Curve Card Coming To The U.S. – You Can Join The Waitlist Now
Curve card is coming to the U.S., though there’s no specific launch date as of yet. That being said, you can join the waitlist for Curve. This makes you eligible for a bonus if/when it launches. Plus, there’s no obligation later on—again, joining the waitlist does not require you to eventually get the Curve card product if you change your mind.
But what is Curve? And why are people excited about it? It’s a very new approach to credit cards that could be great for people in our hobby, so let’s look at what Curve is, how it works, and how you can earn extra rewards with it.
What Is Curve?
Curve is a unique product. You use it like you would use a typical credit card. However, you link it to another credit card, and that other card is what you actually get a bill from. You can also change what card is linked to Curve, much like the previous concept of linking cards to PayPal Key.
What cards can you use?
You can link Diners, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa cards to Curve. You can’t link American Express cards at present.
How does it work?
Let’s imagine that now that Curve is coming to the U.S. you sign up and have the card in your hand. You make a payment somewhere with your Curve card. Curve pays the merchant, then they charge the credit card linked to your Curve card. You pay the bill for that card.
You also can still earn bonus points per category, depending on which card you use for the Curve purchase. Let’s look at an example:
You could link your Chase Sapphire Preferred card to Curve. Then, you use Curve at a restaurant. On your credit card bill, you will see a purchase indicating the restaurant purchase and a note that the transaction went through Curve. You will still receive your “restaurant category” bonus points from Chase. Since you can change which card is linked to Curve, see our analysis of best cards per category for optimized earnings.
Read more about how Curve works on this page.
Key perks with Curve
Not only does Curve have no foreign transaction fees, but you can change which card is linked to a purchase for up to 30 days after the transaction. That means if you use a card that only earns 1x on travel to pay for a hotel, you have up to 30 days to go back and change the associated card.
In this way, you can monitor your Curve account to ensure you always are earning as many points as possible on each transaction. You also can change the credit card associated with your Curve card to associate all purchases to a new credit card you opened and need to spend on for the purposes of a new card welcome offer.
Additionally, Curve offers contactless payments. And while the U.S version of their site doesn’t answer this one way or another, the U.K. version of their site says they do not pull your credit–thus, no inquiry on your credit report that other banks will see.
It sounds weird, will it work?
Though Curve card is coming to the U.S. for the first time, it’s not totally new. Curve already is in use in the U.K. Thus, it’s been through trials to work out the kinks.
How To Maximize Points With Curve
Here are some examples of how to maximize points with Curve, now that it’s coming to the U.S. soon:
Avoiding foreign transaction fees
I like the Citi Double Cash. It earns 2X on everything that isn’t a bonus category, so I like to use it for daily spend. That’s great on a no-fee card. Unfortunately, it charges foreign transaction fees. Curve card doesn’t, though. I could link the Double Cash card to my Curve account and still earn 2X overseas without paying the fees.
Maximizing bonus spend
As I mentioned above, if you used a card that doesn’t earn extra points on a purchase, you can change it. You’ve got 30 days to change what credit card is associated with a Curve purchase. Look through your wallet and our list of “best cards” for that category type. Change the associated credit card so you can earn more points on each purchase.
Extra earning for signing up early
In addition to maximizing our current rewards credit cards, Curve has its own promotion. If you join the waitlist now, you can earn 1% back on all purchases in the first 6 months you have the card. That’s in addition to the credit card rewards you’ll earn. 2X earning becomes 3X earning in those 6 months. 3X earning becomes 4X earning. Etc.
What’s The Catch?
I’ll admit that this sounds “too good to be true” in some ways. Curve likely won’t make money from us. Instead, they likely fund their rewards and projects through investors. Getting into the lucrative “fintech” field, gaining access to consumers, or making a play for the future are likely motives here. Profit probably isn’t a short-term reality for Curve when coming to the U.S. in the near future. Other factors are probably the real reasons, and we don’t know exactly what Curve is planning down the road. Their entry into the U.S. market may simply be to gain access to consumer spending data.
For our short-term concerns, however, this is a legitimate project. It has been tested in the U.K. and should hopefully have fewer bumps in the road than Brex did.
Waitlist For Curve, Referral Rewards
If you join the waitlist for Curve before September 6, 2021, there are 2 additional benefits:
- Receive an extra 1% cash back on all purchases within the first 6 months of card membership. That’s in addition to the credit card rewards earned on the associated credit card.
- The more people who sign up with your referral, the higher your name goes on the waitlist. Those in the first 100 spots on the waitlist will receive 10% cash back on their purchases for the first six months, up to $1,000 maximum. Moving up on the waiting list is done by referring another person who completes the application and joins the waitlist. Each successful referral can move your name up 100 places on the waiting list.
It’s worth noting that Curve says the “first 6 months” bonus earnings of 1% (or 10% for the lucky people) won’t apply to tax payments, insurance, or buying gift cards.
Final Thoughts On Curve Coming To U.S. Soon
Curve is coming to the U.S. soon, though we don’t know an exact date. The concept could significantly boost points & miles earning for those interested in using it. It could also reduce the number of cards you need to carry in your wallet, since you only need to pay with this one card—Curve card—and then change the associated card to the one you want on each purchase. How much work that involves remains to be seen.
In addition to simplifying your wallet and maximizing rewards earning, you can join the waitlist between now and September 6, 2021 to earn an extra 1% cash back on all purchases in your first 6 months with Curve. Even after this promotional offer, benefits like “no foreign transaction fees” and 30 days to change the card associated with a purchase will remain, which provide long-term value.
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