Curve Card Review: Is It Worth It?
In this review, we'll take a close look at the Curve Card to determine whether it stands up as a viable and advantageous option for users seeking a consolidated payment solution. By analyzing its features, benefits, potential drawbacks, and overall user experience, we aim to provide an informed assessment of whether the Curve Card is indeed a valuable choice in the realm of financial management.
Background And History
Curve, a British company, is ambitiously positioning itself as the financial equivalent of what Netflix is to TV and Spotify is to music. Their concept revolves around consolidating all your payment cards into one intelligent card and a corresponding app, promising users enhanced financial freedom and a plethora of possibilities.
This innovative approach seeks to streamline your financial management by offering a single card that can potentially replace your entire wallet full of different payment methods. With Curve, the idea is to simplify your transactions, payments, and financial interactions through a unified platform, much like how Netflix revolutionized TV streaming and Spotify transformed music consumption.
However, as with any new technology or service, it's important to evaluate how well Curve delivers on its promise and whether it truly offers the convenience and benefits it claims. Let's delve deeper into the features, functionality, and user experiences to determine whether Curve can live up to its comparison with industry giants like Netflix and Spotify in their respective domains.
How to Use
To start using Curve, the process is simple and straightforward. Begin by downloading the Curve app and selecting the card you wish to order. Utilize the app's camera function to scan and automatically upload your card details, or input the information manually if you prefer.
Once your physical Curve card arrives, it's time to activate it within the app. Navigate to the "Account" tab and locate the "Activate your card" option. Enter the last four digits of your Curve card as prompted, and the activation process will be complete, rendering your card ready for use.
With Curve activated and your cards added, you're primed for seamless payments. Swipe through your digital wallet within the app to choose the desired card for payment, then tap the card you need. Essentially, using your Curve card follows the same pattern as using any other card within your physical wallet.
For those seeking a card-free experience, Curve offers the convenience of integration with popular digital payment platforms. Connect your Curve card to Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay to enable contactless payments without the need for a physical card. Even if your bank doesn't support these digital payment methods, any card linked to Curve will seamlessly function with them.
Curve Cash
Curve Cash is a unique feature within the Curve app that offers a convenient way to manage and utilize earned funds. It functions as a virtual card within the app, containing a balance accumulated through various means such as cashback rewards, promotional offers, referrals, and incoming transfers from other Curve users.
This digital wallet-like balance holds money that can be instantly accessed and spent through the Curve app. In instances where a refund can't be processed back to your bank account, it will be directed to your Curve Cash balance, ensuring that the funds remain usable without delay.
Curve Cash provides an avenue for users to earn rewards and benefits, enhancing the overall experience. For the initial 30 days of usage, users are entitled to a 1% cashback offer. Additionally, Curve frequently offers one-off cashback promotions with renowned brands, presenting opportunities for cashback percentages as high as 20%. Brands like Amazon Fresh, Just Eat, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, and more are part of this rewards program.
Opting for premium membership elevates the cashback benefits even further. Curve Black customers enjoy 1% cashback on three selected retailers, an advantage that persists without time constraints. Meanwhile, Curve Metal customers witness their cashback benefits double, gaining 1% cashback on six designated retailers.
Curve Cash effectively combines the concept of digital cashback rewards with a user-friendly platform, offering an enticing incentive for users to engage with the Curve ecosystem while enjoying financial benefits.
Tracking Expenses
Curve offers a comprehensive solution for tracking your spending across all your accounts seamlessly. Through Curve insights, alerts, and notifications, you gain a holistic view of your financial transactions in a convenient and organized manner.
The Curve timeline serves as a clear record of your expenditures, showcasing not only the amounts spent but also the timing and location of each transaction. This real-time record provides transparency into your financial activities, empowering you with the knowledge of where your money is going.
To enhance your awareness and control, Curve offers optional notifications that are triggered with every transaction you make. These notifications offer a proactive way to stay informed about your spending as it happens. This feature proves especially useful in keeping you attuned to your financial activities without the need for constant manual checking.
For a more detailed analysis of your spending patterns, the "insights" section within the app provides a categorized breakdown of your expenditures across all your cards linked to Curve. This categorized breakdown offers an insightful overview of your financial habits, allowing you to identify areas where adjustments may be needed.
Curve's integrated approach to tracking spending simplifies the process of staying on top of your financial well-being. By offering a consolidated view of your transactions, timely notifications, and insightful categorization, Curve ensures that you have the tools to manage your finances with efficiency and ease.
Back in Time
Mistakenly made a payment on the wrong card? No problem, because with Curve's innovative "Go Back in Time" feature, you can easily correct your payment choice after the fact – even up to 90 days following the transaction. This unique capability allows you to switch payments from one card to another, essentially enabling a form of financial time travel that's remarkably straightforward.
To initiate this process, begin by selecting the transaction that needs to be adjusted. By tapping on the specific transaction, you can activate the "Go Back in Time" functionality. This action prompts a simple and intuitive interface where you can effortlessly swipe to the card of your preference. As a result, you effectively reroute the payment, ensuring it aligns with the correct card for your financial needs.
Curve's "Go Back in Time" offers an unprecedented level of flexibility and convenience in managing your transactions. This feature serves as a safety net, rectifying any inadvertent payment errors and providing you with the freedom to realign your expenses with the appropriate card. With this ability to revisit and rectify past transactions, Curve simplifies the complexities of financial decision-making, ensuring you remain in control of your spending even after the fact.
Subscription Plans
There are three different Curve plans / Curve cards.
Curve Blue
-
1% Cashback (At 3 Retailers for 90 days)
- Free ATM Withdrawals (Up to €200/mo)
- Time Travel (Go Back in Time and Change Payment Card)
- €100,000 Customer Protection
Curve Black
-
1% Cashback (At 3 Retailers for Unlimited Time)
- Free ATM Withdrawals (Up to €400/mo)
- Time Travel (Go Back in Time and Change Payment Card)
- €100,000 Customer Protection
- €15,000,000 Medical Travel Insurance
Curve Metal
-
1% Cashback (At 6 Retailers for Unlimited Time)
- Free Foreign ATM Withdrawals (Up to €600/mo)
- Time Travel (Go Back in Time and Change Payment Card)
- €100,000 Customer Protection
- €15,000,000 Medical Travel Insurance
- €800 Phone Insurance
- €25,000 Rental Car Collision Damage Waiver Insurance
Pricing
As we've said, there are three different Curve plans / Curve cards, if you choose to have the Curve Metal Card and decide to pay yearly you'll be enjoying a 17% discount.
Curve Blue
-
Free
Curve Black
-
€9.99/mo
Curve Metal
-
€14.99/mo
- €12.50/mo if you choose to pay yearly (€150)
Curve Card Pros & Cons
Curve Card: Pros
- All cards in one
- €100,000 customer protection on all cards
- Travel, Medical, and Phone insurance with some cards
- 1% cashback with every card
Curve Card: Cons
- Earned cashback could be better for Curve Black and Curve Metal
Curve Card Review: Verdict
We think the Curve Card is a must-have for virtually everybody, who doesn't want to carry fewer cards?
Curve offers its customers many perks and the downsides are almost nonexistent, that being said, there's always room for improvement, the referral rewards for inviting your contacts could be better and the earned cashback on the Curve Black card and, especially, the Curve Metal card, should be higher.
If you'd like to get a £10 Curve Card bonus, simply follow the Curve Card Referral link below!
