Curve Pay has come to the iPhone and offers more freedom than Apple Pay
British fintech Curve decided not to wait for nature's favour - and took advantage of the new DMA (Digital Markets Act) rules in the European Union. As a result, from 2025, iPhone owners in the EU have an alternative to Apple Pay, which not only repeats the capabilities of the original, but also offers something more interesting.
Here's What We Know
Curve Pay now officially works on iPhones with NFC - directly bypassing the traditional monopoly Apple Pay. This is made possible by the DMA, which requires tech giants to open up access to the NFC chip to third-party developers. Curve is one of the first to jump at the chance.
The Curve Pay chip is multi-card. The user can link several bank cards at once (including not only MasterCard and Visa, but also PayPal) and choose which of them to pay with right during the transaction. This is especially convenient for those who are used to manoeuvring between different sources of funds. Curve Pay can also be made the default payment method - with access right from the iPhone's lock screen.
Interestingly, Curve has been offering similar services to Android users for a while now, and has been issuing its own card that combines payment means into one. But it's the launch of NFC on the iPhone that is the real breakthrough in Apple's closed ecosystem.
