Curve metal Mastercard
Curve Pay is a mobile wallet managed by the Curve application. Transactions are forwarded to linked cards.

The content on this page includes affiliate links. While clicking on these links won’t cost you anything extra, we may earn a modest commission from any purchases.

Curve Pay is a practical mobile wallet with many features, and it also helps you to save money, especially if you are a traveller. Please read our review to learn how we benefited from Curve Pay.

Curve Pay


Curve Pay is not just a card but a mobile wallet with perks. We have been using its premium subscription for many years and are happy with its features. In this review, we share our own Curve Pay experiences and analyse the card from a traveller´s point of view.


Is Curve Pay a Credit Card?


When Curve was launched in 2018, it only featured a Curve Debit card. However, in October 2023, Curve launched an additional product in the UK – the Curve Credit card. Both accounts have mostly the same features, except that Curve Debit customers do not have Section 75 protection.


A user can have only one Curve Pay card: Debit or Credit.


You can’t buy or pay anything with Curve Pay alone. Instead, at least one regular Visa / Mastercard credit or debit card must be linked to your Curve Pay. UK users can also link their PayPal accounts to the Curve wallet.


Curve Pay conveys the payment transactions to another card set in advance by the card user in the Curve application. For example, with the combination of Curve Pay and Bank Norwegian credit card, the transaction is executed in Curve Pay, which forwards the payment in real-time to Norwegian’s credit card.


Since Curve Pay is not a traditional card, almost anyone in the European Economy Area (EEA) can order its debit version.


Curve Pay is a genuine plastic or metal card with similar features as all bank cards. It is PIN-code enabled, and it has a contactless payment feature. The card’s settings can be managed easily through the application installed on a mobile phone. The card can be used on the internet and physically on almost any Mastercard-approved shopping site; it is just like a regular card. You will find your card details in the application before the physical card has arrived.


Curve Pay declares some of the fees and limits in British pounds. Users may select the card’s currency from multiple options. For example, residents within the EEA can set euros as their payment currency, which can be easily customised through the Curve app.


Curve Pay has similar features as Wise, but Curve is more like a mobile wallet than a multi-current account and a money transfer service.


Benefits of Using Curve Pay


We’ve been using a Curve for years and have found it beneficial. Below, we’ll highlight some of the advantages of using Curve Pay. And yes, double dipping is possible, so you can continue enjoying the benefits and bonus programs of your underlying cards.


Multiple Cards Managed by Curve App


To holders of multiple payment cards, Curve Pay is an excellent tool. You can pay all purchases with Curve Pay and choose from the application to which preferred card should the transactions be sent. The selected card can still be changed or customised later in case of a change of mind or an honest mistake of choosing the wrong card while paying. The correction can be made within 120 days after the payment transaction.


Let us give an example. You have set in your Curve application that you have three payment cards: A, B, and C. You made a transaction that is supposed to be billed to Card C instead of Card A. Don’t worry about this; you can still make corrections using the Curve app. You have 120 days after the purchase to make such a correction.


The feature that allows you to change the card used for a transaction after it’s been made is called Go-Back-in-Time


This feature of Curve Pay is useful, especially for those with credit cards, work cards and perhaps a common card among couples. You can always pay for a purchase with Curve Pay and choose from the application beforehand or afterwards, for which it will be charged.


Debit Fronted Credit


With Curve Pay, you can pay with a credit card even in stores that accept only debit payments.
You Curve Pay is a debit card that forwards the transaction to an underlying credit card.


This includes an extra 1,5% charge when paying government fees. In Curve Pay Pro and Pro+ subscription levels, the perk is free up to a specific limit.


Spending Statistics


The Curve app provides clear statistics on where money was spent. The app shows how much money has been spent on different categories. For example, you will see how much you have spent on travel, entertainment, groceries, food and drinks. At the point of purchase, the retailer forwards the information to which category the purchase belongs. Using this information, Curve Pay knows how to make statistics about the money a particular card user spends.


Curve spending statistics
The Curve app clearly shows money spending using different categories over the month.


Cheaper Currency Conversions


For purchasers with a debit or credit card, whereas paying the transaction with a currency outside the card’s primary currency, the bank converts the amount into your card’s currency using agreed exchange rates. On top of this, a regular bank also charges an additional conversion fee of about 2%. Curve Pay offers almost free currency conversions.


Curve Pay handles the currency conversion on behalf of the underlying card’s bank by using Mastercard Exchange Rates without any supplementary fees. Mastercard rates are close to the interbank exchange rates.


In our case, we are using cards issued by banks in Nordic countries with the euro as the home currency. For example, when we travelled to Israel, where the currency was the Israeli New Shekel (a non-euro currency), Curve Pay converted transactions made in this foreign currency into euros using the current exchange rate. It transferred the payments to the selected underlying card. With Curve as our primary payment card during our travels in Croatia, Turkey, and Israel, we have saved 1 – 3% of our daily budget thanks to converting cheaper currency.


Curve Pay has limits: general usage and ATM withdrawal limits and a limit for discounted currency conversions. After Curve knows the customer better, some limits may increase, but the currency conversion limit will likely stay the same. In addition, the limitations set in the linked payment cards are naturally valid.


Free Cash Withdrawals


With the paid subscriptions of Curve Pay, you can withdraw money from ATMs for at least £200 within a month without cost.


However, this advantage can be a trap. Although Curve Pay does not charge ATM withdrawal fees, some ATMs may ask for withdrawal fees. Therefore, checking if the ATM has a service fee is necessary. To avoid withdrawal fees, be patient and look for automated teller machines that allow free withdrawal, as you will always find them quickly from place to place.


Since Curve Pay needs to transmit the transaction details to another card, the issuer of this card may charge for withdrawals. When you use ATMs with a Curve, it is essential to direct the transaction to a card that does not ask for fees when using ATMs. A good choice is, for example, a credit card from Bank Norwegian that does not charge you for using the ATM.


Anti-Embarrassment Mode


Curve’s Anti-Embarrassment Mode is a lifesaver designed to prevent those awkward moments when you try to pay and find your card declined because you do not have enough balance. This feature works seamlessly in the background.


Curve Pay will notify you if your funds are insufficient and automatically attempt the transaction using your backup card(s) set in the app. If any backup card has enough funds, the transaction will go through.


LoungeKey Membership


The top Curve Pay subscription tier includes LoungeKey membership, granting you access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide at a discounted rate. To access a lounge, present your LoungeKey membership and pay with Curve Pay. Alternatively, you can use the LoungeKey app on your phone.


Curve Protections


Like every existing credit card, Curve Pay protects its card users. For example, when we travelled to Krakow, Poland, we had a small problem while paying for the dining. We made it clear twice to the restaurant staff that he pays in Polish currency, the Polish zloty. The real-time transaction reports notified us of such payments through the Curve app, and we asked the cashier to correct the payment by shifting the chargeable amount to local money instead of GBP. She repeatedly said she couldn’t do anything to make changes to this transaction. We then contacted Team Curve via email. After a few conversations, we were happy to get a positive response from Curve:


…Thanks for sending this through.


The dispute process is quite lengthy and not always successful. Due to the value of the transaction, we would like to refund you as a gesture of goodwill.


We can see that with110 PLN would be 23.08 GBP. We, without the merchant’s exchange rate, would, therefore, like to refund you 1.85 GBP directly…


From such a quick and helpful response from Team Curve, we felt like they value every single customer they have.


Curve doesn’t offer travel insurance. For travel insurance options, why not check SafetyWing?


Google, Apple and Samsung Pay


Curve is a modern card supporting Google, Apple and Samsung Pay. That means having your phone with you is enough. No physical card is needed.


screenshot of curve card benefits
The benefits of using Curve Caare are summarised in this image.


Smart Rules


With Smart Rules, you can automatically select which payment card to use based on pre-defined conditions. For example, you can use your main payment card for groceries and another card for travel expenses. Intelligent Rules are simple conditions. If a condition matches, the transaction will be directed to the card mentioned in the rule.


Curve Subscription Levels


Curve offers four subscription tiers. The free tier has limited features or lower limits on some features. Let’s explore each Curve subscription level and its key benefits.


Curve Pay


The majority of the features we mentioned above are included in the free Curve Pay. It doesn’t cost anything except the delivery fee, and there is no monthly charge for usage. The Curve Pay is a perfect choice for trying the features. After registering, you get the virtual card details immediately and the physical card in a few weeks.


You can only add three payment cards to the free version of Curve Pay. Also, the spending limits are lower, and only two Smart Rules are possible.


Curve Pay X


Curve Pay X is a litter version of Curve Pay. The delivery is free, but the monthly fee is £5.99. Curve Pay X supports five payment cards and has higher spending limits. In addition to the Curve Pay, you get the following perks:


  • You get a cashback for almost all spending outside the UK and Europe.

  • You can also create multiple Smart Rules.

  • You get free ATM withdrawals up to £300 per month.


Curve Pay Pro


There is also a paid version of Curve Pay with a lot more features: Curve Pay Pro. The acquisition of this card does not cost anything but a monthly fee of £9.99. The card has the same features as the Curve Pay X card and a few extra features:


  • Higher ATM withdrawal limit up to £500 per month

  • 1% cash back at six selected retailers


Curve Pay Pro+


Curve Pay Pro+ is the best subscription in terms of card benefits. It costs £17.99 monthly.


Curve Pay Pro+ has a few more perks.


  • The card is made of metal.

  • Spending limits are even higher.

  • 1% cash back at 12 selected retailers

  • Visits LoungeKey airport lounges for a discounted rate


Curve metal Mastercard
The Curve Pay Pro+ card is made of metal and has the best perks among the four Curve Pay subscriptions.


Review of Wise


Curve Cash


Curve Pay Pro and Curve Pay Pro+ give users 1% cashback called Curve Cash from purchases made at selected retailers. Curve Pay Pro users may user-select six retailers, and Curve Pay Pro+ holders 12. The list is long, including, for example, Amazon, Shell, Lidl, Booking.com. Curve pays the payback, and you will still get possible bonus points from the underlying cards.


Paying with Curve Cash


Curve Cash is collected to the Curve application. It can be used to pay for any purchase using any payment card linked to Curve. However, to pay a purchase with Curve Cash, you need to have Curve Cash for the whole payment amount.


It is also possible to use Curve Cash automatically by turning the feature on; it will always be used when the payment amount is less than your Curve Cash balance. Otherwise, the user-selected payment card will normally be used.


Curve Rewards


Curve has introduced Curve Rewards bonus program. Curve partners with local and international brands, which provide additional bonuses. The bonus is paid as Curve Cash. The feature is available for all Curve users in the UK.

Users in the paid Curve subscription levels will get an additional 1% cash for spending outside the UK and Europe/p>

Curve Safety Features


Curve subscriptions have safety features and protections. In the Curve App, you see all transactions in an accurate timeline. The card can be temporarily locked on the application and opened quickly. Therefore, following your transactions and spending in real-time is easy with the Curve App.


When using the card on the internet, Curve Pay authenticates the user strongly. Authentication happens with a PIN code sent by SMS to the user´s phone or via the Curve App.


Customer Protection


Curve Customer Protection protects against unsuccessful or fraudulent purchases. Fraudulent or otherwise unauthorised transactions will be refunded. You may also ask for a refund if you have not received the purchased item or the service or if there have been some quality issues. The exact terms are complicated, and we recommend you check them out on Curve´s website.


For example, if you have booked flights but the airline goes bankrupt before the travel dates, you may be allowed a refund.


Our Way to Use Curve Pay


You may have wondered which payment cards we linked to Curve. The optimal combination depends on your location; our model most likely does not work for you. Anyway, we tell it briefly.


We pay almost all our daily spending and purchases with Curve. We have linked Bank Norwegian Visa Credit and Nordea Mastercard Debit / Credit to our Curve Apps. Bank Norwegian Visa is especially a good choice because it gives cashback usable for Norwegian Air Shuttle flights, it has free ATM withdrawals and no monthly fee. Nordea’s Mastercard does not have similar perks, but as our main bank provider, it is a good backup card.


Rating