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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.

  • Oleg says:
    24 May24 May 09:43

    Guess I’m just keeping the Curve card for its 0% FX now… 🙁

    • AndyR says:
      24 May24 May 09:46

      It’s 1% so you are better off getting a 0% card.

    • RIccati says:
      24 May24 May 10:00

      I know we get to be VERY unhappy at Curve.

      But those of us with MBNA cards and AMEX/Visa combo — why don’t we switch pay all Visa/MC transactions via Curve.

  • Paul says:
    24 May24 May 09:43

    Well that was a waste of £35. The card is dead to me unless they get amex back.

    • Hugh says:
      24 May24 May 10:16

      you can ask for your money back – look at the email from Curve, rather than the email from the CEO – who omits to mention that bit

  • Graeme says:
    24 May24 May 09:43

    As I said on the other thread, that basically makes it pointless for me (and many others).

    £35 for the opportunity to withdraw £200 a month travel cash? That means I already need to carry a second card. I’d rather forgo the 200 Avios and not carry another card. And if Supercard returns as it currently is, then there’s no point at all.

    I’m no expert but surely this could see the end of Curve?

    • Singing Dwarf says:
      24 May24 May 10:08

      When asked if the Supercard was going to be free to obtain and ‘free’ to use, as the current card is, the reponse from them was: “Hi there, the team are still working on the finer details of this at the moment and will release more info soon :)”

  • Tom says:
    24 May24 May 09:43

    Not sure why black card holders get proportionally less of their outlay back as curve points? Surely it should be £35 Blue, £70 Black!?

    • Scottnothing says:
      24 May24 May 09:50

      Black card holders received the Tumi card wallet which has an RRP of £60.00 so a £50.00 refund ain’t that bad.

      • Tom says:
        24 May24 May 09:58

        Indeed, completely overlooked the wallet that I’ve been pretty pleased with.

      • Lord Horse says:
        24 May24 May 09:59

        Not really – there were three choices:

        1) Blue for 35
        2) Black for 75
        3) Limited offer, black plus free wallet for 75

        RRP was Recommended by whom, by the way? Will you give me 60 for mine? Tell you what, I’ll give you 20% off and you can have it for 48?

        • Scottnothing says:
          24 May24 May 10:21

          I took the RRP from the Tumi website. Thanks for your kind offer but I already have one! 🙂

      • Wyle E Coyote says:
        24 May24 May 09:59

        The TUMI was not part of my decision making criteria. It’s sitting in a box in my cupboard.

        I chose black because I figured if this start-up experienced challenges maintaining the proposed business model the premium customers would be given priority in terms of being looked after.

        I was wrong.

      • Mr Dee says:
        24 May24 May 19:15

        This wallet isn’t any good now as I still have to carry my 3 Amex cards around!

  • Stephen Inglis says:
    24 May24 May 09:43

    Its sad but lets be honest thin k we all knew it was going to happen , the only good thing is that in there FAQ page it say that refunds are avaibale up till 23rd June if you want to cancle card,

    Me iam going to keep and see what happens still like the idea of just having to carry one card around

  • Billy says:
    24 May24 May 09:44

    £35 worth of curve points right now means nothing. My card was supposed to have been dispatched on the 19th and it hasn’t. It says Amex has ‘paused’ the functionality but I don’t think they will be back. I’m out.

  • Dan says:
    24 May24 May 09:44

    Seemed like a cracking product in the beginning, not impressed with all the hiccups that they have (been double charged for items etc) and now this…..I guess that’s the risk with a beta product.

    The £35 credit is not a refund of any sort though is it, it’s just reward points?

    • Matt says:
      24 May24 May 09:47

      How and when can you use the Reward Points?

    • Rob says:
      24 May24 May 09:47

      It is basically a £35 cash credit which would be deducted from a future purchase. The functionality is not available until the reward programme is available though – not having this ready when the card launched was a mistake in my view.

      • Olivula says:
        24 May24 May 10:00

        Unfortunately Curve’s ability to deliver on their promises is gone. A promise of phantom reward points in a scheme that doesn’t exist is unbelievable. . . The promise was empty your wallet “one card does it all”. This has gone.

        Amex have killed Curve.

      • Singing Dwarf says:
        24 May24 May 10:10

        And there is still no word on when the rewards will launch…

      • Matt says:
        24 May24 May 10:11

        I guess I will wait a few weeks until I get this £35 and then decide whether to cancel the card. The card had an initial fee, but now is free forever though, right?

      • Isha says:
        24 May24 May 10:59

        I was initially charged £35 even though I used your referral code. When I asked them about it, I had a lengthy reply back with complicated words and finally saying there are technical issues and an apology. But, no £10 referral credit. So, I am not sure about the £35 cash credit in three months. I thought I would still use it because of amex . But now that it is gone, I don’t see any benefit for me (probably others will feel the same way).

    • AndyR says:
      24 May24 May 09:48

      You can spend them anywhere which accepts Mastercard so as good as cash.

      • Singing Dwarf says:
        24 May24 May 10:41

        Only there is no word as to when the reward scheme may launch.
        What if Curve folds before it does?

      • Graeme says:
        24 May24 May 11:06

        IF they materialise.

  • Matt says:
    24 May24 May 09:45

    🙁 Damn. Using Amex at non-amex merchants did seem too good to be true!

    The functionality to quickly switch between cards using the app was really useful.

    Sadly without Amex support I don’t see any point in the Curve card.

    • Aceman says:
      24 May24 May 09:47

      Agreed…

      Looks like I’m out… No word on fee refunds?

      • Moray says:
        24 May24 May 09:51

        The second email from them has a direct link to a refund page. Looks quite straightforward with money refunded to original payment card.
        I suppose even if you decide not to keep the card then if you get the refund then you have got all the extra points over the last couple of months for free.

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