Our verdict
Curve is not a bank or a wallet with its own balance. It is a Mastercard and an app that sit on top of the debit and credit cards you already have: you pay with the Curve card or Curve Pay, and Curve charges the card you have chosen in the app. The appeal is one card for everything, the option to switch a past payment to a different card, and currency conversion at the Mastercard wholesale rate within a monthly allowance.
Curve renamed its plans: Curve Lite is now Curve Pay, Curve X is Curve Pay X, Curve Black is Curve Pay Pro and Curve Metal is Curve Pay Pro+. The free plan has become noticeably more expensive abroad than the paid ones. Below we set out each plan’s fees from Curve’s UK and EEA subscription schedules and work through what a trip actually costs.
Curve plans and fees at a glance (UK in £, EEA in €)
| Curve Pay | Curve Pay X | Curve Pay Pro | Curve Pay Pro+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Former name | Curve Lite | Curve X | Curve Black | Curve Metal |
| Monthly price | Free | 5.99 | 9.99 (99.90 a year) | 17.99 (179.90 a year), 6-month minimum |
| Fee-free FX per calendar month | 250 | 3,333 | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| FX fee above the allowance | 2.99% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Weekend FX fee | 1.5% | None | None | None |
| Free ATM withdrawals a month | None: 2% (min 2) each | 300, then 2% (min 2) | 500, then 2% (min 2) | 1,000, then 2% (min 2) |
| Go Back in Time | 3 moves per 30 days, payments up to 30 days old | 3 moves, up to 60 days | Unlimited, up to 90 days | Unlimited, up to 120 days |
| Card delivery | 5.99 | Free | Free | Free |
Amounts in £ for UK customers and € for EEA customers (Curve UK and EEA subscription schedules, published 17 November 2025). The weekend fee applies from Friday 23:59 UTC to Sunday 23:59 UTC and on UK public holidays.
How Curve charges for currency conversion
Curve applies a currency conversion fee only when the payment is in a different currency from the card behind it. It converts at the Mastercard wholesale rate. Each plan has a fee-free amount per calendar month; above it, Curve Pay charges 2.99% and the paid plans 1%.
The weekend fee is the trap on the free plan. From Friday 23:59 UTC to Sunday 23:59 UTC, and on UK public holidays, Curve Pay adds 1.5% to every foreign-currency payment and foreign ATM withdrawal, and Curve says the fee-free allowance does not apply to it. The paid plans have no weekend fee.
Worked examples
Sterling and euro amounts are converted at the mid-market rate on our check date. Curve uses the Mastercard wholesale rate, so the result differs slightly.
1. A UK user spends €800 on holiday with a sterling card
| Plan | All on weekdays | All at the weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Curve Pay (free) | 2.99% on about £420 above the £250 allowance: about £12.56 | £12.56 plus 1.5% of about £670: about £22.61 |
| Curve Pay X (£5.99 a month) | £0 (inside £3,333) | £0 |
| Curve Pay Pro (£9.99 a month) | £0 | £0 |
€800 is about £670. On the free plan, one holiday month can cost more in fees than a month of Curve Pay X.
2. A eurozone user takes out €300 in cash with a euro card
Curve Pay: there is no free ATM allowance, so the fee is the greater of 2% or €2, which is €6. Curve Pay X: €0, because €300 is inside its monthly ATM allowance. If the cash is in another currency, the FX rules above apply as well, and the ATM owner may add its own charge.
3. A German user pays $500 in the US with a euro card
$500 is about €449 at the mid-market rate. On Curve Pay, the amount above the €250 allowance pays 2.99%, about €5.96 on a weekday; at the weekend add 1.5% on the whole €449, about €6.74, for roughly €12.70 in total. On Curve Pay X, Pro or Pro+ the payment is inside the allowance and costs €0 in Curve fees, on any day.
Features worth paying for
- Go Back in Time: move a past payment from one of your cards to another. Curve says the feature itself is free, but moving a payment between cards in different currencies can trigger FX fees. The cap is £5,000 or €5,000 per payment, and the number of moves and how far back you can go depend on the plan.
- Curve Cash: cashback at selected merchants on the paid plans, capped per merchant and per month (for example £25 or €25 a month on Pro and £50 or €50 on Pro+). Curve Rewards offers are for UK customers only.
- Interregional FX cashback: X, Pro and Pro+ include 1% cashback on interregional FX payments, according to Curve’s schedules.
- Funding cards from outside the UK or EEA cost an extra 2.9% international funding fee on Curve Pay and X; Pro includes £1,000 or €1,000 and Pro+ £5,000 or €5,000 a month before that fee applies.
Which cards work, and Curve Pay on your phone
Curve accepts UK and EEA-issued Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and Diners Club cards, both debit and credit, in your own name. The Curve card works wherever Mastercard is accepted and can be added to Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, although Curve warns that paying through those wallets can mean missing out on benefits such as cashback and fee-free FX.
Curve Pay, Curve’s own tap-to-pay wallet, works on Android 8.0 or later with NFC. On iPhone it is available only in the EEA (iOS 17.4 or later, with an EEA Apple ID); Curve says Apple has not opened its NFC technology to UK wallets yet.
Who can use Curve and how your money is protected
You must live in the UK or the EEA and be 18 or over. Curve’s sign-up requirements mention only the UK and the EEA.
In the UK, Curve UK Limited is an e-money institution authorised by the FCA (firm reference 900926); in the EEA, Curve Europe UAB is licensed by the Bank of Lithuania. Curve’s terms state that the FSCS does not apply to e-money and that EEA funds are held in a safeguarding account and are not protected by the deposit insurance fund. In practice Curve rarely holds your money for long, because each payment is passed straight on to your linked card.
Lloyds Banking Group has announced that it is acquiring Curve. Curve says nothing changes for customers in the short term and that no pricing changes are being made at this time.
Our verdict on Curve
| Plan | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Curve Pay (free) | Combining cards at home and occasional small foreign payments | Only 250 fee-free a month, 2.99% above it, and 1.5% at weekends. |
| Curve Pay X (5.99) | Regular travellers spending up to 3,333 a month abroad | Free cash only up to 300 a month. |
| Curve Pay Pro (9.99) | Heavy travellers and cashback users | Only worth it if you use the cashback and ATM allowance. |
| Curve Pay Pro+ (17.99) | Very high spenders | Six-month minimum term and a cancellation fee in that period. |
Curve is a clever layer on top of your existing cards, and Go Back in Time is still unique. As a travel card, though, the free plan is now expensive: with only £250 or €250 of fee-free FX a month, 2.99% above that and a 1.5% weekend fee, a single holiday can cost more than a month of Curve Pay X. If you want Curve abroad, budget for X; if you only want fee-free spending abroad, a free account with no foreign fees may be simpler.
Sources
Every fee on this page was checked against these official provider pages on .
- Curve — UK subscription schedule (17 November 2025)
- Curve — EEA subscription schedule (17 November 2025)
- Curve Help — fees and plan names
- Curve Help — foreign exchange and weekend fees
- Curve Help — Go Back in Time
- Curve — plans
- Curve — wallet, supported cards and Curve Pay
- Curve Help — Curve Pay on Android and iPhone
- Curve Help — who can create an account
- Curve — UK fair use policy (Curve Cash caps)
- Curve — UK terms (Curve UK Ltd, FCA, safeguarding)
- Curve — EEA terms (Curve Europe UAB, Bank of Lithuania)
- Curve Help — Curve joining Lloyds Banking Group
Pros
- Combine all cards into one card & app
- No FX fee on paid plans up to high monthly allowances
- "Go Back in Time" to switch a payment's card
- Cashback & perks on premium tiers
Cons
- Free plan: 2.99% FX above £/€250 a month plus 1.5% at weekends
- Not a transfer/IBAN account — overlay only
- Best features behind paid plans
- Some issuers block Curve linking
Fees & key facts
| Sign-up | Free |
|---|---|
| Monthly fee | Curve Pay free; X £/€5.99; Pro £/€9.99; Pro+ £/€17.99 |
| Send / receive | N/A (overlays existing cards) |
| Exchange rate | Mastercard wholesale rate; free up to £/€250 a month on Curve Pay, then 2.99% (+1.5% at weekends) |
| Withdrawals | Curve Pay 2% (min £/€2); paid plans £/€300–1,000 free a month |
| Card | Yes — single Mastercard overlaying your cards |
| Availability | UK and EEA (residents aged 18+) |
| Currencies | Spends in multiple currencies via linked cards |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
| Regulation | FCA-authorised e-money institution |
Ready to try Curve?
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Curve — frequently asked questions
What happened to Curve Black and Curve Metal?
Curve renamed its plans: Curve Black is now Curve Pay Pro (£9.99 or €9.99 a month) and Curve Metal is Curve Pay Pro+ (£17.99 or €17.99 a month). Curve Lite became Curve Pay and Curve X became Curve Pay X.
Is Curve free?
The Curve Pay plan has no monthly fee, but it includes only £250 or €250 of fee-free foreign-currency spending a month, charges 2.99% above that and adds 1.5% at weekends. Card delivery costs £5.99 or €5.99.
Does Curve charge fees at weekends?
Only on the free Curve Pay plan: 1.5% on foreign-currency payments and foreign ATM withdrawals from Friday 23:59 UTC to Sunday 23:59 UTC and on UK public holidays. Curve Pay X, Pro and Pro+ have no weekend fee.
Is Curve a credit card?
No. Curve is a Mastercard that charges the cards you link to it, which can be debit or credit cards. If you link a credit card, the payment is charged to that credit card.
Is my money safe with Curve?
Curve is regulated as an e-money institution by the FCA in the UK and by the Bank of Lithuania in the EEA. E-money is safeguarded, not covered by the FSCS or deposit insurance, but Curve normally passes each payment straight to your linked card.
Can I use Curve in Germany, France or Italy?
Yes. Curve is available to residents of the UK and the EEA aged 18 or over, with fees in euros for EEA customers. Curve Pay on iPhone is available in the EEA but not in the UK.
Comments 9
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The best card invention! I combined my 5 bank cards into one Curve card. The 'Go Back in Time' feature lets me move transactions between cards. Brilliant!
Very convenient, and the foreign transaction fee savings are real. Sometimes payments get declined if your underlying bank card has safety limits.
I use Curve to add Apple Pay support to my old traditional bank cards that don't support it natively. It works flawlessly every single time.
The best card invention! I combined my 5 bank cards into one Curve card. The 'Go Back in Time' feature lets me move transactions between cards. Brilliant!
Extremely smart card. I love that I only have to carry one card in my physical wallet now. The app notification system is very fast.
The best card invention! I combined my 5 bank cards into one Curve card. The 'Go Back in Time' feature lets me move transactions between cards. Brilliant!
Extremely smart card. I love that I only have to carry one card in my physical wallet now. The app notification system is very fast.
The best card invention! I combined my 5 bank cards into one Curve card. The 'Go Back in Time' feature lets me move transactions between cards. Brilliant!
Great concept, but they have reduced the number of cards you can link on the free plan to only two. You have to pay a subscription for more.