Curve Card Us: Features, Benefits, and Limitations

The Curve Card US is a digital wallet that offers a unique way to manage your money. It's a Mastercard that can be linked to all your credit and debit cards, allowing you to see your balances and transactions in one place.

With the Curve Card US, you can earn 1% cashback on all purchases, with no rotating categories or spending limits. This can add up quickly, especially if you use your card for daily expenses.

One of the standout features of the Curve Card US is its ability to freeze and unfreeze your card with just a tap in the app. This can be a lifesaver if you misplace your card or notice suspicious activity.

The Curve Card US also offers a range of benefits, including purchase protection, travel insurance, and concierge service. These perks can be a game-changer for frequent travelers or online shoppers.

If this caught your attention, see: Us Treasuries Yield Curve

Curve is a credit card that lets you make payments and link it to your rewards credit card. Essentially, it's a card that can pay merchants and then charge your individual credit card, while still earning bonus points.

You can link credit cards with major issuers, but unfortunately, in the US, only Mastercard, Diners, and Discover work initially. Visa and American Express don't work yet.

Curve allows you to make all your purchases with your Curve credit card, rather than using individual credit cards. This means you can have one card for all your transactions.

Transactions will still show up on your individual credit cards, but there will be a note making it clear that the purchase was through Curve. This way, you can keep track of your purchases and earn points on the merchant you made the purchase with.

Here are some advantages of using Curve:

Curve Card US is a digital wallet that offers a free, fee-free credit card. You can sign up for a Curve Card US account online and download the mobile app to get started.

To activate your Curve Card US, you'll need to provide some basic information, such as your name, address, and Social Security number. This is a one-time process that should only take a few minutes.

Once you've activated your account, you can link your existing credit or debit cards to your Curve Card US. This allows you to make purchases, pay bills, and transfer money using your Curve Card US.

Worth a look: Curve (payment Card)

To get the Curve card, you have three options. You can download the app directly from the app store, start on Curve's signup page, and follow the prompts to apply.

You can also click through from Extrabux to earn a few dollars, and if you're new to Extrabux, you'll get a $20 bonus.

To sign up through a friend or family member's referral, ask them to refer you or click through from our Curve Referral link.

Here are the three ways to sign up for the Curve card:

In each case, you need to download the app and apply through the app, and you'll get six months of 1% Curve Cashback on top of rewards earned from your underlying credit cards.

You can get on the Curve waitlist, which will give you a chance to apply early when Curve opens to the general public.

All beta users who join the waitlist will receive an additional 1% cash back on every purchase for the first six months, in addition to the credit card rewards they earn.

Worth a look: Will You Marry Us Card?

Paying taxes, paying for insurance, or buying gift cards won't qualify for this cash back bonus.

Last summer, Curve offered a promotion where those in the top 100 spots on the waitlist would receive 10% cash back on their purchases for the first six months, for a total of up to $1,000 in rewards.

I was lucky enough to be in the top 100 spots and received an email invitation to apply, which came with a hard pull credit inquiry.

You might enjoy: Which Credit Cards Give You Lounge Access

You can use your Curve passcode as the PIN for chip & PIN purchases. This is a convenient feature that can come in handy when traveling to Europe, where you might encounter machines that require a credit card PIN to buy train tickets.

You can set your passcode within the Curve app, making it easy to use as your PIN.

Here's an interesting read: Curve Circuit Breakers

You can use your credit card in places where it's not normally accepted by linking it to Curve, which is classed as a debit card.

This opens up a whole new world of spending potential, especially if your credit card offers rewards and points as you spend. You can start building up points in places you usually wouldn't be able to.

Using Curve also lets you pay at terminals that require chip & PIN, making it a convenient option for everyday transactions. Simply use your Curve passcode as the PIN.

It's worth noting that Curve offers features that go beyond standard debit and credit card linking, so it's worth exploring its benefits to see if it offers something different to your other cards and bank accounts.

Consider reading: Emv Chip and Pin Credit Cards

The Curve card is a game-changer for everyday spending, especially when traveling abroad. You can use it to make payments without foreign transaction fees.

One of the best cards for everyday spending is the Citi Double Cash, but it comes with foreign transaction fees. Curve lets you avoid these fees by making payments abroad and then charging them to your Citi Double Cash.

For more insights, see: Us Bank Credit Card No Foreign Transaction Fee

Here are some key features of Curve that make it a great tool for maximizing credit card rewards:

Using Curve can be a game-changer for your daily spending. You can make payments abroad with no foreign transaction fees, and then have it charged to your credit card.

One of the standout features of Curve is that you can change the card you've used to pay for a purchase for 30 days, which can be useful if you didn't use a card with the right bonus category, or if you have a spouse who isn't great at using the right credit card for the right kinds of purchases.

This flexibility is especially useful for maximizing credit card rewards. If you're looking to earn points or cashback, you can use Curve to make purchases and then switch the card used to earn rewards.

If you join the Curve waitlist, you can earn 1% back on purchases for the first six months, in addition to your credit card rewards.

Intriguing read: Credit Cards to Use for Online Validation

Here are some specific examples of how you can use Curve to earn more rewards:

Smart Rules is a fantastic feature that allows you to automate your spending categories. It's like having a personal assistant who knows the right category for every charge.

One of the best things about Smart Rules is that it can detect when a small shop categorizes a charge as something unexpected, like a retail store that's actually a restaurant.

Smart Rules isn't perfect, but it gets the job done in most cases. For example, I use it to direct my spend as follows:

Sometimes, small shops categorize charges as something unexpected, but Smart Rules can detect this and send the charge to the right card.

The Curve card is a game-changer for international travel. No foreign transaction fees are imposed, making it a huge perk for users.

Several popular cards, like Citi Double Cash and Chase Freedom Flex, charge these fees, which can add up quickly. This is especially frustrating when you're earning rewards on your purchases.

With Curve, you can continue earning rewards without the extra fees. For example, you can use your Citi Double Cash card to earn 2x everywhere, even when traveling abroad, without incurring foreign transaction fees.

You might like: Citi Bank Credit Card Offer

No Foreign Transaction Fees is a game-changer.

Several popular cards, like Citi Double Cash, Citi Custom Cash, and Chase Freedom Flex, impose foreign transaction fees when used outside the United States.

These fees can add up quickly, but with a card like Curve, you can avoid them altogether.

For example, with the Curve card, I can continue earning 2x everywhere via my Double Cash card while outside of the U.S.

Curve passes along each purchase to the Double Cash card, so Citi sees the purchase as coming from the U.S., eliminating the foreign transaction fee.

This means you can earn rewards on your purchases without paying extra fees, which is a huge advantage when traveling abroad.

Curious to learn more? Check out: Visa Announces Major Changes to Credit Debit Cards in U.s

Transaction Card Transfer can be a lifesaver if you've accidentally used the wrong card.

You can move transactions between cards, a feature called the 'go back in time' feature by Curve, which allows you to change the card you used at the time of a specific purchase.

This feature is handy if you've accidentally used the wrong card, or you want to manage your credit limit a little better.

For another approach, see: Can Debit Cards Be Used as Credit Cards

Curve Card US offers a unique rewards program, but if you're looking for alternatives, consider Discover it Cash Back, which also offers 5% cash back on various categories throughout the year.

If you're looking for a credit card with no foreign transaction fees, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, which also offers travel rewards and purchase protection.

However, if you're looking for a card with no annual fee, the Citi Double Cash Card is a good option, offering 2% cash back on all purchases with no rotating categories or spending limits.

Take a look at this: Discover Credit Card No Ssn

Mastercard, Discover, and Diners Club cards work with Curve. You can use these cards with Curve to enjoy its features and benefits.

If you have a Mastercard, Discover, or Diners Club card, you're in luck. Curve is compatible with these card types, making it easy to get started.

Discover cards are a great option for those who want to use Curve. You can seamlessly link your Discover card to Curve and start using its features.

Intriguing read: Diners Club International Wiki

Mastercard cards are also widely accepted with Curve. This means you can use your existing Mastercard card with Curve without any issues.

Diners Club cards offer another option for those who want to use Curve. You can link your Diners Club card to Curve and enjoy its benefits.

American Express and Visa cards do not work with Curve, so it's best to stick with the compatible options.

Recommended read: Diners Club International

Curve's card consolidation technology seems to be winning where others have failed. The company's lower customer acquisition cost (CAC) compared to COIN is one reason for its success.

COIN, the digital smart card, had a slow and rocky start after its 2013 launch. It didn't even begin shipping cards until 2015.

Curve, on the other hand, issues a standard plastic payment card with an EMV chip and NFC-powered contactless payment technology. This approach is more practical and user-friendly than COIN's digital, battery-powered card.

If this caught your attention, see: Emv Technology Credit Cards

Curve Cash is a feature that allows you to earn cashback on purchases made on your Curve card. You can earn Curve Cash from the initial welcome bonus and from referring friends.

There are two ways to earn Curve Cash: from the initial welcome bonus and from referring friends. For example, if you have Curve default to sending charges to your Discover It Miles account during the first year of your Discover card membership, you would earn 3% from Discover plus 1% from Curve for a combined 4% back on all spend.

One Curve Cash point is equivalent to one penny, which means for every 100 points you accrue you'll have £1 to spend. You can only spend this 'money' on your Curve card.

You can earn Curve Cash on top of your credit card rewards, making it a great feature for maximizing rewards. For instance, if you have a Citi Double Cash card, you can use Curve to make payments abroad with no foreign transaction fees, and then have it charged to the Citi Double Cash.

You might like: Merrick Bank Double Your Line Credit Card

The Curve Cash feature can be a bit tricky to use, but it's worth it for the rewards. For example, if you have $100 in Curve Cash remaining, you could lose out on 500 rewards points if you don't use it carefully.

Here are some cashback options available on Curve:

The Curve card isn't perfect, and I've noticed a few downsides.

One major drawback is that Curve works with Mastercard, which means you can't use it at Costco.

Adding debit cards is also limited, as you can currently only add credit cards from Mastercard, Discover, and Diners Club.

Curve plans to support Visa credit cards in the future, but for now, this limitation is a problem.

The personal finance management (PFM) capabilities are lacking, which is a minor issue.

I wish the card itself wasn't so ugly, with its black, white, and red lines giving it a masculine, retro vibe.

These downsides are worth noting, but they don't necessarily detract from the Curve card's overall value.