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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Regarding official company representatives
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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 10, 2014, 5:58 pm
#1052
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,762
Where is the no annual fee card they promised third quarter 2014. We will soon be out of the 3rd quarter into the 4th quarter. What is the possible excuse for not keeping their word on this?
Sep 10, 2014, 7:43 pm
#1053
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Sep 11, 2014, 2:06 pm
#1054
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 445
any reason to think that a special offer might be forthcoming? ie, lower inital spend or higher bonus? Doesn't look like this card has ever had one, so I'm just curious if there are rumors or anything.
Sep 11, 2014, 9:34 pm
#1055
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines
Posts: 1
I just tried to apply for this card, and for some reason people living in Iowa are blocked. So weird.
This offer is not available for residents of Puerto Rico, U.S. Territories and Iowa.
Sep 12, 2014, 7:03 am
#1056
Join Date: Feb 2006
Programs: HH Gold (again), US/UA/DL non-elite, ZE Presidents Circle, WN reluctant no fee convert.
Posts: 1,449
RE: Taxi
No airport shuttle to hotel when I arrive around midnight. Gotta get a taxi. Meeting DD on a road trip inbound.
Problem: the hotel easier for her arrival is farther from the airport for me. I will be in for $20 anyway for the closer hotel.
Question: If I get a paper receipt from the taxi for the likely $30 fare, how likely will Barclay honor?
RE: Uber, 2 questions (Yes, it's listed in the WIKI)
1. It's $21; can I add a $4 tip?
2. Or does anyone remember a Uber Promotion, first ride free? I read it about a month back; is it over? TIA for reply!
Update: http://www.promocoderover.com/uber
No airport shuttle to hotel when I arrive around midnight. Gotta get a taxi. Meeting DD on a road trip inbound.
Problem: the hotel easier for her arrival is farther from the airport for me. I will be in for $20 anyway for the closer hotel.
Question: If I get a paper receipt from the taxi for the likely $30 fare, how likely will Barclay honor?
RE: Uber, 2 questions (Yes, it's listed in the WIKI)
1. It's $21; can I add a $4 tip?
2. Or does anyone remember a Uber Promotion, first ride free? I read it about a month back; is it over? TIA for reply!
Update: http://www.promocoderover.com/uber
Last edited by jan_believes; Sep 12, 2014 at 9:51 am
Sep 12, 2014, 8:00 am
#1057
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: BAY AREA
Posts: 1,125
Get uber. I think it's covered under Travel
Sep 12, 2014, 9:44 am
#1058
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 74
Can this be churned? (I think yes). Do I need to close out my current card???
Sep 12, 2014, 10:17 am
#1059
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Antonio
Programs: AS MVP
Posts: 2,276
sarrisa: The answer to both of your questions is probably probably. YMMV.
Sep 12, 2014, 7:07 pm
#1060
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Michigan
Programs: AA, UA, DL, UR, IHG platnium, AirAsia
Posts: 323
It's funny how this card is advertised as "40,000 points or $440 in free travel" when you spend $3k when, in reality, one can actually extract $510+ in value from this card applied to travel expenses based on the sign-up bonus:
1. Spend $3k, get 40,000 pts + 6,000 pts (2 pts per $ from $3k spend) =46,000 pts
2. Redeem 45,000 points for $450, have 1,000 pts left over. (can redeem in $25/2,500 pt increments only I believe)
3. Get 4,500 pts back. Add to 1,000 for 5,500 pts. Redeem 5,000 pts for $50. Have 500 pts left over & get 500 pts back, which equates to 1,000 pts still left over. Total redemptions $500 + 1,000 pts ($10 worth) left over.
Applied and got approved for this card yesterday. S'East Asia here I come!
1. Spend $3k, get 40,000 pts + 6,000 pts (2 pts per $ from $3k spend) =46,000 pts
2. Redeem 45,000 points for $450, have 1,000 pts left over. (can redeem in $25/2,500 pt increments only I believe)
3. Get 4,500 pts back. Add to 1,000 for 5,500 pts. Redeem 5,000 pts for $50. Have 500 pts left over & get 500 pts back, which equates to 1,000 pts still left over. Total redemptions $500 + 1,000 pts ($10 worth) left over.
Applied and got approved for this card yesterday. S'East Asia here I come!
Last edited by JamieDee78; Sep 12, 2014 at 7:12 pm
Sep 13, 2014, 1:06 am
#1061
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
Is it true that to optimize the travel spending bonuses, it should be travel-related spending of at least $25?
Is there still value in travel expenses under $25?
Is there still value in travel expenses under $25?
Sep 13, 2014, 5:43 am
#1062
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 427
No. That's the one thing about this card. You can't redeem against any expenses less than $25. That is ok with me; because they allow purchases to be partially covered by points, and they will let you spend all of your points and not make you wait until you get got the next $25 increment. Some other cards do not allow that.
Sep 13, 2014, 9:02 am
#1063
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Indiana
Programs: United, AA, Chase
Posts: 31
Someone may want to add to the wiki that you can earn points pretty easily by just writing stories on their travel website. Each story gets you 150 points minimum with one blog post of 50 words. I wouldn't go overboard, but you could probably make 2500 points every couple of days with very little effort and no fees earning the points. That is the thing that makes this card so valuable to me aside from the great rate of return.
Sep 13, 2014, 1:20 pm
#1064
Suspended
Join Date: May 2014
Location: ILG/PHL
Programs: Amex Plat, AA Gold, SPG Gold, Hyatt Gold, HHonors Gold, Carlson Gold
Posts: 1,075
RE: Taxi
No airport shuttle to hotel when I arrive around midnight. Gotta get a taxi. Meeting DD on a road trip inbound.
Problem: the hotel easier for her arrival is farther from the airport for me. I will be in for $20 anyway for the closer hotel.
Question: If I get a paper receipt from the taxi for the likely $30 fare, how likely will Barclay honor?
RE: Uber, 2 questions (Yes, it's listed in the WIKI)
1. It's $21; can I add a $4 tip?
2. Or does anyone remember a Uber Promotion, first ride free? I read it about a month back; is it over? TIA for reply!
Update: http://www.promocoderover.com/uber
No airport shuttle to hotel when I arrive around midnight. Gotta get a taxi. Meeting DD on a road trip inbound.
Problem: the hotel easier for her arrival is farther from the airport for me. I will be in for $20 anyway for the closer hotel.
Question: If I get a paper receipt from the taxi for the likely $30 fare, how likely will Barclay honor?
RE: Uber, 2 questions (Yes, it's listed in the WIKI)
1. It's $21; can I add a $4 tip?
2. Or does anyone remember a Uber Promotion, first ride free? I read it about a month back; is it over? TIA for reply!
Update: http://www.promocoderover.com/uber
I've got one word that is the key to many, many free Uber rides: Adwords.
Sep 13, 2014, 7:55 pm
#1065
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Someone may want to add to the wiki that you can earn points pretty easily by just writing stories on their travel website. Each story gets you 150 points minimum with one blog post of 50 words. I wouldn't go overboard, but you could probably make 2500 points every couple of days with very little effort and no fees earning the points. That is the thing that makes this card so valuable to me aside from the great rate of return.
Did I mention you have to have a personal picture of each place to post. So no, researching cities from the encyclopedia won't work either.