Curve card review

Curve was released in 2016 and quickly became a popular workaround to collect Amex benefits in places that didn’t accept Amex themselves. That loophole has since closed, but Curve still remains a great choice for your spending.

In this Curve Card review, I take a closer look at the features and benefits of this innovative payment card, as well as any drawbacks you should be aware of. If you’re considering signing up for the Curve Card, read on to find out everything you need to know.

Before we get started a little housekeeping. Some articles on this site contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund the blog. They don’t affect the price you pay or the editorial independence of the website. Read more here.

What is Curve?

Anyone remember the TravelEx Supercard? Well, the Curve card and app combo is pretty much a development on that.

It takes an ‘all cards in one’ approach and allows you to combine your credit, debit and pre-pay cards in a single app and card for spending. The basic aim is to simplify your spending, and help you to manage your money more effectively.

At Money Saving Answers I regularly test bank accounts, credit cards and prepay cards and relay my experiences back to you. I personally have over 12 on the go at the moment. Curve helps to eliminate the checkout wallet shuffle that can often occur when carrying/using so many cards.

How does it work?

Curve is a not a bank. The concept is more like the Apple/Google wallet where you store your card details, and at checkout choose which one you want to spend on. You present your Curve card at the point of sale (be it online or instore), and the payment will go through Curve and come off your selected debit or credit card.

Payments will show up on your bank or credit card statement as CRV*shopname. For example, if you used the card for shopping at Amazon (which is set to block VISA payments) it would show on your statement as CRV*AMAZON.

What are the features and benefits of Curve?

You may be wondering why not just use your Apple and Google pay wallets? But Curve offers a number of market leading features not found elsewhere.

Go back in time

This an amazing feature. The Curve app effectively allows you to travel back in time and select a different credit or debit card up to 120 days (30 for the free version) after your purchase.

Let’s say your default card has an overdraft and spending on it via your Curve card takes you into that overdraft. When you get home, or anytime within 120 days you can just go into the Curve app and select a different card for that purchase, and the money will be credited back to your account with the overdraft and come off your new card.

Another scenario might be where you have set a personal account as your default debit card in the app, but when out and about end up buying some items for your business. No problem, just add your business card to the app and retrospectively transfer the payments to your business account.

It also works with credit cards too. You move your payment to another card, and Curve adds that money back onto your credit card. Almost like a balance transfer in stealth.

Purchase timeline and review

Most decent accounts now offer instant notifications on purchases but the problem with multiple accounts is that your purchase history is split between them.

Curve consolidates your spending by providing a single clear purchase timeline of all your transactions. This helps you to keep track of exactly how much you are spending.

Anti-embarrassment mode

Ever been at the checkout with a long queue behind you only to find out that your card is declined or the banks systems are down (pretty common occurrence with NatWest).

Curve’s anti-embarrassment mode addresses this, by automatically switching to another card in your Curve wallet if your initial underlying card is declined.

You can set the backup card yourself, but it doesn’t matter, as if you need to you can use the ‘go back in time’ feature move the transaction to the original card once everything is working again.

I love this feature, but funnily enough when the anti-embarrassment feature kicked in on one of my recent transactions it probably caused me more embarrassment or at least a little confusion.

After paying and heading back to the car park, I saw a notification from my card provider that my transaction didn’t go through. I marched back to the checkout to tell them that the transaction didn’t go through, but of course they were bemused because all was good their end.

It was only then that I saw the notification from Curve (hiding amongst a slew of other notifications), that the anti-embarrassment mode had kicked in and all was good.

The feature worked perfectly as intended, I’d just forgotten all about it. When I got back home, I used to ‘go back in time’ feature to then move the transaction to my preferred card.

Cash rewards program (Curve cash)

Curve cash is a rewards program that allows you to earn cashback when spending with your curve card at certain retailers. You get to choose 6-12 of your favourite retailers from a list of over 100, including Amazon, Boots, Argos, Gap, Halfords, various restaurants and travel companies.

The cashback on offer is between 1% for Curve Pay Pro customers, making it great replacement for those who jumped ship from Chase when it hobbled its own 1% cashback programme.

Crucially if your underlying card (the one linked to Curve) also has a rewards program, you may be able earn through that too.

Flex – buy now pay later

Curve Flex is a buy now pay later scheme that allows you to ‘go back in time’ up to a year ago and split past purchases into future instalments.

It also means that you have access to BNPL outside of online shopping. As Flex can be used on almost any purchase in any store that accepts Mastercard.

Having recently tested Paypal’s Pay in 3, I can see how Curve’s Flex could be useful. The big caveat is that it carries a 19.99% APR. Lower than many credit cards, but schemes like Pay in 3, don’t charge any interest at all.

Fronted

Curve Fronted allows you to pay for things using your credit card where credit cards aren’t accepted. For example HMRC stopped accepted personal credit cards some time ago now, but by using Curve you can put your tax payments onto your credit card.

I’m not so sure that’s a good idea, but it’s certainly an interesting feature.

Add Paypal to Curve

If you have PayPal account, you can add that to Curve to allow you to spend via PayPal in the physical world. This isn’t something I’d typically do, but from time-to-time, PayPal runs special offers such as 3% cashback on spending. Adding it Curve allows to you collect that cashabck at wider variety of outlets.

Can the Curve card be added to Apple, Google, or Samsung Pay?

Yes. Curve works with all major mobile payment providers such as Apple, Google and Samsung Pay.

This allows you to get around some limits, such as restrictions on the number of cards you can have in your Apple wallet etc. Though it does become like the film Inception, but instead of a dream within a dream, we have a wallet within a wallet, and a card within a card.

Overseas, travel and foreign spending

Curve dropped all foreign spending charges up to £250 per month. This effectively allows you to use any debit or credit card no matter the fees, as a specialist travel card.

It’s not a golden ticket though, as ATM withdrawals abroad are capped. There is a £2 or 2% (whichever is higher) fee once you go above these limits.

Upgrading to Curve Pay Pro brings greater benefits for those holidaying abroad and turns Curve into a handy travel debit card. This includes increased ATM withdrawal limits, and cashback on spending.

Curve vs. Currensea

Whilst on the topic of foreign spending we should mention the Currensea account. Due to the way they work as middle-man between foreign spending and your bank people often compare Curve to Currensea. On the surface they seem similar, but dig a little deeper and you’ll discover that they are quite different.

Whereas Curve links to your debit or credit cards, Currensea is linked to your bank account. Any spending is debit directly from your account rather than from your debit card. As such you can only link one bank account, whereas with Curve you can link multiple different cards.

For general foreign spending at the point of sale e.g. in restaurants, supermarkets etc.. or purchasing online, Curve is actually cheaper than Currensea up to £1000, but only if these transactions happen a weekday. On weekends or if you go over the £1000 fair use limit a 2% charge is added. In such instances Currensea would work out cheaper with its flat rate 0.5% fee on all transactions regardless.

See our guide to the best debit and credit cards for foreign spending.

How much does the Curve card cost?

Curve offers four different plans, each designed to meet varying levels of usage and feature requirements. The pricing and features are as follows:

Curve Standard – Free
Curve Pay X – £5.99 per month
Curve Pay Pro – £9.99 per month
Curve Pay Pro+ – £17.99 per month

Each plan builds on the previous one, offering more flexibility and additional perks. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

Curve Standard (Free)

The Curve Standard plan, formerly known as Curve Blue, is completely free. It allows you to add up to three cards to your account.

You can use Curve abroad for both point-of-sale and online spending, but there is a charge ATM use.

The free plan still includes all of the benefit outlined in the features section of article such as:

• Anti-embarrassment mode
• Go Back in Time
• Flex

Note: While UK spending is free across all plans, the free package now includes a £5.99 card delivery fee for the initial card

Curve Pay X – £5.99 per month

Upgrading to Curve Pay X increases your flexibility:

Cards Allowed: You can add up to five cards.
Card Delivery Fee: The £5.99 delivery fee is waived.
Foreign Spending: The monthly foreign spending limit is increased to £2,000, making it a better option if you frequently spend abroad.

Curve Pay Pro – £9.99 per month

For users with higher spending needs and a desire for more freedom:

Cards Allowed: Unlimited card linking.
Foreign Spending: There are no limitations on foreign spending, so you can use your Curve card without worrying about reaching a cap.
ATM Withdrawals: Your free foreign ATM withdrawal limit is boosted to £400 per month.
Cashback: You can select up to three retailers from which you receive 1% cashback on spending.

Curve Pay Pro+ – £17.99 per month

The premium Curve Pay Pro+ plan is designed for users looking for a more upscale experience.

In my opinion it isn’t worth the price, especially since Curve dropped the free travel insurance.

Premium Card: Enjoy a fancier, metal-designed physical card.
Airport Lounge Access: Benefit from discounted access to airport lounges.

If you’re not particularly interested in a metal card or airport lounge discounts, the Pay Pro plan might already cover your needs.

Those who sign up to Curve via our link get a free £10 bonus.

What are the fees and limits?

ATMs

Curve Pay customers (free tier) don’t get any fee free ATM withdrawal allowance. As such I don’t recommend you use Curve at all at the ATM. The fees for doing so are 2% or £2 whichever is higher.

Instead use your underlying bank card when you need physical cash.

Curve Pay X and Pay Pro customers can withdraw up to £300/£500 respectively without incurring fees, but again, why bother when you can use your underlying card.

How to get Curve

Getting started with Curve is straightforward and if you sign up with our link you’ll get a free £10 bonus.

1. Download the App: Visit the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and download the Curve app. The app is free and available for both iOS and Android devices.
2. Sign Up and Verify Your Identity: Open the app and register by providing your personal details. You will need to verify your identity—usually by uploading a photo ID and proof of address. This process is typically quick, although some users may experience slight delays.
3. Link Your Cards: Once verified, you can add your existing debit, credit, and prepaid cards to your Curve account. The free plan allows you to add up to three cards, while paid plans allow for more.
4. Order Your Curve Card: After setting up your account, order your physical Curve card. While the free plan includes a card delivery fee (often around £5.99), this fee is waived on the paid plans. Your new card should arrive within a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on your location and current demand.
5. Start Using Curve: With your account set up and your card activated, you can begin using Curve both online and in-store. Enjoy features like the “Go Back in Time” option, anti-embarrassment mode, and real-time transaction notifications to manage your spending effectively.

Steps to get the £10 bonus

1. Sign up with our link
2. Order a physical card (£5.99) OR subscribe to a paid plan for 40 days.
3. Make 3 purchases through Curve (minimum £5 each) within 7 days. You could top up your balance with your energy supplier or on Amazon wallet etc.. to qualify.
4. You will be rewarded £10 in your Curve balance after 40 days.

Is Curve safe?

Curve is not a bank, so your money is safe in your regular bank accounts which most likely has FSCS protection. It also doesn’t store your card numbers in the app, and all information is encrypted. On top of that you can individually turn cards on and off for use within the app.

One of the main drawbacks though is the lack of Section 75 protection on regular spending. Normally if you would buy something costing between £100-£30,000 with any part of that charged to a credit card, the credit card company becomes jointly liable for that purchase.

Acting a middleman, Curve breaks that direct connection between you the retailer and the credit card company. As such Section 75 protection does not apply. To offset this Curve offers its own customer protection on all purchases up to £100,000 and of course you can still carry out Mastercard chargebacks.

As a personal tester I have not been in a position to test Curve’s purchase protection so cannot say how robust it is. I have used Mastercard Chargebacks in the past though, and although it takes a little while (30 days or so), the process was straightforward.

Curve now offers Section 75 protection

In recent update Curve now offers full section 75 protection on spending. It does this by temporarily lending the money for purchase then instantly charging your selected debit card. Payment is seamless, but crucially you are now protected for purchases between £100 – £30,000.

You need the Curve ‘credit card’ for this. Curve doesn’t make it clear what that is, but I found out that when you sign up for Curve flex, your card is replaced with a Curve credit card.

Curve customer support

Curve’s customer support experiences are mixed. Some users have reported receiving prompt and helpful assistance—particularly when reaching out via social media channels such as Twitter or Facebook—others have experienced significant delays.

The main issues seems to be:

Response Times: Several reviews mention long waiting periods for responses, especially when dealing with identity verification, card activation, or premium plan complications.
Communication Quality: Support replies are generic or repetitive
Card Delivery and Verification: Problems with receiving the physical card or completing the necessary account verification process have also been noted.

Personally, I haven’t had any issues. I’ve reached out to Curve on Twitter before and had a prompt response. I’ve had two physical Curve cards delivered, and they arrived promptly both times.

If you have any issues I recommend reaching out to on Twitter: @AskCurve

User experience – what do others think?

The overall user experience with Curve is positive. On Trustpilot, Curve holds a rating of 3.1 out of 5 based on over 11,900 reviews. This score indicates that while many users are satisfied with the service, others have encountered issues that affect their overall experience.

In the app stores, user ratings are consistently higher. The Apple App Store shows an average rating of 4.2 out of 5 from around 800 reviews, with users praising the app’s intuitive interface and innovative features such as the “Go Back in Time” option.

Similarly, the Google Play Store rating is around 4.2 out of 5, based on nearly 59,000 reviews, reflecting a positive reception on Android devices.

The app itself is liked for its ease of use and modern design. Many users appreciate how the interface consolidates multiple cards into a single, easily navigable dashboard. Notable features include:

Some users have highlighted challenges during the onboarding process, particularly with identity verification and delays in receiving a physical card. These initial hiccups, combined with the sometimes inconsistent customer support, can detract from an otherwise smooth user experience.

Curve Card review – The verdict

Curve is a neat app and card combination with nice assortment of features, with very few drawbacks. If you are one of those people constantly shuffling between a host of debt and credit cards then the Curve proposition certainly helps to solve that problem.

It can be especially useful for splitting business and personal transaction, or retrospectively reclassifying them.

For most people though, it is the convince of carrying a single card (or app) that makes Curve appealing. Features such as the anti-embarrassment mode, travel back in time, are unique, and useful.

The rest of Curve’s features have been done before, and cashback and foreign spending are equalled or beaten by a number of other digital banks.

For my personally Curve offers just enough to make it useful. Of course you’ll have to decide for yourself if it makes sense for you.