Curve (payment card)
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Launched | February 2016(open beta) |
Website | www |
Curve (also known as the Curve card) is a payment card that aggregates multiple payment cards through its accompanying mobile app, allowing a user to make payments and withdrawals from a single card. It lets you "switch the bank card you paid with after each transaction is complete."[1]
History[]
Curve, which owns and operates the card and for which the card is named, was founded in 2015 by Shachar Bialick.[2] The company secured seed funding of $2 million in December 2015.[3] An open beta for iOS users in the "business community" was launched in February 2016.[3][4] In May 2016, Curve notified customers that it would no longer be able to support American Express after 31 May 2016, offering refunds.[5] In December 2016, Curve announced that the app was made available for Android users.[6]
At Wired Money in 2017, Curve was judged the winning startup by a panel of three judges.[7] In July 2017, it was still in beta testing.[8]
It launched in Ireland in January 2018. At that time, it remained based in London. When it launched in the UK, it had a waiting list of 50,000.[9] Curve went live in the UK in January 2018.[10] In December 2018, it had a US expansion planned.[11] Support for American Express was reintroduced in late January 2019 on a top-up basis.[12] When Amex blocked several thousand customers from using Curve's services that week, on February 1, 2019, it was reported that Curve was considering suing Amex,[13] alleging anti-competitive action.[14]
Curve card and app[]
Using the mobile app, users link their debit and credit cards to the Curve card.[15] A default card from which to make payments or withdrawals can then be set, while users can also switch between cards on the app prior to making payments or withdrawals. Transactions on the card are processed through the MasterCard network and can be made using EMV (chip), magnetic stripe or contactless payment.
The Curve app works for iOS[16] and Android.[17]
In July 2017, Curve rolled out a feature on the app allowing users to retroactively change their selected payment card for a transaction as old as 14 days.[18][19] In 2018, it added a "zero fees" feature for spending internationally.[20]
In October 2018, the company said it was aiming to become "the Amazon of banking."[21]
In January 2019, it also rolled out American Express support as an Open Beta allowing all UK customers to add their American Express to the app and spend with them through Curve. American Express later stopped processing transactions for Curve and as of January 2021 the Curve Card cannot be used in conjunction with American Express cards with a future return of the service being unlikely. [22]
Controversy[]
In November 2019, Business Insider reported Curve had failed to disclose to crowdfund investors that just 14% of its customers were using Curve once a month or more. [23] Curve raised more than $7 million through crowdfunding in September 2019. According to the article, only 72,000 of Curve's stated 500,000 customers were using its product even once a month. The company did not respond when approached by Business Insider for comment. The Telegraph later reported that Curve were accused of removing details of the Business Insider story from the company's Wikipedia article.[24]
References[]
- ^ Paul Sawers, July 3, 2017 Back in time: Curve lets you switch the bank card you paid with after each transaction is complete,VentureBeat
- ^ Shead, Sam (December 10, 2015). "The cofounder of TransferWise has invested in a mysterious fintech startup". Business Insider. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ a b O'Hear, Steve (December 10, 2015). "Stealthy London Startup Curve Raises $2M From Notable Fintech Backers". TechCrunch. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ Sawers, Paul (16 February 2016). "Meet Curve, the latest London fintech firm that wants to simplify your digital spending". VentureBeat. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ Kadhim Shubber, May 25, 2016 It’s no fun when Amex throws your startup a Curve ball, The Financial Times
- ^ O'Hear, Steve (December 16, 2016). "London fintech startup Curve brings mobile wallet and all-your-cards-in-one app to Android". TechCrunch. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ Bonnie Christian, June 11, 2017 Meet the next generation of fintech startups set to revolutionise the world of finance, Wired
- ^ Jemima Kelly, Anna Irrera, July 3, 2017 UK startup Curve launches 'financial time travel', Reuters
- ^ Charlie Taylor, January 17, 2018 ’Connected finance’ start-up Curve launches services in Ireland, Irish Times
- ^ Jon Fingas, January 1, 2018 Curve's payment-switching smart card goes live in the UK, Engadget
- ^ Oliver Smith, December 6, 2018 Curve Hits 300,000 Users With U.S. Expansion Planned, But This All-In-One Card Is Still Too Clever For Its Own Good, Forbes
- ^ Steve O'Hear, January 2019 Curve, the all-your-cards-in-one app, adds support for Amex, TechCrunch
- ^ Nikou Asgari and Martin Coulter, February 1, 2019 Fintech firm Curve threatens Amex with legal action, Financial Times
- ^ Steve O'Hear, January 2019 Amex blocks Curve as the fintech startup vows to fight 'anti-competititive' decision, TechCrunch
- ^ Sewraz, Reena (28 January 2018). "Curve card review: is this 'smart' card worth going for?". Which?. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ Lewis Painter, April 5, 2016 Curve Card review: An interesting Apple Pay alternative, MacWorld
- ^ "Curve: The Right Way To Pay – Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
- ^ Christian, Bonnie (18 May 2017). "Mobile wallet Curve launches 'time travel' tool to let you 'shop in the past'". Wired UK. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ Kharpal, Arjun (3 July 2017). "Fintech app Curve lets you change the account you pay with after you've made a purchase". CNBC. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ Steve O'Hear Curve, the all-your-cards-in-one app, adds 'zero fees' when spending abroad, TechCrunch
- ^ Arjun Kharpal, October 5, 2018 Fintech firm Curve looking to raise $50 million to become the ‘Amazon of banking’, CNBC
- ^ O'Hear, Steve (28 January 2019). "Curve, the all-your-cards-in-one app, adds support for Amex". TechCrunch. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ Coulter, Martin (November 27, 2019). "Leaked numbers show $200 million fintech startup Curve has far fewer active users than the number of 'customers' it has claimed". Business Insider. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ Cook, James (9 February 2020). "Top banking apps Starling Bank and Curve accused of editing their Wikipedia pages". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- Payment cards
- Products introduced in 2015