This is the time of year when my holiday shopping budget gets completely blown. Either I get so overwhelmed with shopping that I buy too much, or I find just ONE MORE THING that I just have to buy for someone. Since I’m working on a campaign with Bluebird by American Express, I thought that it may be just the thing to keep me, and my budget, honest this holiday season.
As I mentioned in my intro post, Bluebird by American Express is a debit card, but also offers the purchase protection that you’ve come to expect from American Express. Personally, the purchase protection is one of the biggest benefits of my regular American Express card, so I really love the fact that it’s a major component to Bluebird.
You can load up the Bluebird card a variety of ways – through a debit card transfer, through a cash transfer at Walmart, from a Vanilla reload card (which can be purchased with a credit card), or through direct deposit. I chose to use a debit card transfer to add funds to my card. Once the card is loaded up with funds, you can use it just like a debit or credit card wherever American Express cards are accepted. You can track your expenses online or through the Bluebird app, so you’ll know how much is loaded on the card, and your purchases will be protected with the Amex purchase protection.
To use the card for holiday budgeting, all you have to do is load up the card with the exact amount of money you are willing to spend. Since it’s a debit card, you won’t be able to spend more than you have – very important for me this holiday season.
To learn more about Bluebird, visit their website.
Disclosure: This series of posts is sponsored by Bluebird by American Express.
