• Product Reviews
• 31.03.2020 10:36 am

What is Curve?

About Curve

Curve, the Over-The-Top-Banking-Platform, is the smart and simple way for people to consolidate their cards into one smart card and app. After signing up with Curve, you add virtual versions of your bank cards to the app and pay, either with your phone, or with the physical Curve Card that Curve sends you.

By enabling people to connect their cards to just one, Curve simplifies and unifies the money management experience with its unique ability to transfer transactions after a purchase was made with its Go-Back-In-Time functionality, and reward people with 1% cashback on purchases made at selected retailers.

 For more information go to www.curve.app, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @imaginecurve and Instagram@imaginecurve.

How does Curve work?

Curve works like a debit card; its technology means that you can connect your debit and credit cards into one. You can also connect your cards to Google Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

When you make a payment with your Curve card, the merchant – that’s the business that you’ve made a purchase from – sends a message via the Mastercard network to Curve’s processing partner. The processor does some checks on the message, then passes it on to Curve. Curve loads the funds from your selected funding card, and then authorises the Curve transaction made at the merchant, completing the transaction.

All this happens within milli-seconds. And that’s the innovative part of Curve. Once the transaction is finalised (this can be minutes or hours later), the funds are moved from your bank to Curve, and from Curve to the merchant. 

Who is Curve for?

Curve is for anyone who uses a variety of financial products and services, has more than one card and wants to simplify their financial life.

·       Some of our customers have their salary paid into an account with a traditional bank; but they also have an account with a challenger bank. so Curve helps them connect it all together making it easier to manage

·       For Small business owners who want to transfer spending onto business account cars at a later date, and receive email receipts on business transactions

·       Curve is also for people who trust their high street bank account, but like the additional benefits offered by new challenger banks. By using Curve they get to keep their money in their traditional bank, but also access the benefits that a challenger bank may offer

·       Curve is for people who want to be rewarded with Cashback for their spending – they get 1% cashback at selected retailers, yet still accrue points from their underlying debit or credit card

·       Curve is for business who want to maintain a smooth cashflow – using Curve Fronted allows businesses to pay their HMRC bill on their credit card, for a 1.5% fee. This also enables them to build points on their underlying credit cards

·       Curve is for people who want to manage their finances at a later date – enabling them to transfer money to a different card after a transaction with its Go-Back-In-Time functionality

·       For some of our customers, especially in the EEA, their bank cards aren’t compatible with Apple Pay for example but because they use Curve, they have a greater choice of payment options and can use Apple Pay because curve makes their bank cards compatible via the Curve card and app.

·       Some of our customers have bank accounts in different countries so using Curve helps them connect their spending from different accounts

·       Additionally, Curve is for travellers who want to get the best foreign exchange rates on weekday transactions from their exiting bank accounts, without having to sign up to a challenger account.

List of features and benefits

·       Curve connects your debit and credit cards in the Curve app; and you use the app to switch which underlying debit or credit cards you wish your Curve card to spend from

·       Using Curve means you can connect all your credit and debit cards- and Google, Samsung and Apple Pay - in one card and app. So you only have to carry one card. 

·       and you can see and track all your spending in just one consolidated view, making everyday life just that little bit easier

·       And there are a whole range of extra benefits too from cashback to market leading Foreign exchange rates and better protection

·       It’s a simpler way to manage your money: you can see all your spending in one place, you get instant notifications and capture all your receipts in the app. Your timeline helps you see how you’re using your money.  

Other features include:

·       "Access to market leading foreign exchange fees when spending abroad or in a foreign currency"

·       “Go Back in Time”: which lets you switch payment sources up to two weeks retroactively which makes managing your money a lot easier.

·       Curve Cash: you get 1% instant cash back on purchases from your chosen retailers… and that’s on top of any existing rewards cards you have in the app so you could get double rewards.

·       Cashback at over 65x stores

·       Curve Send: lets you send money from any card to your friend’s Curve Cash card

·       Curve protects you and your money: with one tap you can lock (and unlock) your card and real- time transaction alerts also make it easy to notice fraudulent activities on your card.

·       Curve Customer Protection  covers all credit and debit card payments made via the Curve card up to £100,000, giving cardholders an extra layer of protection in the case of disputes with merchants and any unauthorised use of their Curve card.
Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act doesn’t cover purchases made by Curve (for the underlying credit card) so we started Cure Customer Protection to make sure our customers were protected.

·       In addition, with Curve Black & Metal, you get free worldwide travel insurance and free mobile insurance. And Metal also comes with rental car excess waiver and Lounge Key access.