Curve Card

gsmh

Foreverfinance said:

Curve is a fantastic concept there's no doubt about that.
But just because it's a great concept, doesn't mean it's worthing having.
I've seen quite a lot of feedback from users of issues with transactions which essentially negates the whole point in having the card.
I think the Curve team need to work on refining there product before it's worthwhile. 
Here's the curve review I read which helped me formulate this opinion if you're interested in reading into it further. 
Hope this is of use to some of you!

We all see things from our own point of view. I've used Curve extensively for a year and haven't had a single problem. I only use it on my phone with Apple Pay. Online I use my actual debit card. What particular problems have you read about? Refunds have been an issue in the past, but nobody has lost any money and the situation has been sorted now. Once in a while a transaction has been declined - but I have had that happen with other cards too where there is technical glitch. The ability to nominate an alternative card which is used transparently should eliminate that problem, unless it is the retailer's card processor at fault.

I note your link refers to Trustpilot reviews. I suggest you look at such reviews of your choice of bank  and you will see the negativity therein. When I go to Trustpilot to post a positive review of a company with whom I am pleased, or want to checkout another, I am often shocked at how some people can have such a completely different experience from me. 

I must add that if my bank allowed Apple Pay I probably wouldn't be using a Curve card because it would offer nothing over and above what NFC payment systems already offer, at least not what I would use anyway.

pbartlett

If you use your Curve card (linked to a credit card) to buy something are you still S75 protected or does using Curve destroy the direct relationship?

[Deleted User]

pbartlett said:

If you use your Curve card (linked to a credit card) to buy something are you still S75 protected or does using Curve destroy the direct relationship?

No, it breaks the relationship chain like using PayPal. 

I tried it but with all my card providers now  supporting Google Pay, it lost most of it's value to me. 

It also applies a forex loading at weekends, so the travel benefit is limited too. 

gsmh

dahj said:
No, it breaks the relationship chain like using PayPal. 

I use Curve for basic day-to-day spending via Apple Pay - supermarkets and suchlike - where S75 is not really important. If I make a purchase where I think there might be a need for some protection I will use a credit card. I only use Curve because my bank doesn't offer Apple Pay. As soon as it does I will stop using it.

MrFrugalFever

Lightning360 said:

I don't know if this is the right forum group for this.

Is getting a curve card worth it? What benefits have you had from using it? What are the problems you have faced? 

This is also a very odd question, but what envelope did the card come in? Was it a plain white one or did it have the curve logo on it?

From my own experience as an ex-Curve customer, I would say that it provided me with many benefits. I severed ties with them last October due to a conditioning of their Fair Use Policy which I did not agree with, anyway that's by the by. As far as my experienced is concerned, I was happy that it meant I had full MasterCard functionality with virtually all credit and debit cards, even those which wouldn't necessarily provide great functionality. It was little things like if you have a basic bank account that doesn't allow 'Pay at Pump' in a fuel station, the card being added to Curve meant it was then possible to use the Pay at Pump function, similarly the same with 'contactless payments'.

I found the 'go back in time feature' a great tool - they raised the limit and period of time last year too.

It meant I could circumvent credit card charges at certain retailers and at one point I think I even managed to pay a credit card with a credit card (I was a metal card holder £15pm), but I don't encourage this in any way!

The foreign transactions where done in real-time and saved me a considerable amount when abroad.

I liked the 'photograph your receipt' feature.

The cashback tool was great, with instantaneous redemption - you could even use it to pay towards your credit cards or transfer to savings accounts such as Tandem Bank Savings (that have a pay-in by debit card feature) or load on to your Revolut bank account by 'paying in via debit card'.
In general I think it had more benefits than not but everyone is different, with different goals in life. Hope this helps.

RN61

Curve has been good to me. On free card, initial 1% cash back at selected retailers (I used Lidl, Aldi, Asda) for 90 days. Instant notification of card use. Go back in time great if you have multiple Halifax Reward accounts - pay 500 with one card month one, switch payment to other card the following month - and NS&I takes Curve card payments so you can churn the money through say, Premium bonds for a free punt. At one stage, I upgraded to Curve Black but cashback fell far short of the 10pm fee and the insurance fell short of Nationwide flex plus. Interestingly, when I informed Curve and they downgraded my account I found myself back on the 90 day 1% cashback initial offer, which may be a glitch open to all......

Grumpy_chap

Lightning360 said:

Is getting a curve card worth it? What benefits have you had from using it? What are the problems you have faced? 

what envelope did the card come in? Was it a plain white one or did it have the curve logo on it?

I got a Curve card in the latter part of last year.  The benefit I get from using it is my credit card does not offer contactless but I can link the CC to Curve and use contactless that way.  I have not faced any problems - I did link the curve card to my watch for payments as well, that took a little bit of setting up but the customer service support was fabulous.

I didn't really pay any attention to the envelope, but I think it was a black box with a slide-out thing holding the card - certainly not a plain white or brown envelope.  In fact, I recall a slight sense of excitement when I saw the card land.

surreysaver

PRAISETHESUN said:

WillPS said:

What's the situation with Curve and Tesco Bank credit cards currently? A few years ago there was a fairly farsical situation where they started treating all Curve transactions as cash. The whole thing went on for months, but obviously I stopped using Tesco Bank via Curve at the time and haven't tried since; I'd be interested to know if it works now though.

Haven't used it for a while with my Tesco CC but last I heard it had been fixed and Tesco refunded anyone affected. If you're shopping in Tesco though, you're better off using the actual Tesco card for the extra clubcard points - Curve masks where the transaction happens so Tesco won't see it as an in-store spend.

Does this mean that NatWest won't be able to pay me my 1% cashback for supermarket spend, and it will only be 0.25%?

Daliah

surreysaver said:

PRAISETHESUN said:

WillPS said:

What's the situation with Curve and Tesco Bank credit cards currently? A few years ago there was a fairly farsical situation where they started treating all Curve transactions as cash. The whole thing went on for months, but obviously I stopped using Tesco Bank via Curve at the time and haven't tried since; I'd be interested to know if it works now though.

Haven't used it for a while with my Tesco CC but last I heard it had been fixed and Tesco refunded anyone affected. If you're shopping in Tesco though, you're better off using the actual Tesco card for the extra clubcard points - Curve masks where the transaction happens so Tesco won't see it as an in-store spend.

Does this mean that NatWest won't be able to pay me my 1% cashback for supermarket spend, and it will only be 0.25%?

I use the RBS credit card through Curve, and I get 1% for supermarket purchases. The Natwest card should work the same.

k_man

As long as it is any supermarket, and not specific supermarket chain(s).

Suggest a test purchase first via Curve, to see if it tracks.