Curve Card removing travel and phone insurance as of 2024

bagofredapples

Hi everyone, I'm interested in hearing about what can be done for customers who use Curve for their insurance and paid for the year in advance (roughly £150 including travel/phone insurance).

They have announced that insurance will be removed as of the new year and suggest the further cashback offers are a suitable replacement.

It seems they're taking advantage of customers who have paid in advance and will lose the insurance and cashback doesn't have a similar value.

For example, if someone has 6 months left, they would need to spend around £6,000 to get the equivalent of 3% cashback based on £30 worth of travel/phone insurance (per month). I don't spend that much on average!

I've complained and they have refused a refund or to extend insurance so I would like to escalate to FCA - do you think it's worth it?

TIA

TELLIT01

Is the insurance being ended in the New Year for those who have paid for it, or not being made available to customers after a certain date?  If they are ending insurance cover then those who have already paid should be entitled to a pro-rata refund.

Ectophile

It will be the Financial Ombudsman Service that you need to go to.  But first, you need to go through the company's formal complaints process.

Aylesbury_Duck

As above, if you've exhausted their formal complaints process then go to the ombudsman.  If you haven't, you need to see it through to a conclusion and then go to the ombudsman if you need to.

You need to be sure that they've breached the contract, so check that the removal of the benefit isn't solely for new customers and is applied to those who paid in advance.  Check the terms and conditions as well.

400ixl

Do a banking switch to First direct, collect the bonus and take their First Directory cover of travel, mobile and breakdown for £15 a month.

First of all though as asked, is this a point at which they are going to be stopping offering to any new / renewing customers with those with annual plans still running to continue to completion with no option to renew.

If it is then all is fair as you will have gotten what you paid for and would need to look elsewhere for future services. If they are just going to stop all including pre-paid and incomplete months without a refund then that would be something to complain about.

km1500

i believe these sort of insurances are not 'annual insurance policies' as we know them, so can be cancelled with little notice

Alderbank

400ixl said:

Do a banking switch to First direct, collect the bonus and take their First Directory cover of travel, mobile and breakdown for £15 a month.

First of all though as asked, is this a point at which they are going to be stopping offering to any new / renewing customers with those with annual plans still running to continue to completion with no option to renew.

If it is then all is fair as you will have gotten what you paid for and would need to look elsewhere for future services. If they are just going to stop all including pre-paid and incomplete months without a refund then that would be something to complain about.

AXA have ceased all insurance deals with Curve effective from 31 December, so no option of insurance continuing for anyone beyond 2023.

Romans1

so back to topic, what can I do in this case please? Curve did not respond to my email, I have one year subscribe, mostly because if insurance but not not worth at all! Is this normal?

RefluentBeans

Romans1 said:

so back to topic, what can I do in this case please? Curve did not respond to my email, I have one year subscribe, mostly because if insurance but not not worth at all! Is this normal?

Formal complaint to exhaust complaints procedure then to the financial ombudsman service. One email isn’t exhausting all the options, so you’ll need to continue to complain for a bit I think. 

Alderbank

Are you a Black customer (their choice of words, not mine)?

If so, they say to tap "Downgrade your plan" on the app and follow the instructions. They say they will then refund you for the remaining subscription period and the downgrade will be processed with immediate effect. The Standard plan has no fees so will cost you nothing. You should be able then to cancel that free subscription or just cut the card up.

If that doesn't happen for any reason you will have to pursue it through their procedures as @RefluentBeans says.