalized card takes 7-10 days. This allows you to access all the benefits and features. Any remaining money on the temporary card is transferred to your personalized card. You can use it to shop online or on any other outlet that accepts American Express cards. There is another little favor- American express will post the year of your Amex membership.