Curve Card and App in Australia. Is it available?

Roberto Efflandrin

10.11.22 (updated more than 1 year ago)

4 minute read

It is becoming more common to be carrying around more than one bank card attached to several different accounts. What if you could aggregate all your bank cards into one place, use only one card to access your money and enjoy some extra perks at the same time?

That's what the company Curve is doing with their Curve card and Curve app. In this article, we’ll fill you in on what Curve is about and if it’s available in Australia. You’ll also learn about Wise, an alternative way to manage your international finances and save on overseas fees when sending and spending money abroad.

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The Curve card and app

The Curve app allows you to add any Mastercard, Visa, Diner and Discover branded debit or debit cards into the one app. This is known as the Curve wallet. You don’t actually add money into the Curve wallet. When you spend with your Curve card, you’ll select which added card you wish to pay from.¹

For the Curve wallet to work, you will need to order your own Curve card. Your added cards will be aggregated through the app where you can spend any of the funds available in the added cards through your Curve card.²

Is Curve available in Australia?

Unfortunately, Curve is not yet available in Australia. There is also no indication for when it will become available to Australian customers.⁷ Currently, the Curve app and Curve card is only available to UK and European Economic Area (EEA) residents.¹

How does the Curve app and card work?

To use the Curve app and Curve card, you’ll need to download the Curve app. You can download the app for free on either the Apple store, Google play store or the Huawei app gallery. You’ll be able to sign up directly through the Curve app.³

When signing up you need to choose a subscription plan to get your Curve card and allocate which features and benefits you’ll have access to. The Curve plans are⁴:

The Curve (OG) (free)
Curve X (4.99 p/m)
Curve Black (9.99 p/m)
Curve Metal (14.99 p/m)

Once you choose your subscription plan, your Curve card will then be delivered to you in a few days.⁵ This is also where you can add your cards to the Curve app. How many cards you can add will be based on the plan you choose.⁴

The features of the curve card and app

With the Curve card and app, you’ll have features unique to Curve, as well as some other beneficial features. Some features unique to Curve are as follows.

Get Rewards

With this feature, Curve users will receive a certain percentage of cashback when shopping with eligible retailers. Rates vary between retailers and the Curve plan chosen. The cashback will automatically be added to the Curve Cash card which is a virtual card in your Curve wallet.²

Go Back in Time

This feature allows you to switch your payments between your cards in the Curve app up to 30 days after you made a payment.²

Travel with Curve

This feature allows you to avoid bad exchange rates and to withdraw from international ATMS without a conversion fee on any of the cards you have added to your Curve wallet as long as use Curve card.⁶

Anti-embarrassment mode

This feature allows you to allocate back up cards in your Curve wallet to take on any payment that gets declined. This means the cashier, nor anyone around you will know that the transaction did not go through with the card allocated in the Curve app.²

Curve Flex

Curve Flex is another feature that needs to be applied for outside of the original Curve plan. This feature is to be able to access a loan from Curve on a payment you’ve already made in the last 12 months. For this feature, you may need to send through some additional information to Curve to be able to access Curve flex for a soft credit check to be run.²

Some other features that you also get with the Curve app include⁴:

Fee-free International ATM withdrawals
Curve customer protection up to 100,000
Access to a fair FX rate
Allocate rules to cards for when they are to be used
Worldwide travel insurance
Airport lounge access
Mobile phone insurance
Rental car excess insurance

Some of these features may not be available across all plans or may have limits and terms on their use.

What are the advantages of using the Curve card and app?

There are several advantages that come with using the Curve card and app. These are⁴:

Can add both personal and business cards in the Curve wallet (business cards only Curve Black and Metal)
You only need to carry one physical card around
Pay using cashback rewards
See everything you’ve spent in the one app with insights⁵
Switch payments between cards even after you've made a payment
If you lose your Curve card, you can lock the account instantly in the app⁵

Any alternatives to Curve in Australia?

Currently in Australia, there are no alternatives that offer a service to aggregate all your existing cards into one card and app like the Curve app. However, there are other electronic money services that offer similar products in terms of online money management, cashback, debit cards and overseas transfers such as Revolut, UP Australia, Hay, and Wise Australia.

How to contact Curve

You can contact Curve through their twitter or by submitting a question through a support form here.

The Wise account and debit card

If you are frequently travelling or spending your money overseas, being able to shop like a local in the local currency without high conversion fees can be a huge money saver.

Opening a Wise account allows you to hold 50+ currencies at once, while having your own local account details in 10 of these currencies. You can see the full coverage here.

This means you’ll be able to receive money from abroad cheaply and quickly. On top of this, you can opt in to order a Wise debit card attached to your account so you can easily spend your money globally.

Safety is paramount at Wise. In Australia, it is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and holds an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL number 513764).

Join over 13 million customers currently enjoying Wise. It’ll only take a few minutes to register and see what’s inside.

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Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up-to-date pricing and fee information.

Sources:

Sources checked on: 24 October 2022

This publication is provided for general information purposes only and is not intended to cover every aspect of the topics with which it deals. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content in this publication. The information in this publication does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its affiliates. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.