Credit Cards

Credit Cards UK: Reviews, Curve & Smarter Borrowing

Looking for clear credit cards UK advice without the hard sell? This category covers how credit cards work, when they help, and when they hurt — including Curve card and Curve Metal reviews, Amex alternatives, rewards, and real talk about credit card debt.

Used well, the best credit cards UK shoppers pick can add purchase protection and cashback. Used badly, interest piles up fast. These guides explain Curve vs Amex-style perks, consumer protection benefits, and practical steps if balances are getting out of control.

Popular reads: Curve Metal card — good alternative to Amex?, why you should never be without a credit card, and dealing with £9,000 of credit card debt.

Explore the articles below to compare options more carefully and avoid common credit mistakes.

Curve Metal Card – Good Alternative to Amex?

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Curve is a new generation of debit card. A “Smart Card”. Curve is not a bank nor a prepaid card. The best way to think about Curve is a card that is powered by your existing debit and credit cards. That is to say, when you pay for something with Curve, the transaction takes place between Curve and the company you’re purchasing from. Before the transaction is fully processed, Curve requests for authorisation from the underlying card that you’ve selected to power your Curve card. For those interested, a more technical and detailed explanation of this process can be found here.

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Three ways these fintechs might make you richer

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There’s a guy I work with who, I don’t think he’d mind me saying, is obsessed with credit cards- he has around 8 of them! Why is he so into credit cards? Well, he tells me it’s “all about the points”. Originally from Hong Kong, he regularly flies back to visit family and so it’s no surprise that one of his most frequently used cards is his Virgin Atlantic Reward Card which allows him to accrue air miles, saving him hundreds of pounds each year!

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Why you should never be without a credit card

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I previously wrote about some credit card debt I am poised to pay off (since the 0% interest period is coming to an end). Upon doing so, I was planning to do without a credit card for a while- at least until Apple Card launches here in the UK (Daily Cash representing 2% cashback on all purchases sounds amazing). But a colleague recently reminded me of an important reason you should always have a credit card at your disposal. In order to explain, allow me to retell his story…

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I’m in £9,000 of debt

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“Debt” is a word that can spark many different emotions in us. A basic rate taxpayer in debt by anything over £1,000 is likely to feel anything ranging from anxiety and shame, right through to apathy derived from a “well, what can I do?” conclusion on the matter.

Recently, the news that reality TV star Mike Thalassitis committed suicide partly due to his mounting debts has been a stark reminder that debt can sadly take some people to the darkest of places, and destroy lives.

What follows is my own personal experience of debt which I preface by saying has been managed very carefully…

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