Here I’ve talked a bit about finding the cheapest way to travel, and recently I’ve found another, and so far the cheapest and the best, way to travel; using a Curve card.
Essentially, Curve card is a Mastercard issued by a UK based fintech, that is basically combining all your cards into one. This alone should be beneficial already, especially for people like me who have more than 1 bank cards used for different purposes. Now instead of carrying 3 or 4 cards or more, just carry 1 Curve card and you can choose in their app which card you want to use for a purchase. Another cool thing from them is they offer a ‘Go Back in Time’ feature, which means if you’ve used one card for one purchase and decided to use another card instead, you can just activate this feature and voila, your purchase will be transfered to the other card you wish. This is extremely useful when for instance, you want to charge your work card instead of your personal card.
Is that it? Absolutely not. Curve card is also great for traveling since you only need to carry 1 card instead of all your cards, and, it comes with a killer exchange rate! Recently I went on a holiday and I used my Curve card and my normal credit card from my bank and the difference on the exchange rate alone was enough to get me 2 meals in a restaurant. The exchange rate was only slightly worse than Transferwise but with a much simpler way (you don’t need to top up anything, Curve card will charge your cards directly), I’d pick Curve card any day.
An extra benefit for me is how my credit card gives 1% cashback for every time I spend abroad and online. Every purchase through Curve card is considered an online transaction, since Curve is charging your bank instead of the original merchant. This makes all my purchases, even if it’s not online/abroad, eligible for the 1% cashback program.
Curve card comes with different packages and pricing options. I’m using the free one since I don’t travel that often, and even using the free option, you get £200 free withdrawals monthly (even when you’re charging your credit cards!). There’s also a promotional 1% cashback from 3 merchants of your choice (only for 3 months for the free option).
I had an issue with withdrawal when I was abroad and their support was extremely responsive and helpful. I’ve been using this card for 2 months now and I could only give good reviews. But also pay attention to their terms & conditions as they charge extra on weekends.
If you want to use a Curve card as well, you can download the app and use this promo code DP9K349N where we will both receive £5.
Paid in Crowns 