Perhaps the most exciting thing we’ve seen in manufactured spending since Vanilla Reloads, the American Express Prepaid REDcard (aka Redbird) is very in-demand right now. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to them at the moment. Until recently, they weren’t even available in California and I had to get mine in Michigan. I’ve heard since that they’ve been appearing at Bay Area stores. However, several readers have sent me frustrated emails, saying they’ve been unable to locate them. If you’re one of these people, here are a few ways you can get your hands on Redbird card:
NoonRadar
You’ve probably seen comments from NoonRadar on this blog. Most of the time he’s being helpful to other readers, other times he’s simply hawking his Redbird business. 😉 It’s a good thing he does, because several of my readers have expressed their appreciation for it. It was the only way they knew to get their very own Redbird cards. While I haven’t personally purchased any Redbirds from NoonRadar, dozens of readers have vouched for him,in the comment section of various posts and via email. So I feel confident in recommending him as a source for Redbirds.
Ebay
There are tons of Redbirds for sale on ebay, priced at $15 – $30. These cards come preloaded with $1, so you are paying a premium. But this is normal and on par with what other Redbird resellers are charging. Considering you’ll earn 5,000 free miles every month from Redbird in addition to 1.5% cash back if you chose to go the Amex gift card route, it’s worth the fee. Ebay is also a reliable marketplace, since purchases are handled through Paypal and you can resolve any disputes through their Resolution Center.
Ask a friend
If you know anyone in a state where Redbird cards are sold, simply ask them to pick one up for you. They have to buy a temporary card (it doesn’t matter whose name it’s in), send you the card number and then you register it online using your personal information. The card will arrive in the mail within 1-2 weeks, ready to be used.
Craigslist
I’m putting this last because as we all know Craigslist can be shady. I’ve heard of way too many people getting scammed on Craigslist. Two people I know were robbed by criminals posing as buyers. If you’re able to find reasonably priced Redbirds on your area’s Craigslist page, then I highly recommend you meet the seller inside a local Starbucks or someplace else with lots of people around. Not outside of Starbucks or at the mall parking lot – inside, no matter what. If they refuse to abide by this request, they’re trying to avoid surveillance cameras and you’re better off Redbird hunting elsewhere. I personally wouldn’t go the Craigslist route, but am including it anyway for the sake of completeness.
Just because you live in an area where Redbirds are not sold, that does not mean you have to miss out on a great manufactured spending tool. Even if Redbirds are sold in your area but they’re temporarily out of stock, being able to purchase one online for a mark-up can make more sense than calling/driving around looking for stores that do carry them.
How did you obtain your Redbird card?
Bought 2 on E-Bay back in Jan! No issues at all, as soon as i sent payment he sent a picture of both cards. I then used that to register the cards. Once he received payment and sent the pics I had 2 cards registered in about 10min! Easy Peezy!
Noon radar 🙂
NOON RADER. I had good Service with him.
I have purchased several for people for $20 total. That includes the $5 cost of the card and the $5 first load. Indiana is redbird heaven!
Lucky! You should start your own Redbird resale business. I hear it’s lucrative. 🙂
If only I had the time to do such a thing! =)
Purchased on eBay from seller jhags5. Reliable and very responsive.
http://www.redbirds.me – he’s a reddit user. I and others have bought several from him already, great service.
NoonRadar was great! Highly recommend!!
Just received a redbird from NoonRadar. Quick and easy.
Thank you for the mention Ariana! It is true that I advertise my services (I do it in 1st person though -_-) but as you said it as mutually beneficial.
I also make it a point to spend a lot of time online and provide people with up to date info (from data points reported on various blogs) being that the MS world is rather fluid. I will be writing more how-to posts also. On that note, a couple of reminders:
– You’re still not able to load Redbird in North Carolina & Arkansas. You can in the rest of the 47 states (there’s no Target stores in Vermont).
– If you want to check with your local Target, call them the day you plan to drive & ask them about the “Target prepaid REDcard”. Stores located Redbird-desert areas run out of them frequently.
I know, I was just teasing. 🙂 I’m glad you advertise your services here and that so many people have been able to get Redbirds because of it. Thanks for the helpful update, as usual!
Also got a redbird from NoonRadar. Thanks for the swift response and turnaround!
I just purchased one from Noonradar and he got back to me really quickly with the card info, I registered on Target’s site and now my permanent card is on the way!
Bought 2 from Noon Radar, quick fast service both activated no problems
Bought mine from noonradar. Excellent, quick service (had image of my card within hours of initial email) and had no problems registering it.
I wanted to thank noonradar for not one, but two efficient transactions. Not only does he conduct fair business, he is EXTREMELY helpful and detailed with instructions. It’s clear he’s an avid enthusiast of the REDcard and I enjoy coming across his posts on multiple forums!
Got a card from noonradar. It took about 3 hours from my first email to him to get the card registered. Easy process. Great service.
2 cards from noonradar. Flawless, the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Noon Radar. Great service. No problems. Highly recommended.
Received a card from Noon Radar. It could not have gone better – quick response – great instructions. Highly recommend.
Hope this isn’t a dumb question…but why not just order a redcard via Target online? It looks like the same REDcard debit card to me. Are they not able to load gift cards?
Kim, there’s 3 different kind of Target REDcards: Debit, credit and prepaid (most recent one, since Oct 2014).
While all of them give you 5% off Target shopping, only the prepaid one (aka Redbird) can be loaded with credit cards or gift cards, which enables you to generate more points/miles/cashback.
There are no dumb questions. We’re referring to the Prepaid Redbird card – the one online is the debit version. You have to get the prepaid card in-store or via one of the channels listed here.
Never mind. I see they’re different cards.
I requested my cards from NoonRadar. After a few emails of back n’ forth to answer questions, which he was very prompt with, I made the transfer via paypal and a few hours later, I had my temp cards image sent to me. I registered the card and voila! I have redbird!
Thanks, Noon!
Another very satisfied customer for NoonRadar. Excellent service, response time – a pleasure to deal with.
I met a Target employee that travelled with her husband from near the BNA area to MEM to obtain the Redbird. Google if you think that was not far. Anyway, I used terms with her that would be familiar to a MS peep and she was unaware. I guess they just did it for the Target benefits.
I have been debating travelling 80 miles out of my way on a planned road trip to hit a qualified RB selling Target. Is it “ok” to buy a Target Redbird from a third party?
Jan, what you would buy from someone like me (or from someone else) would be the information of an activated temporary Redbird card, namely you need that card’s acct nr + 4 digit security code in order for you to register online for the permanent Redbird acct.
You can either travel to a Target store that offers the temporary Redbird cards or get one online from someone like me who went to the local Target store, activated the card and now provides that info to you. Whether you activate the temporary card yourself or I activate it for you, it will have the same effect as far as you being able to register online for the permanent acct.
The temporary card is as such a mandatory token for the online registration (which is the process that creates the permanent account) so it doesn’t matter how you obtain that.
Yes, by all accounts it’s not a problem.
Just having used NoonRadar for the purchase of a Target Redbird, I can whole heartedly recommend him. Not only is he a prompt provider, but he walked me through the verification process when I didn’t get immediate approval.
It was a pleasure doing business with him.
Noon, Thanks for the second card for my wife. I’ve used my first card to complete three signup bonuses this month… So far so good. Now my problem is finding enough new cards… LOL.
Just bought a prepaid card from noonradar have to say was nervous at first but the guy was very responsive answering any questions and the purchase went through fast and smoothly. If you are looking to buy a prepaid redcard this is the perfect guy.