Curve Card - Opinions

IvanDP

Apart from the obvious (carrying less cards) are there any real benefits to the Curve card?

If you are following the sound advice of the experienced members of this forum, and always have a second (or third, or however many you feel the need for) card as a back up, you would always be carrying more than one card, so why not just carry a couple of regular cards anyway?

If I am missing something, please feel free to inform me.

Curls2208

I think?! I may not be right on this so please correct me if wrong. Curve card does free foreign transactions via sterling accounts. So if you don't have a starling or monzo etc, you can pay on your curve card that is linked to your UK account. That'll do the foreign currency exchange before it goes back to the Uk account, therefore not being charged by your UK account rediculous rates for using it abroad.

colsten

I think I am with you, and am probably missing something. I liked Curve when they paid cashback but that's now stopped unless you get one of their monthly charge cards. Some people might value the additional features (insurance, Lounge access) but those aren't for me.

To use Curve properly, you also have to have your phone with you so you can switch the linked card. If I have a phone, I have ApplePay etc, and switching cards with ApplePay etc is a lot faster than with Curve. Ever since I use ApplePay on my watch, I don't need to take either my phone or any cards with me. Oh, and Curve isn't ApplePay etc enabled. I still have a couple of Pounds on my Curve - when those are spent, I will sunset my Curve account and cut up the card.

colsten

Oh, I thought of one potential benefit: If you want a 2nd debit card for your bank account but don't want to, or cannot, do this via a joint account, you could give your partner a Curve card. I am not sure, though, whether there could be complications if the two of you use your cards at the same time in two entirely different locations. The bank's fraud detection processes might kick in and block your card. Again, it wouldn't be something I would make any use of.

Woby_Tide

Able to put other people’s cards on your account I.e. partners so they don’t need to bring one too. Time hop and swapping transactions to alternative cards. Apple Pay is a contender in the fact you can switch between cards too but Curve also means able to draw cash at cash points which I don’t think Apple Pay does

MikeWhite

Being able to disguise a credit card as a debit card. Means I can use the credit card to pay at places that only accept debits cards (online and at places like Costco). The thought of being able to use Google Pay with cards that don't worki directly with Google Pay is keeping em with Curve but the functionality has not yet arrived.

Curls2208

I have a good use. I travel a lot so i often can't access my post for a few weeks. Today I got my mum to send me the details of my new credit card. And BAM load it onto curve and I can use it straight away

IvanDP

Some excellent points made

Although I do think that apart from the "go back in time" and being able to disguise a credit card as a debit card, most of the other features are available with the likes of Apple/Google pay.

Each to their own though, and it's always nice to have a choice.

:beer::beer::beer:

trient

Able to put other people’s cards on your account I.e. partners so they don’t need to bring one too

You can only add cards under your name last time I checked.

trient

To use Curve properly, you also have to have your phone with you so you can switch the linked card.

Why would you need that? You can "go back in time" within 14 days, so all you need to do is use a card with enough funds (e.g. a credit card), then you can reallocate later.

Ngozi

Still some tricks that work in terms of earning points/cashback.