May 14, 2014, 1:15 pm
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.
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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
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)
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)
Barclays Arrival Plus, now 70K w/$5k spend
Sep 21, 2017, 7:34 pm
#3976
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,740
That is perfectly fine. There are plenty alternatives to take up the bonus category of the CSP. We did not have any Sapphire card for the past 3+ years until the CSR came along. Can't see we would miss a CSP if there is no bonus anyway.
Sep 22, 2017, 8:43 am
#3977
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,857
I'm guessing it either said or meant new accounts. Inquiries would be no problem for lots of us.
Sep 22, 2017, 11:15 am
#3978
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Wine Country, Finger Lakes
Programs: LFFRS BOD
Posts: 1,355
The letter definitely said inquiries, not new accounts? For new accounts, I'm at about 20/24, but for inquiries, I'd be at 1/24 for the bureau Barclays pulls (TU). They're the only one that pulls that bureau.
I'm guessing it either said or meant new accounts. Inquiries would be no problem for lots of us.
I'm guessing it either said or meant new accounts. Inquiries would be no problem for lots of us.
Sep 22, 2017, 12:14 pm
#3979
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: EWR
Programs: World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, UA Mileage Plus
Posts: 1,255
RE: Barclay Arrival
Was wondering on the basis of experience if someone could answer regarding how to get the best bang for the buck on redemptions when the points on account are insufficient for total giveback.
I want to buy an airline ticket for my DD for Oct. travel, since she won't make it home for the holidays. I am planning on a FC ticket for about $377 on AA. I definitely won't spend enough on the Arrival even in 90 days to reach enough to hit the total.
What should I plan on for points strategy? Does Barclay do partial redemptions over $100 by rounding to the twenty-fives?
To be more specific, the coach fare is $255.00, so in my mind if I get, say, $250 back, that would be acceptable. But is it realistic to think that on a $377 ticket, I could expect Barclay to offer such a variable option? What would be an approximate expectation, if anybody knows?
Thanks for reading.
Was wondering on the basis of experience if someone could answer regarding how to get the best bang for the buck on redemptions when the points on account are insufficient for total giveback.
I want to buy an airline ticket for my DD for Oct. travel, since she won't make it home for the holidays. I am planning on a FC ticket for about $377 on AA. I definitely won't spend enough on the Arrival even in 90 days to reach enough to hit the total.
What should I plan on for points strategy? Does Barclay do partial redemptions over $100 by rounding to the twenty-fives?
To be more specific, the coach fare is $255.00, so in my mind if I get, say, $250 back, that would be acceptable. But is it realistic to think that on a $377 ticket, I could expect Barclay to offer such a variable option? What would be an approximate expectation, if anybody knows?
Thanks for reading.
To use the max amount of points you want to have as close to 10000 points as possible and redeem for $100. You’ll be left with approximately 500 points stranded once you get your 5% redemption.
Sep 28, 2017, 11:11 am
#3980
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 322
Any recent datapoints on AirBnB gift cards?
Sep 28, 2017, 12:38 pm
#3981
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 33
Had to apply for the 40k as I was applying for other cards when the 50k offer was still live. I was 9/12 on inquiries, 5/12 on new accounts and was auto approved. All these inquiries were on my EX though and Barclays typically pulls TU. Also strangely, I didn't see a hard pull on my TU yet.
I SM'd to try to get the offer matched but no go.
I SM'd to try to get the offer matched but no go.
Sep 30, 2017, 10:54 am
#3982
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 790
Hate to be negative, since I know you are in a hurry, but it's my understanding that Barclays is reluctant to approve more than one Barclays account in a 6 month period. So depending on when you applied in Jan, you might want to wait a few more weeks so as to be over the 6 month threshold. But absolutely apply for the Barclays card first, then the B of A, and lastly the Chase. If you get lucky, Barclays will pull TU, and that HP won't show up for B/A when (as for me at least) they check with Exp. Since it can take some time for a new card to show up on a CR (the HP is immediate) if you apply for the B/A right after you get approved for the Barclays the B/A will be much easier. Then wait a few weeks at least before you apply for the Chase since they will most likely (yes, I'm guessing here} see the B/A HP even if the new card doesn't yet show up on the CR. Done in this sequence you have a very good chance of getting all 3 approved. Of course, YMMV, but this is the route of highest probability.
I saw the notice of the Arrival+ bonus of 50K points ending so I applied in mid Sept. Sadly they laughed at my 6 new card accounts in the last 12 months (maybe 7 depending on when things fell off) and denied me. I got the AA Aviator from them in Jan 17 but I do not think that alone had anything to do with the denial.
Luckily I picked up the IHG and Hyatt Chase cards and Hilton Surpass AMEX immediately after the Barclays denial. The IHG Chase pulled Experian (with a 1 time pin to unfreeze) and for the Hyatt they tried to pull Equifax but it was showing up blank (no clue) so they pulled TransUnion which I thought was pretty funny.
For the Barclays Arrival+ they pulled TransUnion as expected (which I had temporarily unfrozen, which also allowed Chase to also pull TransUnion for the Hyatt (without even asking me) on the failed Equifax. My point for mentioning being, Barclays definitely hard pulled my TransUnion as an existing card holder even though they denied me ... unless it will fall off ... not that I am expecting that though.
Now to decide if I want to go for the BoA Alaska card or hang tight for a while.
Oct 3, 2017, 12:04 pm
#3984
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: All of them
Posts: 1,664
Just book a hotel on some portal like kayak or expedia, and cancel the booking after charge posts. You're welcome.
Oct 3, 2017, 5:57 pm
#3985
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 742
plus there is an easier way. Just have to wait until your AF posts! Not 2.2 anymore however.
Oct 10, 2017, 11:35 pm
#3986
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Chicago
Programs: Delta SkyMiles, IHG (Platinum Elite), Amtrak Guest Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors
Posts: 636
I noticed there's no longer a working link for the Arrival, only the Arrival +. Did the Arrival get discontinued and I somehow missed it?
Oct 11, 2017, 12:16 am
#3987
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 742
you can downgrade to it if you want. Not sure why you would want to either sign up for it or downgrade to it though. Other options are better.
Oct 11, 2017, 12:25 am
#3988
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Chicago
Programs: Delta SkyMiles, IHG (Platinum Elite), Amtrak Guest Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors
Posts: 636
well, I'd really rather not pay the annual fee, since if I'm going to pay an annual fee of around ~$90 I'm sure there are better options for me (like the chase sapphire) I'm also not sure I'd put enough spend on it to justify an annual fee.