Curve, a leading UK-based fintech company with over 5 million users, is reshaping how people manage their finances by consolidating multiple payment cards into a single smart card, all managed through its intuitive app. With features like cashback rewards, smart spending tools, and greater control over transactions, Curve is putting its users firmly in charge of their finances.
Checkout.com has been working with Curve since 2020, helping the company overcome critical challenges, optimize payment performance, and reduce costs. Below, we’ll explore how this partnership continues to deliver results.
In 2020, Curve faced a critical disruption when its legacy payment service provider had its licence abruptly suspended in the UK. This left 1.4 million users unable to access the service. Curve urgently needed a payments partner that could restore stability, deliver high performance, and provide transparent pricing—while being flexible enough to adapt to its unique business model. Fast forward a mere 60 hours, and Curve’s customers were able to spend again, with payments processed by Checkout.com.
With the immediate crisis resolved, Curve needed support with its medium-term focus: achieving continuous expansion, improving payment performance, and reducing costs.
Checkout.com focused on delivering tailored solutions to ensure Curve’s operational continuity. The partnership began with the rapid deployment of Checkout.com’s acquiring services designed to handle the demands of a growing, innovative business like Curve, offering flexibility to adapt to evolving market needs.
To further enhance operational efficiency and support its growth ambitions, Curve implemented Checkout.com’s Intelligent Acceptance. A combination of Checkout.com’s in-depth transaction analysis followed by recommendations on how to submit payment requests to issuers helped increase successful authorizations, reducing friction in the customer experience.
In addition to technical solutions, Checkout.com worked closely with Curve to navigate compliance and onboarding challenges, collaborating with Visa and Mastercard to ensure global regulatory requirements were met.
Curve’s core focus has always been on driving continuous expansion, improving performance, and reducing costs.
So how did we contribute to achieving these goals?
With the implementation of Intelligent Acceptance and Checkout.com’s acquiring services, Curve has achieved a consistent 96% payment approval rate, which increases to nearly 99% when excluding insufficient funds.
Cost optimization has been transformative for Curve. By implementing local payment methods like Carte Bancaire in France, adopting card scheme products such as Network Tokens, and setting up local entities to access discounted fees, Checkout.com has helped Curve reduce its processing costs by seven basis points. With a monthly processing volume of approximately £300 million, this equates to more than £2.5 million in annual savings.
The partnership has also been instrumental in supporting Curve’s global growth ambitions. Since partnering with Checkout.com, Curve has onboarded four new entities and is actively preparing for further expansion into new markets. These milestones highlight the scalability and adaptability of the solutions provided by Checkout.com.
Reflecting on the success, Curve’s VP of Payment Solutions, Lotan Ganot, emphasized Checkout.com’s pivotal role: “We couldn’t have achieved these results without Checkout.com’s dedication to the cost reduction plan. Their amazing team, deep knowledge of payments, transparency, and willingness to share insights have been instrumental—especially the analytical brilliance of their Account Management and Pricing teams.”
Looking ahead, Curve is focused on global expansion, exploring new markets, and broadening its payment options by introducing alternative payment methods alongside its card-based offerings. From improving payment performance to driving cost efficiencies, Checkout.com continues to be a trusted partner in Curve’s growth journey.
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