[alextw]

Short answer is they can't any more. Each transaction has an associated MCC code which identifies the type of transaction (purchase for travel, purchase for other category, money services, cash withdrawal, etc etc - there are hundreds of them). Withdrawing cash and topping up prepaid cards have different MCC codes (if I recall, there are only about 3 MCC codes that fall under "cash advance" territory). If you pay using the actual credit card, the merhant sends the MCC code to your card issuer, who can then apply fees to their will based on what's stipulated in your CC contract and the transaction type identified by the MCC code. If you use Curve, then the merchant sends the MCC to Curve, and then Curve is responsible to tell the card issuer "some" MCC. Until recently, Curve was always passing the same MCC code, which was not a cash advance MCC code but not a purchase one either (it was a generic "other" type to save you the jargon), regardless of the type of purchase you made with the merchant. Tesco got greedy and upset about this not being able to "easily" distinguish cash advances from purchases, so they wanted to charge everyone using Curve, despite the fact that the MCC code was not a cash advance one. Legally that's problematic, but because the said transaction type is neither purchase, cash advance, money transfer or any other specifically mentioned in the contract you signed with Tesco, they took advantage of the grey area, got greedy, and introduced fees ... and is why I'll never trust or like Tesco despite having reversed their decision. What changed recently is that Curve will pass on to the card issuer the MCC passed on by the merchant. So Tesco will now receive different MCC codes, the original ones, pertaining to the transaction you made, including cash advances, and thus has no longer any legal instruments (*) to apply fees for transactions that are purchases since now said transactions are clearly identified as such and covered by your contract with tesco. (*) famous last words? challenge banks on greed? that's one challenge they're happy to take on I think

[m4a02]

wrote:
wrote:
Tesco Bank will be charging these cash transaction fees in line with Curve’s change in how they process payments. This change has come from Curve and will be the same across all credit card providers, where cash fees apply. *(typing error corrected)Thank you I understand cash transaction fees will apply, in accordance with your terms and conditions, to cash withdrawals and gambling transactions etc. Could you please clarify whether or not you will now be applying cash transaction charges to purchases of goods and services made via curve, which would not otherwise incur such charges if the purchase had not been made via curve?Thank you

[JOEL]

I can confirm cash transaction charges will not be applied to purchases made via Curve. As per Curve's recent update, they are now assigning the appropriate codes to identify when the Curve account has been used for a purchase. I hope this provides greater clarity.

[Gaoler]

The problem is that it's not always clear what a "purchase" is.I paid a friend back via a Starling Settle Up link and used Curve with my Tesco CC attached, and that attracted a cash transaction charge.How is that cash? I didn't get any money - my friend did. Could someone tell me what exactly it falls under from the T&Cs? "Cash transactions are gambling transactions, wire or
international money transfers, repaying borrowing (e.g. loans and
mortgages), purchasing non-sterling currency outside of Tesco,
payments to prepaid or virtual cards, investments, share trading and
spread betting" It's not a wire transfer, it's not a payment to a card - I can't really see what else would apply.I've contacted Curve for the MCC they forward and they replied with: "Merchant Category Code 6012 (Merchandise and Services—Customer Financial Institution)" How is that cash??

[JOEL]

MCC 6012 denotes businesses who are classified as a financial institution, with this code generally being assigned for repayment of a financial service, such as mortgage or loan repayment. If you can privately message with your full name, DOB and postcode, we’ll take a closer look at this for you.

[Gaoler]

If it's being incorrectly treated as a mortgage/loan repayment, I'll contact Tesco CS instead.

[Gaoler]

On a side note, it's incredible that there's no secure CS messaging in the app or online (as far as I can see).I'm not sure I remember how to dial a number on my phone....

[JOEL]

You can reach our credit card team 24/7 on 0345 300 4278. I would just like to clarify that our rules are based on the MCC provided. If an inaccurate MCC is provided by a merchant, this is not a fault as we are acting on the information they have given. I will record the feedback you've provided regarding the lack of secure messaging at this time.

[Jonny1623]

What's the latest with Curve and Tesco CC? I was tempted to use Curve with my Tesco CC attached for normal purchases. Are these going through ok without any cash advance charges on Tesco side?

[Tesco-Bank]

Hi , Tesco Bank will be charging these cash transaction fees in line with Curve’s change in how they process payments. This change was made by Curve and will be the same across all credit card providers, where cash fees apply - Thomas