Target Prepaid REDcard Limiting Load By Credit Card To $1,000 Per Day?

Manufactured spending

A couple of weeks I headed to Target to load my prepaid REDcard. I had no issue loading the daily limit of $2,500 (besides one of the cards having a fraud alert).

Since Kim and I shop at Target a decent amount, I’ve enjoyed saving 5% on purchases by using the card. I also haven’t been worrying too much about getting into a store to load the other half of the monthly load limit (which is $5,000).

Some worries about loading my Target Prepaid REDcard changed yesterday and it’s getting a bit more difficult.

We stopped by Target for a few things and (more importantly) because I wanted to finish off this months load.

I waited on the customer service line for a few minutes. When it was my turn, I  asked to load my REDcard. I was surprised by what the friendly cashier told me that a manager has to load the cards!

I waited a few minutes and mentioned how I loaded my card a couple of weeks back without needing to have a manager present. The cashier then mentioned how it just changed and everyone coming in has said the same thing…

As I waited I hoped that other than extra time being wasted, the load wouldn’t be an issue.

The manager showed up and had me move down a few registers and asked how much I wanted to load.

She ran my $1,000 through without a problem. That’s another free 1,000 SPG points was my thought! Easy enough.

I then asked if she’d mind loading another $1,000. Her answer (with the shake of her head) was no. I was then told how only $1,000 per day was allowed and she said that even if she tried, the system wouldn’t let add any more.

The manager then mentioned how the daily load limit was now $1,000 and how it used to be $2,500.

So based on this, I’ll now need to make two more trips to Target to finish loading the last $1,500 for the month!

Manufactured spending

When I got home I had to check out the Prepaid REDcard site to see if there was any info about these changes.

I didn’t notice any mention of adding money with a credit card so I can’t say for sure if anything has officially changed. When looking over REDcard’s FAQ’s, all it states is “Add money via cash, debit card and bank account“. 

Has anyone noticed changes at their local Targets when it comes to loading money by credit card?

Hopefully this isn’t the last hurrah using REDcard & this little cash, I mean miles & points cow won’t be coming to an end. All I know is that the way things are looking, it can’t be good…

43 thoughts on “Target Prepaid REDcard Limiting Load By Credit Card To $1,000 Per Day?

  1. JohnnyAppleSale- I wish loading the card was as simple as good karma.

    MFK- Very nice.

    Jonathan- Good to hear that your locations still allow cashiers to load the card.

    BLUJKTS- If only we knew what was next…

    Tracy- That stinks…

  2. This card has basically become useless to me, as none of the Target stores in the Sacramento, CA area will do loads via credit card or gift cards such as Visa or Amex . The cashiers are also rude and threat me like a criminal for even .attempting to load the card via credit card. Has anyone else encountered this issue?

  3. This gravy train is gonna come to an end soon enough. Got rid of my BlueBird for Serve, got rid of Serve for RedBird. Whats next? Load your EBT card with credit cards?

  4. Load 2k on my Redbird and 1K on my AFT in 3 cashier counters at the same supertarget store in Atlanta with any problem yesterday.

    Though one cashier has no idea what Redbird is. I told her to just swipe the card and the screen guided her to finish the load without any issue. She did ask me if I use target gift card since the screen displayed “no Target gift card.”.

  5. Loaded $2500 in 3 successive transactions today in downtown LA and $1000 to my AFT to boot. No problems, thankfully. CSR has helped me previously and knows the drill.

  6. Redbird City- I don’t see why it would be an issue to also load your wife’s card. Not a good idea to call and ask about credit card loading IMO…

    JohnnyAppleSale- Glad to hear! Where are you located? Your experience is what mine used to be like the first bunch of times…

    Jeff- Thanks and glad you saw the value in this post (as I see! lol). It does seem like stores/ regions are making up their own policies about loading REDcard at this point.

    Matt- Glad you find the humor. I think the title is asking a valuable question. Not sure where the drama is in sharing my experience and finding out how it is going for others. Congrats on your loads…

    I don’t create clicks, I write a blog which shares my experiences and things I find interesting. If you don’t like what you’ve read then please do not click on my posts again. Peace!

    1. I’m Indiana based, and thankfully my competition is rather bleak. Admittedly, my SO and I always try small talk for each of our enjoyment. Plus we’re always prepared, ie CC, RB, and DL all available in hand. Act like you know what you’re doing, and the other across the counter will feel much more relieved. LOL loading a Redbird should just make your day, try to help the cashier’s day. + Karma goes a long way 🙂

  7. Sorry, but this really is a silly headline. One store has a problem, and you create drama. I have been able to load $2500 at 3 different stores in the last week. Twice in Feb, and now once in Mar.

    So one incident creates the opportunity for clicks. Sorry, this is clearly drams for the sake of drama.

  8. Michael,

    First off, thanks for the post. If a reader is too dense to read your experience and draw their own conclusions they have only themselves to blame.

    Second, I generally load this card as I travel in the Midwest/South. My experience has been 50/50 with competent cashiers and utter incompetence. One “Customer Service” rep (the one who is supposed to know how to load these) told me it was against policy to load the card. I tried to explain the it’s “test” version of the card and how it differs from the other Redcard and lets just say when it only made him angrier and more suspicious I cut my losses and went to a different Target.

    That said, I agree you probably ran into misinformation, and I also agree with you that the window on this little treasure is going to slam shut at some point and could at any time. So I, for one, totally appreciate posts like this one keeping us looped in on what you’re hearing and seeing. 🙂

  9. Just loaded $2.5k (well 1x1x0.5) w/o any issues. Fortunately no hard coded prohibition around us, but rather individual stores/regions that are cock blocking. CSR didn’t even bat an eye when going for the 3rd txn.

  10. i called redcard today to ask about the official policy for loading another person’s card — i haven’t had the nerve to ask a cashier / customer service to load my wife’s card and my card, one after the other. so i’ve been making 4 trips per month. the person i was talking to was confused because i had mentioned i was loading with a credit card, and she made this big thing about how since 2/26, credit cards are no longer available for use to be reloaded. i backtracked and said that i didn’t mean to say cc, but my question still stood with cash, debit, etc. she said as long as i had my wife’s and the manager’s permission, it was fine. still, the bit about the credit card policy worried me, even if i was still able to load it today.

  11. Gene- Thanks for sharing the info with us. I’m planning to stop by tomorrow to load another $1,000. Doesn’t sound like any chance I’ll get the last $500 during the visit too but I will definitely ask.

    1. I am curious to know if the new daily limit applies to one store only or is it systemwide per card. Any chance you can find out and report here?

      1. Gene- That is a good question. I’d assume that you could load $1,000 in one store and then go to another store to load another $1,000 etc. If I have the time (which is unlikely) I’ll go to two Targets in Brooklyn today or tomorrow and give it a try.

  12. Datapoint: Had the same experience as Michael W at the Brooklyn Junction Target two days ago. I had previously been able to load $2500 per day in three separate transactions at most registers with no questions asked (although some cashiers clearly didn’t have much experience with the process). This time, I was told by two different cashiers that it RedCard loading can only be done at the Customer Service desk. Went there, waited for my turn, told the cs cashier what I need and she immediately called the supervisor. The supervisor processed one $1000 load, and told me that since Monday (Feb. 23) one is only allowed to load $1000 a day. Hopefully, this a local phenomenon…

    1. You guys are breaking virgin ground here by reporting this on February 26. This has been reported on multiple blogs for the last 3 weeks. FlyerTalk was the first to report the 2500 at once method and also to report the death of that method due to attempts to reload more than 2500. So while your reports are nice youre a little late to the game.

      1. Michael- This post is from 2/23 not 2/26. My post has nothing to do with the $2500 at once method, it’s about loading more than $1,000 in a day or in one location. Not all of us read FlyerTalk religiously, sorry. Never late to the game, reported MY experience…

  13. It was rumored (guessed?) that the POS change that also limits the transaction load to $1K was supposed to have fixed the sporadic issue of some loads not going through with a credit card (it would neither load on Redbird nor reverse back on the credit card).

    However, tonight (02/25) there were similar credit card loads issues in many parts of the country, I experienced it myself also, while trying to load my 3rd Redbird. The local Target manager volunteered it was a known issue today and they expected it fixed in a few hours…I decided to just wait until tomorrow.

    *Comment edited: Advertising is not allowed in my comments

    1. Same thing happened to me…called Redcard CS and they told me it would be resolved soon. Called two days later and they said it would take 10 days. Called a third time two days later and got the issue pushed up to another level supposedly. Also the CS agent told me that on the 2/25 they had a system update and that one of the fixes was to eliminate the ability
      to load with credit card. He said that it was a glitch in the system to begin with and that I should not use a credit card to load. I’m thinking of calling the credit card to dispute the charge but I’m afraid to raise a red flag with them.

  14. Ed- I don’t know what the official policy is but many stores do have their own policies. Think of CVS stores around the country all having different rules when it came to Vanilla Reloads as an example.

    My brother mentioned that to me last night about Target at Atlantic Terminal. Not good…

  15. Can the stores institute their own polices?

    I heard that the Target by the Barclays center is now saying cash or debit cards only.

  16. Jaybee- Thanks, it seems like you get it. I hope that REDcard comes soon to your area, who knows how long credit cards for loading will be accepted. Good luck!

    Michael- Who exaggerated? I shared my experience, it’s as simple as that.

    1. Michele W your headline is am exaggeration. Target Prepaid REDcard Limiting Load By Credit Card To $1,000 Per Day ”
      It’s one target. The headline makes it sound like it’s all targets. Clearly a click bait headline if ever there was one

      1. Aryeh- First thing, its Michael not Michele! lol… I find it interesting how you failed to include the ? from my title in your comment… If you want to interpret the title as an exaggeration then so be it. I disagree.

  17. Michael – haters gonna hate! Ignore all the nasty comments. You have a perfect right to document your experiences how you see fit.

    I’m waiting for redcard to come to my area, and then I’ll be all over it!

    1. Nobody is hating. Its just hyperbole that we cant stand. And you just sit back and keep on waiting for it to come to a store near you. It’ll be nice and dead by then.

  18. Michael- There was no failure to load my card, just a failure to load $2500 for the day. Why shouldn’t I question what is going on based on the info I was told? Should I drive to Targets all over the tri-state area trying to load my card? Nah, I think it’s better to have a discussion about it here.

    As for post’s title, I think it’s just fine.

  19. WD- No prob and you’re probably right.

    Mike S- Glad to hear that you didn’t have any issues loading!

    Michael- Of course it’s an indication- it shows what my experience was. I have no need just yet to visit Targets elsewhere. I have 3 close by although one is cash/ debit only based on what I’ve been told. I totally agree that YMMV and “the sky ain’t falling”, although I’m not so sure that it’s so far away. I shared my recent experience plus wanted to see what was going on for others when it comes to loading REDcard. Maybe not valuable to everyone but it might be to others…

    1. So your single (quasi-failed) attempt prompts you to question whether the entire system is limited at $1,000. Makes sense to me.

      Better headline, but not as sensational: Target “X” limited me to $1,000 load. Did they limit you? If yes, at which Target?

  20. Your experience is not any indication of what is really going on. In Brooklyn, especially there are managers that are taking matters into their own hands and making up rules so that their CSR’s are not bogged down doing loads instead of actually earning Target a profit. There have been multiple reports of exactly your experience and multiple reports of exactly the opposite. So to cry “chicken little” because of one trip is a little much, dont your think?

    Try making your rounds to other NYC Targets and the ones in the immediate suburbs and your experience will be vastly different…or it may be the same. Bottom line…YMMV…and the sky aint falling…YET.

  21. Ben T- I know about that change and had done 3 separate swipes totaling $2500 during my previous visit to this same location. After loading $1,000 yesterday I asked if I could do another load and was then told about this rule change.

    Nick- So hopefully this is a local issue then or this manager was telling me a story?

    Eric- Brooklyn, New York

    Lena- Absolutely nothing. I’m doing great, how are you? Feel free to send me a link to your site so I can critique you… FYI- If you don’t like what you are reading, then please don’t bother coming back.

    WD- I wasn’t aware of this rule. I used my SPG card one other time and (including yesterday) both times it showed on my Amex statement as a Discount Store purchase.

    Shannon- Great to hear! Where are you located?

    Caveman- Hopefully you are right for the sake of everyone else! If NY stores stop accepting credit cards then this REDcard is about to get a whole lot harder for me to bother with!

    1. Thanks. Maybe it’s just with Serve since that would be a transaction with Amex directly as opposed to a transaction with Target.

  22. Probably this is store specific hiccup. Some stores in NY have stopped completely accepting credit cards which is again I believe specific to that target location only , at least for now.

  23. As one of those on the outside looking in, I fear this is another omen that redbird is never gonna happen in nyc (at least not as a points cow). I was surprised that you can earn spg points. I thought with redbird and serve that no amex points are awarded when loading with an amex card. Not so?

    1. He is loading with his SPG Credit Card. The points are awarded for his “spend” of $1,000 on his SPG card (loading his RedBird). The RedBird itself gets him no points.

  24. There was a change recently to only allow $1,000 per swipe of the card and you couldn’t do $2,500 in one transaction as you had done previously. This $1,000 total per day is new and not something that I was aware of.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *