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Curve card ‘pauses’ Amex functionality

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(EDIT:  Curve has changed a lot since this article was published.  Please do not rely on the information here.  Instead, please click here to read our detailed 2020 Curve review, which includes a link for a free £10 credit when you sign up.)

Let’s keep Curve discussion here, please, to stop other threads getting clogged up.

I will do an analysis on this tomorrow.  My gut feeling in the short term is that – assuming you can easily spend £1,000 on Curve in the next three months (and £600 of that can be free ATM withdrawals linked to a Mastercard or Visa, earning points) – you might as well do that.

You will get the £35 credit, which if you have the basic card means you are in the same financial position as taking a refund, and you still have the Curve card for overseas use (if you don’t have a 0% card) and ATM use and for places where it is treated as a debit card.

Curve prepaid MasterCard

And, of course, if you take a refund you would need to pay £35 again later if / when Amex functionality returns. If you have the premium version, the maths is different and you may find the full refund better than a £50 credit.

It is always fun and games working with start-ups ….

The email:

I’m Shachar, the CEO of Curve. Today we’ve got some disappointing news. American Express have asked us to pause their functionality with Curve – which means you will not be able to use your Curve card with your Amex for the time being. This begins at midday on May 31st UK time – you’ll shortly receive another email with practical details of what will happen when we pause the American Express functionality – your Curve will continue to work with Mastercard and Visa.

American Express want to ensure there is a seamless customer support process for their Members when using their Card with Curve. We’re continuing discussions with their management, and hope that American Express decide to come back to Curve soon.

We’re continuing to build something big at Curve. The first ever platform to connect you to your everything money – transforming the way you handle your finances, bringing value and saving you time and money. We’re already connecting up all your bank cards, tracking your expenses in real time and saving you money with zero FX fees when you travel. This is just the beginning – we’re working hard on future features such as the ability to move charges between funding cards after you’ve paid, bespoke loyalty rewards and cash-backs, peer-to peer payments and much more.

As a big thank you for being one of Curve’s early adopters we are giving Blue card members £35 and Black card members £50 worth of Curve Points if you spend a total of £1000 over the next three months. You’ll be able to spend your Curve Points at any merchant that accepts Mastercard using your Curve. Please see our FAQs for further details.

We hope you choose to stay with us to continue the exciting journey we’ve begun together. Please write to me directly – I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.

I’ll keep you updated.

Yours,

Shachar Bialick

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Comments (437)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Wes Guest says:
    24 May24 May 11:22

    Ordered mine back when it was first announced and was told it was dispatched at the start of may but mine never arrived.
    Every time i contact curve they say they will pass my details onto the shipping department then i never hear anything.

    Without Amex the card is useless to me so plan to cancel as i dont trust the company to be around long enough to get the reward credit or for Amex to come back.

    just got to work out how to get the full refund without having anything to return to them.

  • Alan Mock says:
    24 May24 May 11:23

    Very disappointed, only just recenty received my card and used it a dozen times. It works well. As I only signed up for the Amex facility, I see no point in continuing.. It baffles me that any problems and issues with Amex were not discussed and resolved before the launch. This has shattered by confidence in Curve.

    • Billy says:
      24 May24 May 15:29

      At least you received your card. I ordered 6 weeks and have been looking forward to since placing the order. Have now cancelled.

  • Stron says:
    24 May24 May 11:25

    Anyone have any ideas when we’ll get the referral credits? I think I’m due 3 x £10 so with this and the £50 promotion I will actually be £5 better off for having got the black card! I also think the Tumi wallet is actually very nice too….

    I’m currently making a list of big one off mastercard only payments I can put through my amex before the end of the month! £800 Annual gym membership done already!

    • Mr Dee says:
      24 May24 May 18:56

      Be lucky if we see this as the £10 should still be credited to people you have referred who then cancel seeing as it was meant to be credited straight away, this alone could cost them a fortune as most people will have been referred!

  • Anup says:
    24 May24 May 11:26

    What happens if you got the Tumi wallet with the Black card? I presume you can keep this and still get the refund?

    • Will says:
      24 May24 May 11:44

      Did you actually get it? I never received mine. It also looks like they don’t have the resources to deal with all the enquiries. I can’t see this is going to have a rosy ending.

    • Paul says:
      24 May24 May 11:44

      I do hope so love mine as I was able to junk my wallet. I put my curve and Amex Platinum along with my drivers licence and that’s all I needed.

      I have take the CEO up on his offer to write to him but like others this only worked for the Amex functionality and is pointless otherwise. Real shame!

      • RTS says:
        24 May24 May 12:55

        You will get £50 refund on black card if you had a tumi wallet.

        you will receive the additional £25 refund if you return your tumi wallet via post. im keeping mine.

  • mark2 says:
    24 May24 May 11:28

    If I had given them £35 of my money I would be applying for a refund immediately as they must have spent some of the money and those at the end of the queue will get nothing.
    This always seemed very like crowd-funding to me.

    • Krankyfly says:
      24 May24 May 13:04

      You are so right! I hope you will be at the front of the queue.
      If not, try to use your BA Exec bronze card to get to the front. It might work.

  • shd says:
    24 May24 May 11:29

    Only got my card last week, finally unpacked it this morning. How (and where) do I activate it – in the app, I assume?

    • Stron says:
      24 May24 May 11:34

      Yes – it will have a button saying activated your card in the app

      • Jeff says:
        24 May24 May 11:53

        After you have activated it in the app, your first transaction must be chip & PIN

  • Nick says:
    24 May24 May 11:31

    I ordered the £75 card. It still has not arrived. But I don’t think they have taken payment yet either.

    I think I’ll cancel. If this business does turn out to be viable I’ll join again at that point, but I can’t see the advantage of being an early adopter on this one.

  • Craig says:
    24 May24 May 11:35

    Refund for me, too much risk otherwise.

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