Mar 8, 2014, 8:10 pm
Last edit by: mia
Thread closed. Click HERE to read the new thread.
Let's crowd source things that have counted towards travel redemptions that are not so obvious
Successful
Successful - Plus Only
Unsuccessful (please mention the amount redeemed - important as anything under $25 cannot be reimbursed)
Don't forget travel purchase needs to be > $25 charge for 2,500 mile redemption
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.
Let's crowd source things that have counted towards travel redemptions that are not so obvious
Successful
- NS Hispeed Train Tickets (nshispeed.com)
- Capitaine Train Tickets (capitaine.com)
- Eurostar Train Tickets (eurostar.com)
- DB Bahn Trains Germany (bahn.de)
- Super Shuttle (mixed, worked in SF when (billed SUPERSHUTTLE EXECUCARS), worked in Boston (SUPERSHUTTLE BOSTON), failed in LA (SUPERSHUTTLE)
- rail europe on travelocity
- New York City MTA Subway Cards
- Boston MBTA Charlie Card reload & Commuter Rail passes & tickets
- San Francisco Clipper Card public transit (autoload from website)
- Norwegian Cruise Line purchase made from telephone order from vacationstogo.com
- rail JR Rail in Japan, load as tourist attraction, call in to get it credit (Post#938)
- Alaska Airlines checked baggage fee $25 charge
- Southwest Early Bird Check-in (billed separately from airfare charges)
- cheaptickets.com hotel
- Amtrak train ticket >$25 (ALB-NYP)
- Amtrak train ticket >$25 (unknown destinations)
- Buying Lifemiles from Avianca
- Primetime Shuttle (Worked from LAX-SNA)
- Orbitz.com purchase
- Priceline
- Las Vegas Show Booked through hotel
- Hotels.com
- WMATA (Washington DC Metro) Weekly pass
Successful - Plus Only
- Uber
- NYC Taxi
- Empire State Building tickets
- SF Taxi (coded as "YELLOW CARD SERVICES I")
Unsuccessful (please mention the amount redeemed - important as anything under $25 cannot be reimbursed)
- Amtrak (possibly due <$25 charge)
- IHG points and cash hotel redemption
- www.b-europe.com (SNCB rail)
- Description: ZERVE *CA WHALES Merchant Category: THEATRICAL PRODUCERS (EXCEPT MOTION PICTURES), TICKET AGENCIES...Tickets to whale watching tour purchased over the phone.
- Car2go
- Hostelbookers.com deposit (maybe the charge which is >$25 will count?)
- Thello train (France-Italy night train, codes as rail-freight)
- Trenitalia (both online and in stations, posts as rail-freight)
- Brazil airline GOL booked online codes as DIRECT MARKETING/DIRECT MARKETERS--NOT ELESWH ..
- Blue Water Rafting. Merchant category "Recreation Services -- Not elsewhere classified"
- Parking at IAH (Houston Intercontinental - on airport) -$76 (PARKING LOTS AND GARAGES)
- Parking at SNA (John Wayne Airport)
- Skyjump at Stratosphere Hotel LV $150 (01/14) - not charged by hotel.
- Gotobus.com Long Distance Buses, ~$100
- Global Entry
Don't forget travel purchase needs to be > $25 charge for 2,500 mile redemption
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.
Barclays Arrival/Arrival Cards (1.1%/2.2% travel credits)
Oct 24, 2013, 5:47 am
#316
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 207
What answers does Barclays prefer on the application page? Do they prefer cardholders who DO get cash at an ATM, thinking that would
A generate more fee income with a 25.24% cash advance interest rate OR instead
B think such people are higher risk since they waste money on ATM fees and high cash advance fees?
C neither. it doesnt matter
Do you plan to use this card to get cash at an ATM?
Yes
No
Maybe
How many times in the past 6 months have you taken a cash advance from any of your credit cards?
0
1-3
4+
A generate more fee income with a 25.24% cash advance interest rate OR instead
B think such people are higher risk since they waste money on ATM fees and high cash advance fees?
C neither. it doesnt matter
Do you plan to use this card to get cash at an ATM?
Yes
No
Maybe
How many times in the past 6 months have you taken a cash advance from any of your credit cards?
0
1-3
4+
Oct 24, 2013, 10:19 am
#317
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: Marriott Gold, Amex PR Gold, Hertz Gold, Delta Silver
Posts: 95
This was asked earlier in the thread but never got an answer (Yes, I read the entire thread this morning 
)
Is the best approach to slowly ramp up spending on this card or can I hit it hard and not worry? I was auto approved with $5k cl and will only be using this card at CVS if you get my drift... I'm thinking of moving all of my "pharmacy" spending onto it, between $10k-$20k per month. Thought? Any shutdowns by Barclays in the past?
)Is the best approach to slowly ramp up spending on this card or can I hit it hard and not worry? I was auto approved with $5k cl and will only be using this card at CVS if you get my drift... I'm thinking of moving all of my "pharmacy" spending onto it, between $10k-$20k per month. Thought? Any shutdowns by Barclays in the past?
Oct 24, 2013, 10:40 am
#318
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Antonio
Programs: AS MVP
Posts: 2,276
My wife's card has the same, we hit it pretty hard right out of the gate, and other than a fraud alert the first day we tried to do multiple $500+ transactions, no problem at all. Our family needs a lot of medicine.
Oct 24, 2013, 7:06 pm
#319
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: Marriott Gold, Amex PR Gold, Hertz Gold, Delta Silver
Posts: 95
Oct 24, 2013, 10:16 pm
#320
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX, SNA
Posts: 359
Somebody posted that his Barclays Arrival card got shutdown after just 2k of VRs at CVS. I find that somewhat suspect as all other reports have been to the contrary. However, I will probably tread lightly initially.
Last edited by dogbyte; Oct 24, 2013 at 10:32 pm
Oct 24, 2013, 10:22 pm
#321
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX, SNA
Posts: 359
Does anyone know if airport parking counts as a "travel purchase?"
Oct 25, 2013, 11:06 am
#323
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Raiegh, NC
Posts: 300
Parking might qualify for travel redemption. This week I wanted to purchase Disney 4-day hopper tickets, and then later on redeem the purchase with Barclay points. The problem was the place I was buying the tickets was not coded as "travel". So I called Barclays and explained the situation. They said it wouldn't be a problem. They opened a case, and even told me the gas we buy to drive to disney is eligible for travel miles redemptions. I plan to redeem about 200,000 points (tickets, hotel, gas) with them for this trip. Love this card!
Oct 25, 2013, 2:14 pm
#324
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 486
One thing to keep in mind when planning to use rewards for this card: once you have applied your points to a purchase, that purchase disappears from the list of purchases eligible for rewards, even if the amount of the purchase was more than the value of the points you applied. I bought a $600 flight and applied the 40k points ($400) as soon as they posted. Through subsequent spending, I now have more than 10k points ($100) but the flight is no longer available in the list of transactions.
It's probably written down in the T&C somewhere, but I thought I'd point it out anyway, as it affects strategy a little.
It's probably written down in the T&C somewhere, but I thought I'd point it out anyway, as it affects strategy a little.
Oct 25, 2013, 2:18 pm
#325
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Antonio
Programs: AS MVP
Posts: 2,276
Parking might qualify for travel redemption. This week I wanted to purchase Disney 4-day hopper tickets, and then later on redeem the purchase with Barclay points. The problem was the place I was buying the tickets was not coded as "travel". So I called Barclays and explained the situation. They said it wouldn't be a problem. They opened a case, and even told me the gas we buy to drive to disney is eligible for travel miles redemptions. I plan to redeem about 200,000 points (tickets, hotel, gas) with them for this trip. Love this card!
Oct 25, 2013, 5:06 pm
#326
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: Mileage Plus, Aadvantage, Skymiles, Marriott, Priority Club, SPG, Amtrak, Hertz
Posts: 834
I applied for the arrivals card and USAir card back in June and was rejected. I've had three US Air cards (all cancelled after a year). I really want the arrivals card for random expenses, but it looks like they're pretty strict with churners. When would it make sense to reapply?
Oct 25, 2013, 7:17 pm
#327
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP, Delta PM, HH Gold, Hyatt Diamond, Etihad Gold, Amtrak Select
Posts: 131
Datapoint: Instant approval for Arrivals card. I've had 4 inquiries this year, 2 inquiries 2 months ago and 2 inquiries 6 months ago.
This is my first Barclays card, looking forward to the relationship and can't wait to start using this!
This is my first Barclays card, looking forward to the relationship and can't wait to start using this!
Oct 26, 2013, 1:21 pm
#328
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Melbourne, Florida, USA
Posts: 2,983
I applied for the arrivals card and USAir card back in June and was rejected. I've had three US Air cards (all cancelled after a year). I really want the arrivals card for random expenses, but it looks like they're pretty strict with churners. When would it make sense to reapply?
Oct 26, 2013, 4:57 pm
#329
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: Mileage Plus, Aadvantage, Skymiles, Marriott, Priority Club, SPG, Amtrak, Hertz
Posts: 834
Oct 26, 2013, 5:15 pm
#330
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: OZ *G; HH Diamond;
Posts: 1,644
The T&C only lists:
Originally Posted by Arrival T&C
“pay for travel” (Airlines, Travel
Agencies & Tour Operators, Hotels, Motels & Resorts,
Cruise Lines, Passenger Railways and Car Rental Agencies)
Agencies & Tour Operators, Hotels, Motels & Resorts,
Cruise Lines, Passenger Railways and Car Rental Agencies)