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Creation cancelling credit cards which have been used with a Curve Card

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Creation Financial Services, issuers of the IHG Rewards and (closed to new customers) Marriott Visa credit cards, made a very aggressive move on Friday in its dispute with Curve Card.

It appears that the majority of credit cards which had been used with a Curve Card are being closed.

One call centre agent said that 1,800 cardholders were impacted. We cannot confirm this number.

Creation closing IHG and Marriott credit cards used by Curve Card holders

The closure letter states that cards are being closed on 3rd December.

Based on reader discussions with the call centre, but not confirmed in writing by Creation:

  • annual free night vouchers on the IHG Rewards Premium credit card will still be desposited if the cardholder spends £10,000 before their card is closed
  • there will NOT be a pro-rata refund of the £99 annual fee on the IHG Rewards Premium credit card – although you would be free to dispute this with the Ombudsman

If you cannot trigger your free night voucher by 3rd December but would otherwise, you arguably have a case for a full refund of your IHG Rewards Premium £99 fee for the current year.

Why is Creation banning Curve Card holders?

It isn’t entirely clear what is driving this, although I was told by an independent industry consultant that it was being pushed by National Savings.

Curve Card, for those who don’t have one, is a debit card which allows you to recharge transactions to a linked credit card. You can learn more about Curve Card in this article.

This meant – most specifically – you could deposit money into National Savings and have it charged to a miles or points earning credit card as a purchase. Most Curve Card holders had a £9,000 daily limit albeit capped at £1.8 million per year.

Whilst Curve Card had always had blocks in place for payments to banks, there were certain grey areas such as National Savings, HMRC and various investment firms such as Hargreaves Lansdown.

Creation had initially sent out text message to cardholders a few weeks ago saying that its cards could no longer be used with Curve Card. I was told at that time that mass account closures would follow, and here we are.

One problem is that the ban is catching many people who used Curve Card purely for Apple Pay functionality. It was the only way to add your Creation card to Apple Pay.

For clarity …. the free IHG Rewards credit card is still open to new applicants. Creation is not pulling out of the UK and is only closing these 1,800 (TBC) accounts.

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Comments (863)

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

  • Robert says:

    The article says you use your curve card like a debit card but it’s linked to your credit card. I may have missed something but why on earth wouldn’t you just use your credit card in the first place and skip the curve card altogether?

    • Nigerian Prince says:

      you missed a lot of things…

    • Brian W says:

      There are many things you cannot use a credit card for Robert, with only a debit card being accepted or fee free. credit card bills, HMRC tax payments, council tax, premium bonds……………………..

    • GenX says:

      Hi Robert, for me it was a convenience of having just two cards in my wallet, Curve and Amex, and no overseas use charges. It’s also a security measure if you lose your wallet, less hassle.
      Some on here were doing “naughty” things like MS [cough cough].

  • Kevin D says:

    Why did one have to use Curve to use Creation for Apple Pay?
    Thanks

    • Brian W says:

      Creation is archaic and as such hasn’t caught up with the world yet. It doesn’t offer Apple Pay directly hence Curve being an option used by many to enable it.

      • Melonfarmer says:

        Likewise this hasn’t caused a ripple in the Fintech press that I can see (yet).

        • Sloth says:

          Why would it? They are not going to highlight their failings are they…

  • Silbers says:

    I have just spoken to an agent and they will not be honouring free night vouchers that have been accrued up to 3rd December 2021 and due to be deposited into an IHG account on an anniversary date after 3rd December 2021. So if you have spent over £10K you still won’t be getting a free night.

    • stevenhp1987 says:

      If they don’t honour mine it will most certainly be a complaint followed by FOS complaint if not upheld.

    • Anna says:

      I cannot see how they can possibly get away with that – this possibly needs posting on today’s chat thread as well as this one has now disappeared into the bowels of HFP!
      I will also be putting in a complaint for me and my OH if we don’t get them.

  • Melonfarmer says:

    O/t you should be invited quickly. Mine came within hours. Can’t use it with non-current android though.

  • Steve says:

    It was a good ride while it last 😀 IHG premium was a good card and I always used it when I couldn’t use Amex or staying in IHG properties. The cancellation letter could have been written a little bit better but no hard feelings. Time to look somewhere else.

  • Dan says:

    I’ve Tweeted IHG who I’m not sure even realised this had happened. I told them what damage it’s going to do to their brand and the loyalty of customers. Ultimately they are the only ones who can do anything about this. Hopefully withdraw from Creation and find a decent partner.

    I’ve also written to Creation customer service about refunding my fee. I made them aware that the ONLY reason I used their card was the promise of a free night voucher and they’ve removed that benefit for no fault of my own.

    • JDB says:

      @Dan the management of IHG was aware of this in advance and in their world the number of customers affected by this is negligible. It will have zero effect.

      In respect of the free night, you should read Ombudsman decision DRN2242979.

      • SteveJ says:

        As mentioned by others, that case relates to wanting the voucher early. Creation unilaterally closing the account thus not allowing you to hit renewal date is a different scenario IMO.

        Now, only those who’ve not delved in MS and have legit hit the threshold can realistically have the gumption to challenge this with the ombudsman.

        • JDB says:

          I think the way the Ombudsman phrases his decision, the same principles will still apply in the current instance. If Creation say had a habit of closing accounts just before an anniversary date, maybe that would be different. I don’t think it really makes a difference who closes the account; it’s the anniversary and next annual payment that trigger the previous year’s voucher. Creation may relent and probably hasn’t made any final decision, but given the background, they may be difficult. While they don’t have to give a reason for closure, they may have one and as the ‘treating customers fairly’ principle is a subjective one, the context of the cancellation may be relevant.

        • JDB says:

          Many here are effectively asking for the voucher early, unless your anniversary happens to fall prior to 3 Dec and you pay the new fee. On an Amex PRG, if either party cancelled the card prior to the anniversary/card fee payment, would you still get your 10k MR bonus for spending £15k? I doubt it. Maybe someone has the answer, as it would be a fairly parallel situation.

      • LostAntipod says:

        Can’t see why any reasonable ombudsman or regulator wouldn’t take a dim view of any company offering incentives as part of a contractual arrangement and then unilaterally running away from that obligation without any kind of recompense if the customer has held up their side of the bargain. Refer Fair Treatment. Similar to a flyer using points for a J seat and then being told it’s Y or nothing when you check in.

        • EvilGazebo says:

          Exactly. I’m not after some unreasonable “compensation” for my hurt feelings.

          I pay £99/yr on the understanding I get a year to spend £10K and get my voucher.

          If they want to (rudely) close my account 4 months into that year then fine: it’s their right.

          But I either want my voucher having only spent £5k (unlikely I grant) or the £99 I paid in expectation that they would honour their side of the bargain refunded. A pro rata refund won’t cut it either: I’m not getting a pro rata voucher am I?

          And if others have abused their accounts with MS that’s on them, not me. This isn’t classroom collective punishment fgs.

  • Andy says:

    Letters have all come through for me this morning closing my premium (have done MS) and my white one (haven’t done MS). Also closing my wife’s cards (No MS).

    I have spent £10k since renewal but as my card year ends in July I guess i’ll never see that free night voucher. My wife has earned the voucher which should post this month along with a new card fee. Although not sure if they’ll charge the new fee if they are cancelling it a month later?!

  • Richard HURLEY says:

    Would be interested to know how many people are going to take the hit and apply for the standard IHG card.

    • SteveJ says:

      No one can right now. The application page is conveniently down for “maintenance” and I doubt it’ll ever return.

    • David says:

      I’ve seen this asked a number of times. Do people really think Creation is going to allow this?!

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

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