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Amex One VIP vs Serve
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American Express has been known to release many different prepaid products (i.e. Serve, Bluebird, Prepaid, Campus Edition, ect), so it’s no surprise that they came out with a new one called Serve One VIP. It’s a Serve product working on the same platform as Bluebird and the regular Serve, so you cannot sign-up for it if you have one of those products already.
If you don’t have a prepaid card on this network or you are looking to switch, here’s how the One VIP compares.
Limits and Fees
The limits and virtually non-existent fees on both cards are the exact same. The one exception to this rule is the ISIS version of Serve. That version can be loaded with up to $8,000 per month while the regular Serve and One VIP can only be loaded with $6,000. So if you want to get the most MS out of your prepaid card, I would suggest the ISIS version of Serve. Winner: ISIS Serve
Loads
You can load both of them at Walmart, CVS, and 7/11, but Walmart is the only place that you can use a gift card/debit card. The other two locations are cash only. The “cash” load limit is the same for every card (Serve, Serve ISIS, One VIP, and Bluebird). Personally, I don’t even bother with “cash” loads anymore. Winner: Tie
Offers
This is where the two cards differ most. The regular Serve and Serve ISIS have access to Amex Sync offers, while One VIP has access to exclusive events and tickets. I prefer Amex Sync offers, because they can be very valuable especially when reselling. However, if you’re a big concert goer, then One VIP might be the way to go.
My understanding of the One VIP Loyalty Access program is you get access to tickets and special VIP-type experiences before anyone else. The prices are likely cheaper than they would be anywhere else, but I’m sure they’re still substantial. Winner: It depends what type of offers you prefer.
Conclusion
I have no doubt you realized that the regular Serve and ISIS Serve are much better for manufactured spending than the One VIP. I can only see a MSer picking One VIP over Serve if they neglect online loads and Amex Offers completely. If that’s the case, then I would definitely suggest signing up for One VIP. If you want to maximize your MS, stick with the regular version of Serve, or even better the ISIS version of Serve.
