Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Credit, Debit and Prepaid Card Programs > Credit Card Programs
Reload this Page >

Barclays Arrival Plus, now 70K w/$5k spend

Community
Wiki Posts
Search
Old May 14, 2014, 1:15 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: rrgg
This thread is a continuation of the discussion posted here from 12.08.2012 - 5.13.2014: Barclays Arrival/Arrival Cards (1.05%/2.1% travel credits)

Current offer for Arrival Plus is 70K pts w/$5K spend & AF waived 1st year.


Barclays says that you earn “miles” but you’re actually earning cash back with the card since you can’t transfer your Barclays miles to airlines. But you can redeem them for statement credits at 0.5 cents per mile (poor value) or 1.05 cent per mile if you redeem for travel.

You get 5% of your miles back if you redeem for travel, so 40,000 miles gets you $400 towards travel and 2,000 miles back (5% of your miles back). You must have at least 10K 'miles' in your acct if you wish to redeem as a travel credit. 2500 'miles' can be redeemed for a stmt credit though.

If you want, you can redeem miles to cover a portion of a travel charge instead of the full amount. For example, if you have 80k miles and a $740 airline charge, you can choose to redeem just 70k to cover $700 of the charge.

You earn 2X miles on all purchases, so you’re effectively getting 2% cash back for each purchase. But since you get 5% of your miles back when you redeem for travel, this is effectively a 2.1% cash back card when miles are redeemed for travel.

This makes the Barclaycard Arrival PlusTM World Elite MasterCard® (with 2.1% cash back for travel) better than the Capital One Venture card which offers only 2 miles per $1 or 2% cash back, only if you spend $30k+ per year after first year, because Arrival Plus AF is $30 more than Venture.

If you receive a call from 302-255-8000 after applying for this or any other Barclay's card, it is a legit number! You can also call them back directly at 866-951-1437.




Very Old Wiki Info ---
Regarding official company representatives
Note that there is an official procedure for company representatives to register themselves with the FlyerTalk Community Director and verify their credentials. When that process is completed, the username will turn green in posts, rather than the standard blue.

Anyone who does not appear in green has not followed this procedure. Those posts should be considered the same as any other user's posts. It is important to remember that the moderation team does not generally monitor the veracity of any posts; it is up to you to judge a poster's content and history yourself.


Let's crowd source things that have counted towards travel redemptions that are not so obvious

="3"%Successful
Don't forget travel purchase needs to be > $100 charge for 10K mile redemption
  • 9/11 Museum and Memorial - NYC
  • Accuracy Limo (via Square, Salt Lake City, UT limo service)
  • ACE Adventures (West Virginia White Water Rafting), had to call in to get it processed manually
  • agoda.com
  • AirAsia Flights (airasia.com)
  • airbnb bookings
  • airbnb GC purchased on United MPX site
  • Alaska Airlines checked baggage fee $25 charge
  • Amazing Bike Tours Thailand
  • AA Gift Card
  • American Airlines telephone booking (including booking fee)
  • Amtrak train ticket >$25 (ALB-NYP)
  • Amtrak train ticket >$25 (unknown destinations)
  • Arrival+ Annual Fee
  • Argosy Cruises (SEA, classified as RECREATION)
  • Autoeurope.com
  • BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) San Francisco
  • Balloons over Bagan
  • Bieber bus tickets
  • Boston MBTA Charlie Card reload & Commuter Rail passes & tickets
  • Burj Khalifa observation decks
  • Buying Lifemiles from Avianca
  • Capitaine Train Tickets (capitaine.com)
  • Carmel Limo (NYC car service)
  • carrentals.com
  • cheaptickets.com hotel
  • Chinese Visa Application Fees (had to call in. Credit showed up in account in 2 business days. See Post 912 and 921 for details)
  • City Taxi (Tampa)
  • CostcoTravel
  • Cotai Waterjet (Hong Kong)
  • CT Limo
  • Daily Getaways purchase of HHonors points
  • DB Bahn Trains Germany (bahn.de)
  • Disneyland Hong Kong (Manual redemption required)
  • DriveNow - all locations in EU/US
  • Dublin Bus Tours Hop on, Hop off (Green)
  • Eiffel Tower (manual redemption by phone allowed)
  • Empire State Building tickets
  • Enterprise rent-a-car, paid at the counter when returning the car (used Chase United Visa initially for primary coverage, but asked to pay with a different card when returning the car)
  • Eurostar Train Tickets (eurostar.com)
  • Europcar.com
  • Expedia.com
  • Hertz Rent-a-Car (booked on hertz.com)
  • Hong Kong Airport Express Pass
  • Hotel bookings through Rocketmiles (even refundable bookings or those tied to other promotions)
  • Hotels.com
  • Hotwire
  • ItaliaRail (online booking agency for TrenItalia)
  • LA Swamp Tours, Steamboat cruise, Haunted History Tours (New Orleans)
  • Lahaina-Maui Ferry Tickets - booked online at www.go-lanai.com
  • Las Vegas Show Booked through hotel
    Las Vegas show tickets booked online (Mandalay Bay Box office)
  • Limo Charges - Two limo charges that I made in March PRIOR the the recent changes to what qualifies as "Travel" showed up as eligible travel charges. I guess with the changes to what's covered, and for how long, these got pulled back in.
  • Lyft
  • M-Life advance reservation deposit
  • Montway Auto Transport (deposit)
  • New York City MTA Subway Cards
  • New York Waterways Ferry (between NJ and NYC)
  • Ngong Ping 360 (Hong Kong)
  • Norwegian Cruise Line purchase made from telephone order from vacationstogo.com
  • Norwegian Cruise Line (deposits and payments)
  • NS Hispeed Train Tickets (nshispeed.com)
  • NYC Taxi
  • Orbitz.com purchase
  • ORCA card for Seattle area tolls (considered the very typical GOVERNMENT SERVICES NOT ELSEWHERE CLASSIFIED)
  • Paris RATP Metro/VATP (buy 10-ticket pack for >$25 and save cost)
  • PeruRail (Machu Picchu train)
  • PMRF Beach Cottages (Kauai)
  • Priceline
  • Primetime Shuttle (Worked from LAX-SNA)
  • rail europe on Travelocity
  • rail JR Rail in Japan, load as tourist attraction, call in to get it credit (Post#938)
  • Safari Helicopter Tour (Kauai)
  • Sandals.com resort booking (unique vacations) was not redeemable last year. Is redeemable online now
  • SEASTREAK LLC - NYC (Commuter Ferri)
  • Singapore Cable Car
  • Southwest $100 gift card
  • Southwest Early Bird Check-in (billed separately from airfare charges)
  • Spirit of NY Dinner Cruises - www.spiritcruises.com, which have cruises in several other cities as well.
  • Starwood Vacation Ownership (SPG Timeshare) Westin Princeville Kauai (coded as Timeshare).
  • St Pauls Cathedral (manual redemption by phone allowed)
  • Super Shuttle (mixed, worked in SF when (billed SUPERSHUTTLE EXECUCARS), worked in Boston (SUPERSHUTTLE BOSTON), failed in LA (SUPERSHUTTLE), Worked in Cancun.
  • Taxi in Zürich
  • Top of the Rock tickets - NYC
  • Trenitalia Online
  • Trimet (Portland OR public transportation)
  • Trip Advisor Rental
  • TurboJET (Hong Kong)
  • Uber
  • Uber GC through MPX $100 (re-confirmed 11/1/2018, using Arrival Premier)
  • United Baggage Fee
  • Universal Studio Orlando tickets (had to call in)
  • Viator (sightseeing/tours)
  • Victoria Clipper (passenger ferry)
  • Wedding at the Stratosphere's Chapel in the Clouds (billed as stratosphere)
  • Windsor Castle (manual redemption by phone allowed)
  • Wine purchases from different wine tasting rooms
  • WMATA (Washington DC Metro) - [[COLOR="Red"]reconfirmed 10/5/15]
  • Zipcar

    ="3"%Unsuccessful (please mention the amount redeemed - important as anything under $25 $100 cannot be reimbursed)
    Partial redemptions are possible - however you cannot redeem against that charge again. So if you have a $500 charge and you spend 40K points against it, you cannot redeem 10K points for the remaining $100 of that charge.
  • www.b-europe.com (SNCB rail)
  • Amtrak (possibly due <$25 charge)
  • Blue Water Rafting. Merchant category "Recreation Services -- Not elsewhere classified"
  • Brazil airline GOL booked online codes as DIRECT MARKETING/DIRECT MARKETERS--NOT ELESWH ..
  • Broadmoor Hotel Food and Beverage (Colorado Spring, CO)
  • budgetair.co.uk (charged >$200)
  • Car2go
  • De Palm Tours, Aruba (classified as Recreation. Called Barclay twice.)
  • Description: ZERVE *CA WHALES Merchant Category: THEATRICAL PRODUCERS (EXCEPT MOTION PICTURES), TICKET AGENCIES...Tickets to whale watching tour purchased over the phone.
  • Evan Evans Sightseeing tours (UK based)- http://www.evanevanstours.co.uk
  • Fastrak tag autoload for San Francisco bridge tolls ($25)
  • Global Entry
  • Gotobus.com Long Distance Buses, ~$100
  • Homeaway.com, posts as real estate. Barclays said they'd make a one-time exception but future purchases won't count as travel.
  • Hostelbookers.com deposit (maybe the charge which is >$25 will count?)
  • Hotels.com Gift Card
  • IHG points and cash hotel redemption
  • Malaysian Overnight Train KUL-SIN (ktmb.com.my)
  • Monterey Aquarium
  • Parking at DCA - $136 (7/9/19)
  • Parking at HSV ($96 in parking at Huntsville International Airport)
  • Parking at IAH (Houston Intercontinental - on airport) -$76 (PARKING LOTS AND GARAGES)
  • Parking at LAS
  • Parking at LGA $204
  • Parking at Port Imperial, Weehawken, NJ
  • Parking at SNA (John Wayne Airport)
  • San Francisco Clipper Card public transit (autoload from website)
  • Skyjump at Stratosphere Hotel LV $150 (01/14) - not charged by hotel.
  • Space Needle and Chihuly Garden Tickets
  • Starwood points purchase (BUSINESS SERVICES NOT ELSEWHERE CLASSIFIED)
  • Taxi Magic /Curb- Taxi service
  • Thello train (France-Italy night train, codes as rail-freight)
  • Trenitalia (both online and in stations, posts as rail-freight)
  • UBER eGift Card (bought through the UBER app) for $100 - Not coded as "travel," so couldn't redeem online and they wouldn't do it over the phone, either.



Airlines that post purchases of multiple tickets as one amount or split them:

One Amount
BA (USD based award ticket)

Multiple Transactions
UA (award)
DL (award)

Print Wikipost

Barclays Arrival Plus, now 70K w/$5k spend

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Oct 23, 2014, 10:35 am
  #1306  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: BOS/BDL
Programs: MileagePlus Club, Amex Platinum, AAdvantage, SkyMiles
Posts: 232
Originally Posted by Superorb
Capital One does 3 hard credit checks when you apply for any of their cards. NO credit card is worth 3 inquiries. None of them.
Maybe not to you. First of all, hard checks do not have that great an impact on score. Secondly, some people are not very affected by their credit score.

So, for some, ANY credit card is worth 3 inquiries. For others, NO credit card is worth even 1 inquiry. All depends on your situation.
dnwaldmann is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2014, 11:56 am
  #1307  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 4,166
Originally Posted by dnwaldmann
Maybe not to you. First of all, hard checks do not have that great an impact on score. Secondly, some people are not very affected by their credit score.

So, for some, ANY credit card is worth 3 inquiries. For others, NO credit card is worth even 1 inquiry. All depends on your situation.
It's not my score I'm worried about, it's a number of inquiries. Most banks will not loan you money or approve a CC application if you've got a ton of inquiries, and each one counts.

Originally Posted by alexmt
No, here's why. Almost no one pulls Transunion so the Transunion pull is minimal and almost irrelevant. Equifax is pulled far less than Experian. Thus, Capital One is really basically just another Experian pull because those are the only ones that really matter for getting other cards.
I love how you try to rationalize this. You don't happen to have a CapOne card, do you?
Superorb is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2014, 2:30 pm
  #1308  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Originally Posted by sam007
if i cancel a hotel after I have applied the miles to the charge and get a refund from the hotel, do I stand to lose anything?


I don't understand. You can only apply "miles" to completed charges. If you cancel a reservation before staying there, you have no charge to apply anything to. Or did I misunderstand your question?
Brugge is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2014, 4:23 pm
  #1309  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,750
Originally Posted by sam007
Guys - I'm confused about how to best apply travel credits. I have 45,916 miles to use. I have two transactions so far - $118 and $122. What's the best way of applying the miles to these?

Thx
Are they exactly even numbers without cents?

For $118 you can redeem 11800, for $122 you can redeem 12200.

However if your $118 is actually $118.20 for example, you would need to redeem 11900 to cover the $118.20 if you want to cover the whole amount. This also means you lose 80 miles in this redemption.

Or, you can redeem at $25 increments, meaning $100 for 10000, then left $18.20 still on your statement.

Do note that an expense can only be redeemed ONCE. So it is up to you to decide whether you are willing to lose 80 miles or to "lose" $18.20 redeemable amount. The choice is obvious to me but only you yourself to decide what would be best for you.
Happy is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2014, 5:53 pm
  #1310  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 5
Hey all...quick question about the RewardsBoost.

For example it says if I shop through Barclay for Apple I will get 2pts/dollar. I have the arrival+ card that already gives (2pts/dollar). Does this mean for my Apple purchase I will get 4pts/dollar?

Thanks!
EC99SS is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2014, 7:06 pm
  #1311  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 41
I don't have any history with Barclay's but am looking at grabbing this card. Just got a preapproval in the mail for the basic version (no bonus) today.

Should I just apply for the 40k version or is there any benefit to calling about the basic card and ask to upgrade ?

Not sure if it matters but figured I'd ask here first.

Thanks,

Chris
logan115 is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2014, 9:45 pm
  #1312  
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Michigan
Programs: AA, UA, DL, UR, IHG platnium, AirAsia
Posts: 323
Originally Posted by Happy
Are they exactly even numbers without cents?

For $118 you can redeem 11800, for $122 you can redeem 12200.

However if your $118 is actually $118.20 for example, you would need to redeem 11900 to cover the $118.20 if you want to cover the whole amount. This also means you lose 80 miles in this redemption.

Or, you can redeem at $25 increments, meaning $100 for 10000, then left $18.20 still on your statement.

Do note that an expense can only be redeemed ONCE. So it is up to you to decide whether you are willing to lose 80 miles or to "lose" $18.20 redeemable amount. The choice is obvious to me but only you yourself to decide what would be best for you.
I'd just redeem against the entire amount. Losing 80 miles is peanuts in cases like this.
JamieDee78 is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2014, 1:50 am
  #1313  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SF
Programs: UA, VX, QF, EY, VA
Posts: 756
Originally Posted by logan115
I don't have any history with Barclay's but am looking at grabbing this card. Just got a preapproval in the mail for the basic version (no bonus) today.

Should I just apply for the 40k version or is there any benefit to calling about the basic card and ask to upgrade ?

Not sure if it matters but figured I'd ask here first.

Thanks,

Chris
You can't upgrade. The basic version is almost useless.
patrick.barnes is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2014, 1:51 am
  #1314  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SF
Programs: UA, VX, QF, EY, VA
Posts: 756
Originally Posted by EC99SS
Hey all...quick question about the RewardsBoost.

For example it says if I shop through Barclay for Apple I will get 2pts/dollar. I have the arrival+ card that already gives (2pts/dollar). Does this mean for my Apple purchase I will get 4pts/dollar?

Thanks!
Yup.
patrick.barnes is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2014, 5:44 am
  #1315  
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,135
guys - before the annual fee hits, I plan to downgrade. Can you redeem for travel credit with the basic card and what do you lose?

Thx
sam007 is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2014, 9:14 am
  #1316  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SF
Programs: UA, VX, QF, EY, VA
Posts: 756
Originally Posted by sam007
guys - before the annual fee hits, I plan to downgrade. Can you redeem for travel credit with the basic card and what do you lose?

Thx
Works the same as the AF version, except that you don't earn 2% on all purchases.

Redemption works the same.However I'm not sure if you get to keep your points from the AF version when you downgrade, so you might want to redeem them first.
patrick.barnes is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2014, 9:53 am
  #1317  
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: BAY AREA
Posts: 1,125
Hi Guys
Does it matter if I ask for a limit increase online or call it in.
trikotret is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2014, 10:49 am
  #1318  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SF
Programs: UA, VX, QF, EY, VA
Posts: 756
Originally Posted by trikotret
Hi Guys
Does it matter if I ask for a limit increase online or call it in.
No. They call you anyway.
patrick.barnes is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2014, 11:46 am
  #1319  
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,762
Have they announced yet when they will be issuing the free card with an emv chip? Is it available yet?
JEFFJAGUAR is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2014, 2:52 pm
  #1320  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 41
Originally Posted by patrick.barnes
You can't upgrade. The basic version is almost useless.
Thanks, guess I'll just recycle the mailer....

Chris
logan115 is offline  


Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.