top of page

Barclaycard Arrival Plus In-Depth Review

 

Stats:

Opened: 10/2013

Offer: 40k Miles after $3k spend in 90 days

Annual Fee: $89, waived first year (Call to waive after first year)

Instant Approval: Yes, online

FICO Score: 763

Initial Credit Line: $5k

7month CLI: $10k, hard pull

Current Credit Line: $10k

Monthly Spend: $300-$1000

 

Pros:

  • Highest all around rewards rate (2.2 cents per dollar)

  • Easy to waive annual fee

  • Free FICO score

  • Nevada-based Customer Support team that really works with you (more details below)

 

Cons:

  • Every customer initiated CLI results in a hard pull

  • FICO score updates only every 90 days or so (Discover cards update monthly)

 

I've had my Arrival Plus for almost 2 years and it is, hands down, my favorite reward credit card out there. I use my Amex Platinum the most, but it is (1) not a credit card, but rather a charge card and (2) more of a premium travel benefits card. (See the difference between a charge card and credit card here) I don't think the Membership Rewards program is great, but I do believe Barclays has the most competitive rate of return out there among all reward cards at 2.2 cents per dollar, beating out cards like the Capital One Venture and the Citi Double Cash, if the rewards are redeemed for travel-related expenses.

 

Here's how to get the full value from the Arrival Plus card:

  • Use the points to offset (erase) travel-related purchases charged to the card

    • If you use the points to erase non-travel related expenses, each point is only worth $0.01 instead of $0.02

  • Get 10% back in points redeemed

    • Ie. If I used 10,000 points to offset a $100 travel-related charge, I will get 1,000 points re-deposited in my point balance.

This effectively means that, when redeemed for travel in the form of statement credit, you earn $0.022 per dollar spend. This applies for all purchases since there are no rotating bonuses, making this the most competitive everyday rewards card. No other card out there nets 2.2 cents per dollar spend on EACH and EVERY purchase. 

 

Yes, there is an annual fee, but it is waived the first year. I got it waived the second year too by kindly asking a Customer Service Supervisor to do so. NOTE: the first level customer service reps CANNOT waive the annual fee for you. You HAVE to specifically ASK to speak with a supervisor and tell the supervisor you would like request for the annual fee to be waived. I spent just under $5,000 in the one year period from 10/2013 to 10/2014, with $0 spend from April to October (I started using my British Airways Visa to get the 100,000 bonus for $20k spend). Therefore, I'm pretty certain it is relatively easy for the supervisor to waive the annual fee. This year, so far, I have spent under $2,000 on the card so it might be a little trickier to get the fee waived, but when it comes time for that again, I'll let you all know.

 

Now I mentioned that the customer service team really works with you and this is absolutely the case. My partner applied for this card in January 2015 and the application was not automatically approved. We called their credit department (866-408-4064) and they took a minute to review credit and came back with an approval at $10k. We asked if he could go higher and he said he could do $12.5k. Our thought process was to get as much as possible as any customer initiated CLI further down the road will result in a hard pull so get as much now since the application already resulted in a hard pull. This was not the only case customer service really worked with us. My partner also failed to spend $3000 within 90 days to get the signup bonus (fell short about $100...carelessness). Customer service opened an investigation and within a week, we were notified that they will apply the 40k bonus points anyways and they even apologized for the inconvenience even though this was completely our fault. Therefore, I'm amazed by how willing their customer service team is to go the extra mile. Way to go!

 

I haven't really used any other benefit of this card. I know it is a World Elite Mastercard, which comes with certain perks, but most people won't even use those perks. I think some of the perks are like private jet discounts and a 24/7 concierge. Most of us will never enjoy the luxury of flying first class, let alone private jets. As far as the concierge goes, I also get this service through my multiple Visa Signature cards and my Amex Platinum. I've never used the concierge with my Visa Signature cards and tried to get Cheesecake Factory reservations through the Amex Platinum concierge, but they were never able to come through...I know...Cheesecake Factory does not take reservations, but they always have such a long wait I figured I'd at least try. A good friend of mine has the Amex Blackcard (Centurion) and he's been able to skip countless lines and has a dedicated Amex rep to help him out with all his needs. Think he said he even has her cell phone so he's always able to reach her directly. But this type of service doesn't come cheap. He told me he spends between $150k-$200k a MONTH on his Blackcard and no, not manufactured spending. ;)

 

Anyways, I apologize for digressing, but as you can probably see by now, many cards come with core benefits like purchase protection, extended warranty, concierge, etc... that most people never use. I am truly satisfied by the great rewards program Barclays offers and the great customer service team they have in Nevada. Therefore, I'd highly recommend this card, especially with the great signup bonus, which, if you play your cards right, equates to $480 in travel. All with no annual fee.

 

 

 

 

bottom of page