When you use a credit card wisely it’s a great tool to have in your pocket. But it’s even better when you can earn some nice, juicy rewards that can help you travel!
That’s what the Barclaycard Arrival PlusTM World Elite MasterCard® does.
Stick around and keep reading our review and I’ll show you why the Arrival Plus World Elite is aching to be part of your credit card tool set. You’ll also see what’s it’s a great all-around travel rewards card.
The Barclaycard Arrival PlusTM World Elite MasterCard® – Rewards That Are Easy and Keep Coming Back
First a little history…
For those of you that are familiar with Barclaycards you might remember the Arrival World Mastercard. This card was already a fan favorite for travelers. Well Barclaycard gave it a facelift and re-branded the card as the Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard.
Here are some of the features that are different from the older card:
- Chip and Pin technology in the card
- Greater travel redemption options and
- Longer redemption period for using your rewards miles.
Let’s break down the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard
It’s Great for International Travel
Right off the bat this card makes international travel a little bit easier and less worrisome for you. You’re not going to pay foreign transaction fees when you use your card in other countries. Why is this important? Some other cards can charge you as much as 3% of your purchases in foreign countries. That’s an extra charge that’s better to avoid while you’re traveling.
This card also help with security. One of the new features of the card is that it sports Chip and PIN technology. This is widely used in Europe and is said to make credit cards more secure than what most cards here in that States are. It will also be more widely accepted in Europe since the Chip technology is so prevalent there.
Earn Reward Miles Fast
The Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard makes it east to earn rewards. How easy? Make $3,000 in purchases with your card in the first 90 days of having your card and you’ll get a 40,000 mile bonus. Nice way to start off. In fact that’s good for a $400 travel statement credit.
That’s the bonus. For everyday purchases you get 2x miles (2 points/miles for every $1 you spend). That’s on everything. No worries about special categories to track.
And guess what? You get points when you use your points. Huh? That’s right. When you redeem your points for travel statement credits you get 10% of your miles back toward your next redemption. Nice!
There’s also no limit to the amount of miles you can earn and your miles don’t expire so long as your account is in good standing.
Apply Now for the Barclaycard Arrival PlusTM World Elite MasterCard®
Easy Reward Miles Redemption With Lots of Choices
“So how do I redeem my points and where can I use them,” you ask? Great question!
Your best value for your points is to redeem them as a travel statement credit. Once your travel purchase shows up on your statement you can ask to have your points redeemed towards the travel. This will show up as a statement credit on your next statement. No need to sweat the timing, you have 120 days to redeem (so no sweating but still make sure you keep track, okay?).
“OK, but what do they consider travel, huh,” you’re asking yourself? I’ll tell you. One of the great things about this card is how broad travel is defined. You aren’t stuck with one airline or hotel here. Here are the categories that are listed: “airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, campgrounds, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, tourist attractions, discount travel sites, trains, buses, taxis, limousines, and ferries.”
Whoa, that’s a lot.
Bear in mind these categories are determined by the merchant code the travel company is using for their charge. When you use your card the merchant has a code that’s attached to the purchase that tells the credit company what category the purchase is. This generally isn’t an issue but there can be some instances where a merchant doesn’t use a code that will be recognized as travel by Barclaycard.
Remember I said that travel statement credit were your best bet? You might be thinking there are other options to redeem and you’d be correct. You can also redeem your points as cash back statement credits, gift cards, or merchandise. Bear in mind though that your value is half of what it would be if you redeemed your points for travel so that’s always going to be your best bet.
0% APR On Balance Transfers
This card has gotten more intriguing with the addition of a 0% Intro APR for 12 months on balance transfers. This is good for any transfers you make within 45 days of opening your account. After your intro period ends you’ll have a variable rate from 14.99%-18.99% depending on your creditworthiness.
Throw In Some FICO While You’re At It
An interesting perk to the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard is you will also get complimentary FICO Score access. This is nice as you can see how your purchases and payment history are affecting your credit score.
Finally, Is the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard For Me?
Do you travel often in one of the travel categories Barclaycard lists for travel statement redemption? Obviously if you don’t use a card much in one of the travel categories then you won’t be getting your best value with this card. Their redemption is pretty broad but make sure your purchases make it worth using. On that note you should be someone that uses their card often and spends a good amount with credit. You should know the card does have an annual fee of $89 that is waived the first year. Will you be spending enough on travel to cover the fee?
With the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard you are getting a great 40,000 mile bonus, Chip technology in the card, no foreign transaction fees, and an easy-to-understand and apply points redemption.
If you’re looking for a great all-around travel rewards card this might be the one for you.
Apply Now for the Barclaycard Arrival PlusTM World Elite MasterCard®
I love this card — it paid my entire hotel bill for FinCon13 (and I didn’t act early enough to get the early bird rate). I cancelled the card, though, to avoid the annual fee.
I’m about to open up another card to pay for my FinCon14 hotel costs, but first I have to meet the minimum spend on a JetBlue card so I can *get* to FinCon for free 😉
It looks like there are some great rewards here. I’m always interested in how cards compare to each other. Do you think this is one of the best ones available currently?
I clicked on “apply now” and it sent me to a website that said, “This card is no longer available, please choose one of the following credit cards.” Do you think Barclay’s stopped offering this card?