An update on Curve – you receive £10 credit when you are referred

(EDIT:  Curve has changed a lot since this article was published.  Please do not rely on the information here.  Instead, please click here to read our detailed 2020 Curve review, which includes a link for a free £10 credit when you sign up.)

On Thursday I ran a long article about Curve.  This was, I think, the most-read article ever on HfP – it was certainly the most-read article on the day of publication.

Curve has a number of fascinating features.  Most relevant for our market, it allows you to pay for anything where a Mastercard is accepted and have it recharged – as a purchase – to an American Express card.

Even cash withdrawals are recharged, as a purchase, to your Amex.  I have been testing the card for a few days and I can confirm that this works perfectly.

Let me repeat this bit – you can buy something using the Curve card at a retailer which only accepts Mastercard, or even make a cash withdrawal at an ATM, and it will be re-charged to your American Express card (or a Visa or Mastercard) as a purchase.  It will earn miles and count towards any sign-up bonus.  It also works abroad, even on overseas cash withdrawals.

I have been taking part in the Curve pilot programme and I can confirm that the card does everything that it says.

The cost of the basic Curve card is £35.  There is a £75 premium version but I don’t know enough about the benefits to recommend it at this time.  This is a one-off fee, not an annual one.

What I didn’t know on Thursday is that, if you used my referral link to apply, you will receive a £10 credit into your Curve account.  This means that the net cost of joining up is only £25 and not £35.  The £10 is credited once you make the first transaction on your card.

If you haven’t signed up and are still interested, you will find full details and my referral details in the article from Thursday.

My referral code, if it doesn’t track automatically, is oqb4J.  It is a letter and not a zero at the start.

Note that Curve is targetted at the business market and you should have some sort of freelance / self-employed / SME income or involvement (although not necessarily full-time) in order to apply.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus. 

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending:

Barclaycard Select Cashback Credit Card

1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review