Curve: The Swiss Army Knife of Bank Cards

There seems to be something of a trend in the making, one that started with Coin, a service that helped to bring more than one bank card under one platform.

We recently saw the possibility that LG might have gone that route, but beating LG to the punch would be Curve, a London-based startup that’s playing its bank cards close to the vest.

Curve undertook a soft launch, bringing out an iOS app along with the Curve card, backed up by MasterCard support. The combined effort gives users a variety of options, allowing users to essentially connect an unlimited number of bank cards to the app, be they debit or credit cards.

Even those who turn to American Express can connect a card, and Amex’s primary failing—its notorious lack of acceptance—buckles, as any place that accepts MasterCard will now accept Amex too via the Curve app.

Once users have loaded all their cards, they can effectively see and tag transactions all from the Curve app directly. Those who frequently travel abroad will likewise see a benefit in exchange rates, as they can take advantage of the card package offering the best exchange rates on hand. Curve will charge its users the current MasterCard wholesale rate plus one percent, with no additional fees per transaction.

Curve’s primary target, reports note, is freelancers and entrepreneurs, those who may need access to a business and a personal account from one device.

That can be a lot handier, especially at tax time, than trying to separate out one’s business and personal expenses from the same card. Moreover, some users might be using multiple platforms and taking advantage of different incentives accordingly; a Nutmeg system for investment, Mint for money management, Virgin Money for rewards, and others beyond.

Keeping all of the details of these payment systems can be difficult, but with Curve, everything’s contained in one handy package.

There’s a clear value in a system like this, sufficient value that Coin has tried to do it, and some reports suggested that LG’s White Card would try to do something similar. An all-in-one package is hard to pass up for sheer convenience and ease of use—not to mention security; protecting one account is easier than protecting several—and Curve may have just the package users would want.