American Express Serve is one of the three different types of Serve cards offered by American Express. Others include the American Express Serve® Cash Back and the American Express Serve® FREE Reloads. You can use these payment cards to purchase goods and services at various places, including physical and online stores. You can also do other things with your card, including sending money to others. I will show you how to send money with American express Serve later.
Before we continue, it is wise to understand what American Express is. American Express is a financial company usually abbreviated as AmEx and is a multinational corporation specializing in payment card services. Its headquarters are at 200 Vesey Street in Battery, and the company also collaborates with many banks in the country to issue payment cards. Other similar companies include Visa, Discover, and Mastercard. The companies also work with credit unions.
American Express offers services for debit, credit, and prepaid cards. When you use your card for various transactions, you pay some fees. There is a percentage that goes to the company. Therefore, they make money via card usage by consumers. For your information, AmEx works like a service provider in that it processes transaction requests by consumers. We can generally term the company as a network provider for running the cards.
About American Express Serve
The American Express Serve is a reloadable prepaid debit card that works the same as the basic debit cards tied to checking accounts. Being a prepaid card means that you have to reload it with money.
Prepaid cards do not link to any bank or credit union account, and thus, the American Express Serve is independent of any bank. Despite that, you can willingly connect to a bank account and use it to fund your transactions. Again, you can transfer money from a prepaid card to a bank account.
Process To Get The American Express Serve

I have mentioned that American Express collaborates with banks to issue payment cards. You also need to know that the company also independently issues cards that consumers can use for their daily payment needs. American Express Serve is one of the payment cards you can find at the company.
You only need to apply online at the Serve website and navigate to the card application tab to get it. The cards, however, require no credit history to get them. You also need to know that American Express Serve is not a bank but a payment card that gives you an alternative option for handling your money. It is also an excellent option to reduce the various bank costs that drain you financially.
Generally, the American Express Serve has no welcome bonus, no credit history requirement, no annual fees, and no regular APR. Therefore, it is an economical card to use for your transaction needs. The foreign transaction fee is 7% after conversion to US Dollars.
Details Of American Express Serve Work
Once you get the card, you have to add funds for your expenditure. You can add funds directly at the register where the card reloading is accepted or use various banks that work with the card. We also have various money transfer apps that accept American Express to recharge your card when the need arises.
Interestingly, there are thousands of locations where you can add funds to your account. They include CVS®, Family Dollar®, Rite Aid®, Dollar General®, Walmart®, and the participating 7-ELEVEN® locations. The card can add up to $500 or as little as $20, and you are good to go.
Once you have money on your card, you can buy goods and services. You can purchase online by using the card number, the CVV, and the expiration date for the card. Also, you can purchase items using the card at physical stores by swiping at the register.
Moreover, the AmEx card comes with online access, meaning that you can manage your card on your phone using an app. Therefore, you can view balances, see your transaction history, and make transactions over the app. Almost all payment companies have embraced the digital feature of managing funds online.
Different Ways To Add Funds To American Express Serve Card
There are various ways you can add funds to your card account. They include the following:
i) Mobile deposit of your checks
You can use the app to deposit checks online. Nowadays, you do not need to deposit checks in banks as you can carry out the process online.
ii) Use your bank account or debit card
You can easily add money from your bank to fund your transactions. You need to add your bank to your account, and you are good to go.
iii) Add cash at reloading locations
As I mentioned earlier, you can add money to your account at various reload locations.
Features Of The American Express Serve
Before you get the card, it is essential to understand the card usage features. The following are the features you need to understand.
i) Free registration
You can register online for free. There is no credit check during the card registration. Once you register, you will receive the card at your physical branch.
ii) Free early direct deposit
You can get your payments up to two days earlier before your payday with the American Express Serve account. Your employer should submit payment details before your payday for this to work.
iii) Free ATM withdrawals
The card allows you to withdraw money for free at various ATMs throughout the country. You can withdraw money at over 30,000 MoneyPass ATMs countrywide from your American Express Serve.
iv) Free Online Bill Pay
You can use the American Express Serve App to pay for your bills. Like when withdrawing cash from your ATM, online bill payment is free and won’t cost you any coin to set up or use. Bill payments usually require you to transfer money using a routing number and account number.
v) Free Reserve Partition
You can save funds by setting up a Reserve partition in your account to help you in the future. You can take money for free out of your Reserve any time of the day.
vi) American Express’s excellent Customer Service
American Express understands that every company grows by having good customer service. Once you get your card, you can be sure to converse with a live person 24/7via a phone call or chat.
Procedure To Send Money With American Express Serve
The card allows you to spend on various transactions and send funds to other Serve cardholders. Sending money to another holder is not like when you transfer money to someone else’s bank account, whereby you require the recipient’s account number.
To transfer money to others, you need to log into your account online, go to Money Out and select Send Money. After that, choose the contact you would like to send money to and proceed as per the prompts. You can also receive money from other account holders online when you give them the necessary details.
Does The American Express Serve Card Charge Fees
Like any other card, the American Express Serve charges various fees, as shown in the table below. However, you may not pay any fees whatsoever depending on how you use it.
Activity | Fee |
---|---|
Monthly Fee (No Fee in TX, NY, VT) | $6.95 or $0 when you Direct Deposit $500+ |
Cash Reloads | Up to $3.95 (Fee varies by retailer. In-network locations charge $0 |
ATM Withdrawals | $0 at MoneyPass® ATMs. Up to $2.50 at other ATMs |
Direct Deposit | $0 |
ATM Transaction Decline | $0.75 per decline |
Online Bill Pay | $0 |
Add Money from a Bank Account | $0 |
Send and Receive funds | $0 |
Save Money in Reserve | $0 |
Subaccounts | $0 |
Card Replacement | $5 per Card |
Purchase Protection on Eligible transactions | $0 |
Foreign Transactions | 2.7% after conversion to US $ |
Mobile Check Capture by Ingo® Money | $0 for Money in 10 Days. For Money in Minutes, 1% or 5%. $5 minimum fee applies. (fee varies by check type) |
Cash Pickup Powered by Ria® | Up to $9.49 per withdrawal |
Serve funds movement by Ria® | Transfer up to $2500 for $16.99 per transaction |
24/7 Customer Service | $0 |
Wrap Up
American Express Serve is among prepaid cards that allow you to add money for your transactions. It allows you to manage your money online, and you can also make your payments and transfer money to others right from the app.
When applying for the card, there is no credit check required. Also, there is no application fee. The platform gives you the freedom to save money in the Reserve, and thus you may not need a bank account.