Wirecard: Updates

Marie · June 26, 2020, 10:32am

Wirecard Updates

And……... we’re back

Dear Curve Customers,

Your Curve card and all associated Curve transaction and money transfer services will be temporarily suspended with immediate effect. Please be assured, we expect to be up and running again shortly but it may take a few days. Your money and card details held at Curve are safe and secure.

This has happened because the Financial Conduct Authority* has this morning suspended its permission for Wirecard Card Solutions Limited (the company who currently issues Curve Cards) to operate, without prior notice. This action is not related to Curve - but Curve currently depends on Wirecard for operation of the Curve card.

We are already well on the way to migrating away from Wirecard but have not fully completed this process. We are now working round the clock to achieve the migration as quickly as possible and therefore expect this disruption to last for only a limited period of time.

We will continue to communicate the details of what this means for you during this interim period.

For now, please carry a backup card.

We’ll be back,
Team Curve

*Curve currently relies on Wirecard Card Solutions Limited for all its financial transactions. Until we fully migrate, we are impacted by this suspension (as are all Wirecard’s other clients to whom they provide financial transaction services).

FOR DISCUSSION - SEE Wirecard: Discussion

Latest Update: Saturday 27 June, 3:25pm

It’s all hands on deck here at Team Curve. We are quickly progressing through the transition away from Wirecard. We can confirm that we are on track to be back up and running soon. Below are some answers to additional questions you might have.

What if I have a dispute with a merchant that Curve is managing? – We are continuing to work through your merchant disputes as normal. Nothing has changed to this process. If a refund is due, we are still working through how this will happen and when. Rest assured we are doing all we can to enable this again and we will keep you updated here on next steps and timings.
Curve Black and Curve Metal Insurance Benefits – For Curve Black and Metal customers, your AXA insurance policy is still active. If you are abroad, you can continue to contact AXA for support.
Recurring payments – If you use your Curve card for any recurring payments that are due over the next few days, these will not go through. However, merchants usually follow up on failed payments several times over several days – by which time Curve should be fully operational.
Are my card details/ Curve account safe? – Yes. All of your card and personal details are protected in the same way as they always are.
Can I still use Apple/Google/Samsung Pay or wearables (Fitbit, Garmin) ? – Not right now. All services associated with the Curve card are temporarily suspended, and this includes Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and all wearables. Once we restart our services, these will restart at the same time.
What happens with my refunds? – We are currently working on resolving requests for refunds. As per our previous post, we are not yet able to process these. However, we have noted that this is an important issue to resolve for some of you.
GBIT ( Go-Back-In-Time) – At the moment you are able to access your Curve app and see your previous transactions but the Go-Back-In-Time feature will not work.

Update 28.6.20, 09:57am

ediflyer · June 27, 2020, 4:32pm

This is the official updates post, for discussion please go to Wirecard: Discussion

ediflyer · June 27, 2020, 10:12pm

Active card checks

Please note that as part of the process of moving away from Wirecard, you may receive notifications from Curve of an ‘active card check’. This will be for £0. More discussion about this in Wirecard: Discussion

Marie · June 28, 2020, 11:52am

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Marie · June 28, 2020, 1:56pm

Update: 28.6.20, 14:56pm

We’ve got a plan to bring you back the Curve that you know and love as quickly as possible. It’s a phased approach and we want to share it with you:

PHASE 1: Restore Payment Functionality

It’s our priority to allow you to pay in store and online, with your Curve card, and with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

Verifying your Cards
We’ve been migrating your payment cards onto our new platform, so you may have seen “Curve Card Checks” similar to these:

These Card Checks are nothing to be alarmed by. It’s simply a way for us to verify your card details and reconnect them to our systems as we move away from Wirecard.

If you’ve seen a micro-charge (usually less than £1) from Curve on your bank card, it’s not a real charge and it doesn’t take any money from your account. The card check is a standard process to confirm that your cards have been successfully and accurately mapped in our systems (what we call “re-tokenisation”) so that you’ll be able to make transactions securely once we’re operating again.

Through this check most of the cards have been automatically verified, however, we were unable to do this automatically for around 18% of the bank cards on our platform. This means some of you may have to re-enter your 3 digit CVV code for some of your bank cards (Don’t worry, we’ll prompt you if this is needed).

How will I know when I can spend again?
We will notify customers via email as soon as Curve is up and running again (please check your spam or junk folder if you haven’t received our first email). We’ll also announce it here, via in-app push notifications, on social, basically everywhere!

Some of you haven’t received our push notifications, this is likely because you’ve turned off push notifications from Curve. We’ll look into how we can better update our customers through in-app notifications.

PHASE 2: Continue to restore our in-app feature functionality

We know Curve is more than just payments. We want to be fully back as soon as possible. We will update this blog, social media, and send in-app notifications as we confirm features are enabled.

PHASE 3: Addressing Refunds

And for those who have asked, we want to address refunds. This process is out of our hands for the moment. It is being controlled for Wirecard by the FCA, who should advise us how they intend to manage the process. This means that if you were expecting a refund, or have initiated one, on or before Friday, 26 June 2020, we have to ask you to sit tight while we sort this out with them.

We know this is a priority for some of you, we are listening. We assure you we are working through this, and will update you every step of the way.

Marie · June 28, 2020, 3:16pm

We are working on an app release now for iOS and Android where you can verify your card by confirming the CVV. Then the card will be ready to start spending with your Curve card soon

If your card doesn’t have the “Unverified Card” banner on it is has been automatically verified.

Marie · June 28, 2020, 8:33pm

Update: 28.6.20, 9:33 pm

We are — almost — back in business! We’ve nearly completed “Phase 1” of the plan below, and we’re crossing things off our list. Here’s what will be available as of Monday June 29th, and what’s still to come:

Enable payments with your Curve Card
Enable Curve Fronted
Enable Curve Cash Points and Balance
Enable Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay
Set up Curve Send
Reconstruct Go Back in Time
Sort out Refunds (see previous post for details)

Steps to use your Curve Card again:

You’ll be prompted to update your Curve App, please do!
Some of your cards may need to be re-verified. Don’t worry, it’s easy! We’ll point out which ones and include clear instructions on what you need to do.
We need to do some extra testing tomorrow for your mobile wallet and wearables to work (i.e. Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Garmin, Fitbit and Wena), so these payments won’t be possible immediately, but shouldn’t be far behind.

Thank you for all your support so far, you’ve been fuelling Team Curve all weekend!

Marie · June 29, 2020, 7:05am

matthew.ivo · June 29, 2020, 3:31pm

Update: Monday 29.6.20, 16:30

And……Drum roll please… … We’re back! Wow, what a weekend! We know how much you were missing us, so we moved Heaven and Earth to make it happen.

As we mentioned yesterday, you’re now once again able to pay with your Curve Card, use Curve Fronted and see your balance and Curve Cash points. If you are not seeing this, check out our previous update to learn how to get your Curve app up and running again. (Updated app available in Google Store and Apple Store).

We are now working on enabling Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay as well as Garmin and Fitbit. Plus, we know how much you love the “Go back in time” feature, so we will also have that up and running again in no-time.

Enable Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay as well as Garmin and Fitbit
Reconstruct Go Back in Time
Set up Curve Send
Sort out Refunds (see previous post for details)

Is my Curve Card still valid… It says ‘issued by Wirecard’?
Yes, it’s still valid. You can still use your card, even though Wirecard’s name is still on it. And, if you’re a customer getting a new card, it will likely still say “issued by Wirecard” on the back and that’s OK.

If not Wirecard then who?
We are 100% Wirecard-free after the migration work we did this weekend.

Wirecard used to be our card issuer, but we brought that in-house and are doing that ourselves now, as a Principal Member of Mastercard.
To bring the card issuing in-house, we had legal requirements to also become an e-money issuer (we sent you a letter about this earlier this year). Therefore, we had to open settlement and safeguarding accounts (to keep your money safe) and Investec was able to accommodate our requirements over the weekend.
We still use GPS for our Curve card processing and we also thank them for pulling through for us this weekend for the migration to bring issuing in-house
We also used Wirecard as our ‘merchant acquirer’ to process the transactions of your bank cards through to make a Curve payment. Because of the shutdown of this part of the process, we had to find a new supplier, sign a contract and integrate them - all in one weekend to get the service up and running. Thank you, Checkout.com - one of Europe’s finest fintechs and, as luck would have it, the agile, flexible, hard-working heroes we needed to get us back up and running. Thank you Checkout.com - we are amazed by you already! You jumped in and worked as hard as we did to get this over the line.

Again, thank you to our amazing Partners, without you we couldn’t have done this!

Alright, that’s all for now. Over and out. (sorry, still in battle mode from the weekend).

Marie · July 1, 2020, 8:20am

Latest Update: 30.6.20, 8:00pm

FCA allows Wirecard UK to resume regulated activity

Yesterday, the FCA announced that Wirecard UK could resume its regulated activity. We are now separated from Wirecard so this news no longer directly impacts us however, we still need to figure out how to manage the refund process for purchases made prior to Friday June 26th.

Progress with Curve migration activities

Enabled Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay as well as Garmin Pay, Fitbit Pay and WENA Pay by Sony
Reconstruct Go Back in Time
Sort out Refunds (see previous post for details)
Get back Curve Send

Progress with Curve fixes & improvements:

Push provisioning → You can now add a new Curve Card to your Apple Wallet, right from the Curve app

Refunds → Our updated refund process is near completion. We’re aiming to launch the new process early next week. Read the full story here.

Auto-spend from your Cash Card → We’re building a feature to help you to spend your Cash Card without having to think about it. If you turn on this feature, we’ll automatically draw from your available Cash Card balance, as long as you have enough money to cover the full purchase. We’re aiming for a launch in 1-2 weeks.

Go Back in Time → As soon as we have refunds out, we’ll be working on getting GBiT back to you too. We hope to get this back up and running next week.

Curve Send → Once we have everything above sorted for you. We will turn our attention to getting Curve Send working again.

Marie · July 9, 2020, 6:50pm

Update: 9.7.20, 7:48pm

Progress with Curve fixes & improvements:

Refunds → Our updated refund process is now complete! ALL REFUNDS will be with you by tomorrow (10 July 2020) and will land on your Curve Cash Cards, for you to spend immediately. Soon, you’ll be able to move that money to any payment card in your Curve Wallet. Read all about it here.

Go Back in Time (GBiT) → GBiT is next on our list. We hope to get this up and running by the end of the week. Update to come.

Curve Send → Our amazing Product and Engineering Teams tell us we should expect it to be finished within 7 days.

Top Trending Questions from our Customers:
When can I expect my refund? – All refunds (before and after the #Wirecardgate) are being released today. You should see the money on your Curve Cash Card balance, to pay using these funds, select your Curve Cash before making a payment.

What if I don’t want my money on my Curve Cash Card? – We thought this might come up. This is the fastest way for us to get your money back to you, so you can spend it. The additional functionalities we’re building will allow you to move this money to a payment card, so if you don’t want your money on your Cash Card, it doesn’t need to stay there. For the moment, we ask you for patience and to use Curve Cash as if it were your payment card.

Are refunds added to my Curve Cash Card done in GBP? – Yes, for the time being, but we are working to update this. We’ll make sure it won’t count towards your limits, nor carry any fees. Please do contact us if you see this happening so we can rectify it

Find the community FAQs here: Wirecard: Refunds

matthew.ivo · July 10, 2020, 4:48pm

Update: Friday 10.7.20, 5:48pm

Progress with Curve fixes & improvements:

Refunds → All refunds are now complete and should be with you, on your Curve Cash Card.

Go Back in Time (GBiT) → It’s back! You can now GBiT any transaction after 29th June 2020. When we moved away from Wirecard on 26 June, we had to rebuild GBiT. Rebuilding meant restarting, so GBiT is technically just 11 days old now. You can still GBiT for up to 90 days, we haven’t changed that – it just has to age a bit

Curve Send → We’re working on this now. We plan to have this back to you next week. Update to follow.

We’ve really enjoyed updating you on our move away from Wirecard. We have loved all your support and feedback, and are channeling that into the creation of more one of a kind features. We’ll close this article soon but we’ll be bringing you updates more frequently on where we are going. Stay tuned!

= Finished!
= We’re working on it now.
= We’ll begin working on this soon.

Marie · July 13, 2020, 7:28pm

Update: Monday 13.7.20, 8:27pm

We’re on the road back to normalcy, and hope this is our last Wirecard-era update.

Progress with Curve fixes & improvements:

Refunds → On Friday, we said all pending refunds would hit your accounts that evening. Unfortunately, processing the final few took longer than we had expected. For those still waiting, it will land in your Curve Cash cards tonight. We are so sorry for this rocky patch.

In the next few weeks, we are building features that will transform the current experience to make spending your refunds faster and better than ever. Read more about Auto-spend and transferring money between cards in your wallet, here.

Curve Send → We are working on Send, and hope to have it done in the next few days.

Thanks for your patience. We want to make sure that we address all your feedback, and need time to do so. As soon as we’re finished with the mentioned features, we’ll update you here.

Marie · July 16, 2020, 8:32am

Update: Wednesday 15.7, 19:48pm

That’s a wrap! Our mission to simplify how you spend, see, send and save isn’t over yet, but these Wirecard migration updates have come to a close. But let’s tie up some loose ends:

Curve Send →It’s back! You can now send money to your Curve friends in the currency of your choice by using the ‘Send’ tab, just like before.

Refunds → We can now say that we’ve processed all the refunds we’ve received since the day we moved away from Wirecard.

What you need to know:

All refunds will land on your Curve Cash Card. This means that as soon as Curve receives your refund, so do you! And you can spend it immediately, rather than wait 1-5 days (like you would have before #wirecardgate).
Spend with your Curve Cash Card by selecting it in your Curve Wallet (swipe left!), and spend as you would with any other card.
You won’t be able to make any withdrawals from the Curve Cash balance in ATMs.
Remember to check that you have enough funds on your Curve Cash Card to cover your purchase!

And we’re building more features to make Curve Cash work better for you. We hear and appreciate your feedback and are in the process of building:

Clear in-app notifications when a refund hits your Curve Cash balance

An auto-spend feature that will draw from your Curve Cash as a first option

Transferring money from your Curve Cash Card to any payment card in your Curve Wallet

Adding more currencies for Curve Cash

We’ll share any news and releases both in a new blog post and through our social channels.

Over and out,
Team Curve