Curve card: What happens when you hit your limit?

Fingerbobs

I’m approaching my yearly spending limit on Curve. What happens when the limit is reached? Is the transaction declined? Or is it necessary to stop spending before reaching the limit, and if so how are the enhanced limits triggered?

[Deleted User]

Contact them and ask for the limit to be raised

crumpetman

Transactions are declined if it puts you over daily/monthly/annual limit

Has anyone managed to get an annual limit in excess of £50k?

Penelopa.Pitstop

I hit my £50K quickly and then have to wait for old transactions to drop before I can do more. Last time I talked to Curve, they said I have to use my card more, to get limit raised. It's a bit of catch 22, since I can't use my card more, when I hit the limit. I don't want to waste my limit on some small, meaningless transactions I can do with credit cards. I only use Curve for HMRC or other places where they don't accept credit cards.

[Deleted User]

My limit was raised to £100k, along with a warning to stop paying credit cards or they'll block me lol!

I don't use it much as their customer service is pretty appalling IMO, but it's useful if you're intending to mess about with statement dates for large purchases etc (e.g. card has a statement date of 1st, spend today on a different card, wait 13 days then go back in time and swap the card and you get a whole extra month to pay it off)

stevenhp1987

Somerset_La_La_La wrote: »

My limit was raised to £100k, along with a warning to stop paying credit cards or they'll block me lol!

I don't use it much as their customer service is pretty appalling IMO, but it's useful if you're intending to mess about with statement dates for large purchases etc (e.g. card has a statement date of 1st, spend today on a different card, wait 13 days then go back in time and swap the card and you get a whole extra month to pay it off)

Out of interest, how much of the £50k was paying off credit cards (presumably with another/the same miles/cashback card)?

[Deleted User]

I'd say more than £30k over the year.

I did use it a lot for business when I was self-employed/PAYE contracted on a job with a lot of miles 18 months ago.

Now I'm just at a desk job, my 'business' expenses are very low. So the more recent card payments obviously stick out even more.

Curve made a song and dance about the MCC being passed through for "customer's benefit" - but when I buy Asda Petrol on my Asda Card it doesn't flag as a Asda Purchase (1%) just 0.2% - so clearly that's just a BS excuse from Curve, to soften the blow of passing through the MCC for cash/cash-like transactions only!

Since the MCC change I see Tesco charge a cash advance fee, but my others seem to work (albeit hit and miss).

My argument with Curve and their overly zealous compliance team is if I can't pay a Credit Card with a CC because that wouldn't normally be allowed, why can people pay HMRC with a CC (also not normally allowed)? They've never been able to answer

They effectively arbitrage the transaction anyway, so are making a profit every time I do it! I guess they have to be 'seen' to be disallowing it (as per new T&Cs), whether they'll actually ever block me remains to be seen

[Deleted User]

Somerset_La_La_La wrote: »

My argument with Curve and their overly zealous compliance team is if I can't pay a Credit Card with a CC because that wouldn't normally be allowed, why can people pay HMRC with a CC (also not normally allowed)? They've never been able to answer

Because you can pay HMRC still with a business/corporate credit card - and I don't think Curve can differentiate between a business and consumer card, which will then lead to complaints from business credit card users.

Or you could just use BillHop instead

[Deleted User]

That's true - seems to me deliberately winding up your customers telling them not to do something isn't the greatest customer service when you're profiting every time they use your card though?!

Interesting, never heard of that! I'm sure there are others too as that's a pretty big fee (vs. cost of card processing). If only I could get hold of some decent 0% cards!

The_Urbanite

My limit was raised to £100k without any questions asked. No paying off credit cards and cash withdrawals were about £300 out of £50k spend.

If they like how you use the card getting an increase isn't a problem.

stevenhp1987

Somerset_La_La_La wrote: »

I'd say more than £30k over the year.

I did use it a lot for business when I was self-employed/PAYE contracted on a job with a lot of miles 18 months ago.

Now I'm just at a desk job, my 'business' expenses are very low. So the more recent card payments obviously stick out even more.

Curve made a song and dance about the MCC being passed through for "customer's benefit" - but when I buy Asda Petrol on my Asda Card it doesn't flag as a Asda Purchase (1%) just 0.2% - so clearly that's just a BS excuse from Curve, to soften the blow of passing through the MCC for cash/cash-like transactions only!

Since the MCC change I see Tesco charge a cash advance fee, but my others seem to work (albeit hit and miss).

My argument with Curve and their overly zealous compliance team is if I can't pay a Credit Card with a CC because that wouldn't normally be allowed, why can people pay HMRC with a CC (also not normally allowed)? They've never been able to answer

They effectively arbitrage the transaction anyway, so are making a profit every time I do it! I guess they have to be 'seen' to be disallowing it (as per new T&Cs), whether they'll actually ever block me remains to be seen

But paying a Credit Card with a Credit Card is allowed normally! You can balance transfer...

I can only imagine Credit Card providers were putting pressure on as they'd be losing out on the ~2-3% Balance Transfer fee and also be paying out in miles/cashback.

Why Curve have to bow to that pressure is unknown. Perhaps they threatened to block Curve as a merchant? Not sure they can do that though so there's no reason, that I can think of, to actually block it.