Curve - what’s it all about then

OmegaGene · 03-07-2019 5:41pm #1

You're the boss.

Managing your money just got a lot easier. With Curve, you get real-time alerts that tell you how much you’ve spent (and in which currency).

We also show you how you’re spending to help you budget. And if you use the wrong card to pay, you can Go Back in Time and change it. With Curve you’re in complete control. Brilliant.

Security
Simple and Safe.

Curve is safer than carrying all your cards with you. We don’t store your card numbers in the app, your information is encrypted with military-grade security.

We never ever share your information with retailers. Instantly lock your Curve Card or call us if you lose it and we’ll fix things.

Besides protecting against fraud, Curve now offers the Curve Customer Protection as standard for up to £100,000: an added layer between you and unscrupulous sellers

Get instant insights

Curve helps you take back control of your spending by showing you rich insights instantly in the App
All your cards in one

Add unlimited debit and credit cards to your Curve App and choose which one you want to pay with from the App using your Curve Card
Save on travel with Curve.

Spend your money on adventures, not fees.
Use any of your cards when you travel, and save up to 5% on hidden bank fees.*

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2018/01/new-curve-card-lets-you-connect-your-existing-cards-and-use-it-for-spending---but-heres-what-you-need-to-watch-out-for/

banie01 · 03-07-2019 5:44pm

I'm using it a couple of months and it has made my wallet a lot lighter in that other cards can be left at home

Easy to use app, easy to manage cards and decent analytics.

banie01 · 03-07-2019 5:49pm

OmegaGene wrote: »

Have you found any drawbacks so far ?

None yet, apart from me forgetting to switch the active card in the app.
Tried to pay for something from N26 and was a few minutes of confusion on my part before I figured out that my money was on Revolut and switched the active card.

banie01 · 03-07-2019 5:55pm

Mr.S wrote: »

I've wondered about Curve for a while, seems handy.

Assuming the transactions just come up as CURVE on whatever account's transaction history you select to charge, ie the real retailer doesn't appear unless you use the app?

The transactions show up on your actual payment acount as CRV*Retailer*
And on the curve app as the retailer itself.

It's very handy for receipts too. If you have one card that's business/expense specific you can set up email receipts.

03-07-2019 7:51pm

Thanks for starting the thread.

I have been hearing bits about it but only last night I actually looked into it and signed up. I have about 6 bank cards and along with other cards for different things I just dont carry them all but very handy to have access to them all too which is making curve very appealing.

I use revolut as my main card and now that thats on apple pay I dont see curve being used for everything (unless they introduce apple pay) but it certainly looks appealing to have it.

Also does anyone have the curve black? Am I correct in saying that the gadget insurance and travel insurance is included in the monthly sub? If so I'd nearly consider upgrading just for that as I'm paying more for phone insurance alone and it also appears the 1% cash back is not just for 3 months on curve?

The lack of apple pay is a big downside though.

Are there any hidden charges and how do the exchange rates stack up if you do use it abroad?

Corbally76 · 03-07-2019 8:03pm

I am using curve for over a month and it has been mainly positive. Using it with two credit cards, revolut and one debit card. Back in time is a useful feature. Car insurance was due at the end of the month and I kicked out the transaction for another 50 odd days by switching the transaction to a different card. Using euro transaction to euro card is free, no transaction fees. You can only spend the equivalent of Â£500 if doing FX transactions but you can also take out the equivalent of Â£200 per month at an ATM. Useful if using in conjunction with revolut etc. Had one or two transactions declined so I'd never travel with just a curve card.

PaulKK · 05-07-2019 8:40pm

Corbally76 wrote: »

Back in time is a useful feature. Car insurance was due at the end of the month and I kicked out the transaction for another 50 odd days by switching the transaction to a different card.

How does that actually work? Presumably it charges the amount to the second card and issues a refund to the original card from the second one?

I couldn't see the point of this but in theory you could keep swapping between two credit cards..

06-07-2019 1:43pm

PaulKK wrote: »

How does that actually work? Presumably it charges the amount to the second card and issues a refund to the original card from the second one?

I couldn't see the point of this but in theory you could keep swapping between two credit cards..

It’s limited to one switch to stop this.

I can see it as being quite useful. Similar to the other poster my car insurance is due before the end of this month. I normally pay it in full on the cc and then pay for it over 2 months so I spread the cost across two salary payments. With curve I’ll be able to extend this out further by paying for it from my current account then once it gets into August move it to my cc and then I don’t have to clear the cc until the end of September (to avoid paying interest).

If I paid with the cc at the end of July I’d have to clear the balance by the end of August.

06-07-2019 6:24pm

Anyone have any difficulty getting their BOI and EBS accounts verified? Revolut and N26 I got the code instantly and KBC took a few days but my BOI one only ever showed “curve” and no code and now the temp charge has disappeared, nothing at all has showed up on my ebs accounts and it’s been nearly a week since I started the process.

Pablo1802 · 07-07-2019 6:31am

PaulKK wrote: »

I couldn't see the point of this but in theory you could keep swapping between two credit cards..

You can go back in time only once for one transaction within 14 days.

Dardania · 07-07-2019 9:44am

I’ve been using it about 7 months now as my main card, from a large selection. It works fine / I keep going back to it.

I have noticed that the POS transaction is a second or two longer than normal, as Curve check real-time if you have funds to support the transaction.

Lack of Apple Pay is a pain (especially as Revolut offers it)

Back in time is handy, as is the ability to generate a receipt for each transaction - especially as it shows exchange rate if applicable which is needed for claiming expenses.

I thought I’d have problems on aircraft as it can’t check real time if I have funds on my chosen card but in fact it hasn’t proven an issue.

Overall quite satisfied with it. Ideal for people that have multiple cards for multiple purposes.

Pablo1802 · 07-07-2019 10:23am

I am with Curve since May 2017 and it is one of the best financial tool introduced in the last years. It provides even more benefits and flexibility with underlying cards in different currencies from different EU countries, if you have them

AMEX support was great but it did not last long and I would not expect to see AMEX on my Curve ever again in the future.
Mastercard & Visa cards are fully supported and I have never had issues with using them. The only drawback is a lack of up to date pictures of some of the underlying cards.
Diners Club cards are not supported at all. DC doesn't offer private cards in all EU countries and this includes UK market which is why Dc support isn't on a priority list on Curve's roadmap.

Initial Curve card spending limits aren't relatively high but can be increased in the future. Enhanced limit for ATM withdrawal of £1000 or equivalent in different currency is more than enough. Once the limit is reached, Curve card cannot be used.

Go Back in Time is one of the unique and great features of Curve but I suppose it should be used only when really needed. It certainly generates additional costs for Curve. I would say, that an excessive use of Go Back in Time would have been treated as a system abuse.

Worldwide Travel Insurance and Electronic Gadget Insurance offered with Black/Metal subscriptions are OK, nothing exceptional. Travel insurance may be found cheaper elsewhere or get it with some credit cards for free.
Rental car collision damage waiver insurance - not yet available for non UK residents
Medical travel insurance - not yet available for non UK residents

Curve Rewards, Curve Cash etc. It's always great to get some cashback for transactions made with your card.

Generally speaking, Curve is the only one card in my wallet along with my backup card on Google Play.
I think, once Black trial subscription is over I will jump on paid subscription to support Curve even more. It is fully worth it.
The Curve has definetly changed the game on the payment cards market.

Nigel Fairservice · 30-07-2019 7:27pm

I got my Curve card today, used it twice with 2 different cards. Got some Amazon cash back as well. Google Pay integration would be great.

Mimikyu · 31-07-2019 2:05pm

Myself and my partner currently use a N26 account for our day to day spending. She uses the debit card and I use Google Pay because they don't do joint accounts and only offer one physical card.

Would this card be good as a backup for me to use as a physical card for my N26 account if a place doesn't accept Google Pay?

mickoneill31 · 22-08-2019 9:01am

I used my curve card in the UK this week. They don't charge foreign currency fees.

For example

£149 on my AvantCard cost me €163.83 plus €4.34 fee so €168.17

On xe.com £149 = €162

Using the curve card.

£130.40 on Curve cost me €142.97 in total.

On xe.com £130.40 = €142.55

lawred2 · 22-08-2019 9:05am

This curve work with Google pay?

Dardania · 22-08-2019 9:07am

lawred2 wrote: »

This curve work with Google pay?

nope, nor Apple Pay.

They have it on their roadmap, but no development from what I can see.

Fanny Wank · 25-08-2019 11:25am

This is interesting so I downloaded the app. Added my PTSB credit card no issue but wouldn't take my PTSB debit card - said to contact retailer and say I'm trying to add to curve?

Also if I buy from Amazon, say, do I need to load it (similar to Revolut) or:

- work away as normal with my credit or debit
- add Revolut and use that as normal
- either or

Thanks!

Fanny Wank · 25-08-2019 11:34am

Also - can you only select 3 retailers for cashback at once? If so can you simply switch then in app before a purchase?

Lastly - is this cashback stackable with the likes of TopCashBack?

gwalk · 25-08-2019 11:37am

Fanny **** wrote: »

Also - can you only select 3 retailers for cashback at once? If so can you simply switch then in app before a purchase?

Lastly - is this cashback stackable with the likes of TopCashBack?

On the free plan you get 3 retailers for 3 months, no switch

Dont know what top cash back is so cant help on that one

On your previous question re amazon, if you're paying with your curve card via revolut you need to have money on your revolut but if your using your normal card that isnt prepaid just spend away

Dardania · 25-08-2019 1:47pm

Also to note on the PTSB debit card situation, I have used mine with my Curve account without any problem for over a year.

Anyone keeping an eye on curves upcoming crowdfunding?

banie01 · 25-08-2019 1:52pm

Dardania wrote: »

Also to note on the PTSB debit card situation, I have used mine with my Curve account without any problem for over a year.

Anyone keeping an eye on curves upcoming crowdfunding?

Ditto with the PTSB debit card.
Works fine for me.

Topcashback is stackable so far at least.

On the crowdfunding.
I am keeping a weather eye on it.
If it's more than just the "investor" branded card, U may go in on it.

Ideally up the cashback limit to that of a pay account or a roadmap for equity/dividend earning and conversion.

I've already voted for which card design I prefer.

Fanny Wank · 25-08-2019 2:09pm

That is strange re my PTSB debit so. No idea what's up

Delta2113 · 25-08-2019 10:44pm

No problem with PTSB,Revolut - 3 cards,Transferwise,Monese and the new Bunq Travel card.

26-08-2019 11:27pm

Tried to use my curve card yesterday for a transaction of a few hundred euro and it gave an error that the person working their nor I ever saw before can’t even remember what it was. Had to use another Revolut (which I had to to an instant top up on as I had no where near enough in my balance). Annoyed me a bit as I was planning to use curve to pay for the transaction on my debit card and then switch it to my credit card in a few days when it goes past the cut off for spending for the month and this getting an extra month of free credit.

Dardania · 27-08-2019 7:31am

Diana Shy Grits wrote: »

Tried to use my curve card yesterday for a transaction of a few hundred euro and it gave an error that the person working their nor I ever saw before can’t even remember what it was. Had to use another Revolut (which I had to to an instant top up on as I had no where near enough in my balance). Annoyed me a bit as I was planning to use curve to pay for the transaction on my debit card and then switch it to my credit card in a few days when it goes past the cut off for spending for the month and this getting an extra month of free credit.

Did Curve pop up any error message why it failed?
I have made the mistake a few times of leaving my Curve set to my Revolut, and ther enot being enough cash on my Revolut to fund whatever the transaction is.

Redsoxfan · 27-08-2019 9:02pm

Only finding out about Curve now.

Re Curve Cash, I see lots of retailers/services that operate in Ireland (eg Just Eat, Aldi) but do Irish purchases qualify or is it only the UK purchases?

gwalk · 28-08-2019 7:34am

Redsoxfan wrote: »

Only finding out about Curve now.

Re Curve Cash, I see lots of retailers/services that operate in Ireland (eg Just Eat, Aldi) but do Irish purchases qualify or is it only the UK purchases?

Aldi Qualifies, tested it on sunday,, got 31c back

28-08-2019 6:03pm

Dardania wrote: »

Did Curve pop up any error message why it failed?
I have made the mistake a few times of leaving my Curve set to my Revolut, and ther enot being enough cash on my Revolut to fund whatever the transaction is.

No, nothing on curve at all didn’t give any indication that a transaction was even attempted. Was definitely on the correct card also as I double checked before hand.

31-08-2019 9:07am

Anyone thinking of investing in curve?

The investor cards look pretty cool, the metal in particular!

Edit: Also another failed transaction today for a few hundred I again wanted to do a switcharoo to my credit card in a few days. card got a normal “declined” this time twice both with chip and pin and they also tried to enter the card number to try that way as the person working there was interested in the card. Getting annoying at this stage.

I’ve successfully used it in aldi and dunnes as well as amazon using either N26 or Revolut as the underlying card. It’s failed with ebs as my boi card now. Not sure if this is coincidence or if the Irish cards aren’t playing ball.

Edit2: just tapped the card for a few euro three with boi as the chosen card so not an issue on a small transaction. Are there transaction limits, I was only spending 700 euro earlier wouldn’t have thought that exceeded any limit.

Frynge · 03-09-2019 2:21pm

I put in for £1000.00. Anyone else gamble on it?

retalivity · 03-09-2019 2:23pm

Can i use curve with other prepaid mastercards?
Can i transfer through curve back to a bank account?

gwalk · 03-09-2019 2:34pm

retalivity wrote: »

Can i use curve with other prepaid mastercards?
Can i transfer through curve back to a bank account?

works with revolut and bunq prepaid cards for me

no as youre not loading the curve card your paying via it from your other card

Dardania · 03-09-2019 2:35pm

Frynge wrote: »

I put in for £1000.00. Anyone else gamble on it?

me too for £1000. Hope it doesn't affect my grandfathered black legacy, as I have free membership on that

I'm curious about this overfunding business - will we all get squeezed immediately for them to stick to their 2% equity target (that was allowed for £1m)?

03-09-2019 2:41pm

I went in for a smaller investment, was debating the 1k but the only money I have quick access to is making nice interest in nexo so I didn’t bother touching it.

They raised 1m in 4 minutes.

Quackster · 03-09-2019 5:07pm

Put in for £100 myself. Am a big fan of the product so it's nice to have some skin in the game, no matter how microscopic!

Nigel Fairservice · 03-09-2019 6:22pm

I completely forgot about it. Had a small bit I could have taken a punt with. Oversubscribed now.

banie01 · 03-09-2019 6:29pm

Frynge wrote: »

I put in for £1000.00. Anyone else gamble on it?

The lack of detail regarding the equity split for crowdfunding in what passed for a prospectus put me off TBH.

I also have concerns regarding how they present their figures.
For example presenting their growth rate at 307% year on year and strongly implying it's a sustainable rate.
The math behind how they will actually make money, where is it?
I like their service, particularly because it's free.
If it becomes a pay service, I'll ditch it and use something else.

Jeff2 · 09-09-2019 2:30pm

I got a message saying they are having problems with processing and to carry a back up card.

Fanny Wank · 21-09-2019 7:06pm

Is it better to use Curve or Revolut for fx?

carrotcake · 21-09-2019 7:32pm

Fanny **** wrote: »

Is it better to use Curve or Revolut for fx?

I’ve found Curve’s rates to be a tiny bit better.

arrowman · 24-09-2019 2:25pm

I have been using Revolut for a while now and find it excellent.

I have just got a replacement Revolut card as my old one expired and the new card is a VISA whereas my old one was a MasterCard
From what I understand the Curve card is a Mastercard so if I signed up and added my Revolut (now VISA) then if I used my Curve for a transaction then it would be regarded as a MasterCard transaction? Am I right in this?

Also I wanted to double up on the fe free ATM withdrawal allowances by using the €200 limit on Revolut plus the €200 on Curve giving an effective €400 per month fee free ATM cash withdrawals

Nigel Fairservice · 03-10-2019 2:04pm

Has anyone used the Go Back in Time Feature? I made a purchase using my curve card (linked to my current account) on Tuesday night. I realised after I got the notification that I used the wrong card and used the Go Back in Time Feature to change the card to my credit card. The money is gone from my current account and the transaction is showing up in my credit card as well. Will Curve just refund the money back into my current account now?

Pacifico · 03-10-2019 3:23pm

Yeah it should show up as refunded in the curve app on the card you paid with originally

Nigel Fairservice · 04-10-2019 8:21am

Pacifico wrote: »

Yeah it should show up as refunded in the curve app on the card you paid with originally

Just showed up back in my account this morning, thanks.

quokula · 05-11-2019 5:55pm

https://support.imaginecurve.com/hc/en-gb/articles/213636689-Can-I-use-Curve-to-pay-a-hotel-or-rental-deposit-

This sounds like it means I can, but want to check if anyone else has experience of this. I'm going to the US soon and plan to rent a car. Past experience tells me that they insist on putting a hold on your credit card, with no option to pay a refundable deposit by debit card, or else you are forced to pay a hefty insurance fee.

As I don't own a credit card this is a problem. The above link implies that Curve solves this. Is this the case even if the "real" card behind Curve is a debit card? Has anyone tried it and had success?

Delta2113 · 07-11-2019 11:56pm

Now work's with Google Pay in the U.K. but not Republic of Ireland so far.

carrotcake · 08-11-2019 7:50am

Nice, hopefully Apple Pay won't be long following. It will be a great workaround for people with banks that don't yet support Apple Pay and Google Pay. I'd say a lot of people will join Curve just for this.

EmonMCC · 09-11-2019 9:19am

Lads,

just seeing this today for the first time. Very interesting concept for someone who carries several cards to use in different situations to save fees and maximise cashback.

Can anyone confirm please if the Avantcard cashback works flawlessly with Curve?

carrotcake · 29-01-2020 10:37am

Apple Pay is now supported by Curve. It was a bit tricky to add the card to Wallet, but it's working now.
https://www.curve.app/en-gb/f/apple-pay

29-01-2020 3:54pm

I added my Revolut card to Curve, it's detected as GBP card. I changed it to Euro, is this optimal. Assuming I'm using it in the Eurozone?

Curve - what’s it all about then

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