Curve 'all-in-one' debit card to charge 1.5% fee for HMRC payments

The Curve debit card allows you to link existing credit and debit cards to it using its app, and a key advantage of this is that you can use your Curve card at shops and other places that don't accept credit cards and then charge it to your credit card.

Another advantage is that users can earn rewards such as cashback on their linked credit card when spending through Curve, if that credit card offers such benefits.

But the company now says that customers with the Curve Black card (which costs £9.99/month) or Curve Blue (which is free) will be charged a fee of 1.5% if they complete this type of transaction – known as 'debit-fronted credit' – at HMRC, as part of a trial. Those with Curve Metal (£14.99/mth) won't be affected.

For new customers, the changes will come in immediately, and for existing customers they will come in from Friday 24 January.

Curve says that after the initial trial period it will also charge for debit-fronted credit with other Government payments, such as DVLA vehicle tax, student loan payments and any with National Savings & Investments.

For the best cards to bag cashback on when you spend, see our Credit Card Rewards guide.

What can I do if I get charged a fee for paying HMRC?

If you accidentally make a debit-fronted credit transaction and are charged a fee for this, you can reverse it.

To do this, you need to use Curve's 'Go Back in Time' function on its app, and switch the payment to a debit card.

If the payment you made was more than £1,000, you need to get in touch with Curve's customer service team at support@curve.app. This must be done within 14 days of making the payment.

You can avoid being charged a fee by using a debit card as your underlying payment card with Curve.