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.
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
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
Jun 30, 2017, 3:33 pm
#3856
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 599
Downgrade to the Barclaycard Rewards, not the Arrival.
* Points can be redeemed in 1K increments, for cash (not just travel).
* Does not count as part of the Arrival product family, so you can get another A+ easily.
Naturally this only works once. Your second A+ should probably be closed rather than downgraded.
* Points can be redeemed in 1K increments, for cash (not just travel).
* Does not count as part of the Arrival product family, so you can get another A+ easily.
Naturally this only works once. Your second A+ should probably be closed rather than downgraded.
How soon does Barclay allow a customer to downgrade arrival + to Barclaycard rewards? Do I need to wait for a year?
Jul 1, 2017, 12:08 am
#3857
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 790
I posted #3772 in May that after exactly 4 mos after canceling my 3rd Arrival Plus I was instantly approved.
Then less than a mos later I applied for the Wyndham and got a pending then denied then waited for letter then called again after canceling my Choice Hotels and was approved by moving CL from my JetBlue.
I have 4 cards with them.
BofA was just as easy I got instantly approved for NCL cruise card and Chase Hyatt my 4th card with Chase was also instantly approved since it was not under the 5/24 rule.
Then less than a mos later I applied for the Wyndham and got a pending then denied then waited for letter then called again after canceling my Choice Hotels and was approved by moving CL from my JetBlue.
I have 4 cards with them.
BofA was just as easy I got instantly approved for NCL cruise card and Chase Hyatt my 4th card with Chase was also instantly approved since it was not under the 5/24 rule.
How many total new credit cards in the last 6 months and 12 months?
Jul 1, 2017, 7:40 pm
#3858
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Wine Country, Finger Lakes
Programs: LFFRS BOD
Posts: 1,355
Jul 5, 2017, 9:46 am
#3859
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 599
How about this strategy?
1: apply Arrival + (i.e., 1st Arrival +)
2: meet the spend on Arrival + and receive the bonus
3: downgrade to Barclaycard Rewards (i.e., 1st Barclaycard Reward)
4: redeem points as cash
5: after ~6 months of step 3), apply a 2nd Arrival +
6: meet the spend on 2nd Arrival + and receive the bonus
7: cancel the 1st Barclaycard reward and downgrade 2nd Arrival + to 2nd Barclaycard Rewards
8: repeat
Last edited by lincoln boy; Jul 5, 2017 at 9:54 am
Jul 5, 2017, 11:02 am
#3860
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,470
I understand that it's generally not possible to change terms on accounts that have been open for less than a year.
Jul 5, 2017, 11:08 am
#3861
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 599
Good point.
So it looks like it's better to open 1st arrival +, use the points, cancel the 1st Arrival + within 12 months, and then open 2nd after ~6 months of the 1st Arrival + closure.
Jul 10, 2017, 8:55 pm
#3862
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 24
I'm looking for a new card to open and got the arrival offer in the mail. I read through this thread and don't like the $100 min to credit. I'm concerned I won't be able to cash out on travel before the year is up. Does the above trick still work? Can I pay for an expensive refundable hotel reservation, apply the sign up points to the charge, then cancel the reservation? I haven't heard of more people in here doing this and was wondering why.
Jul 10, 2017, 9:47 pm
#3863
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 432
I had the Arrival+ 1-2 years ago and had converted it to the non-AF Arrival more than a year ago. Now this is only card from Barclay that I have so I am reluctant to cancel it. Can I apply for a new Arrival+ card now having the Arrival card still open? Do I need to close the Arrival first?
Jul 11, 2017, 10:25 am
#3864
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 288
Yes it does Killerz298. Its the method I have used to cash out points on my last two arrival+ cards.
Jul 12, 2017, 8:55 am
#3866
Join Date: Feb 2006
Programs: HH Gold (again), US/UA/DL non-elite, ZE Presidents Circle, WN reluctant no fee convert.
Posts: 1,449
Question about redemption through what I call the new plan. With my first Arrival Plus, redemptions were made at lower values. I got the following from the Wiki on this forum:
***Unsuccessful (please mention the amount redeemed - important as anything under $25 $100 cannot be reimbursed)***
Just to make sure, I pose a question here today. Thanks for tolerating.
I want to use miles on AA "close in" at a fee of $75. Bag will be $25 but I don't think I can pay for it online like a few other airlines allow.
Will I be able to redeem at the $100 minimum two charges listed on the statement, ie, $75 + $25?
If not, is it simply a recommendation when making redemption plans for travel, to always spend a minimum of $100 in travel?
TIA for kind responses. BTW, my card went to another address along with any other program info. I have the card number from a phone call so that's why I am using FT as my info resource. Thanks for understanding.
***Unsuccessful (please mention the amount redeemed - important as anything under $25 $100 cannot be reimbursed)***
Just to make sure, I pose a question here today. Thanks for tolerating.
I want to use miles on AA "close in" at a fee of $75. Bag will be $25 but I don't think I can pay for it online like a few other airlines allow.
Will I be able to redeem at the $100 minimum two charges listed on the statement, ie, $75 + $25?
If not, is it simply a recommendation when making redemption plans for travel, to always spend a minimum of $100 in travel?
TIA for kind responses. BTW, my card went to another address along with any other program info. I have the card number from a phone call so that's why I am using FT as my info resource. Thanks for understanding.
Jul 12, 2017, 2:00 pm
#3867
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 30
Question about redemption through what I call the new plan. With my first Arrival Plus, redemptions were made at lower values. I got the following from the Wiki on this forum:
***Unsuccessful (please mention the amount redeemed - important as anything under $25 $100 cannot be reimbursed)***
Just to make sure, I pose a question here today. Thanks for tolerating.
I want to use miles on AA "close in" at a fee of $75. Bag will be $25 but I don't think I can pay for it online like a few other airlines allow.
Will I be able to redeem at the $100 minimum two charges listed on the statement, ie, $75 + $25?
If not, is it simply a recommendation when making redemption plans for travel, to always spend a minimum of $100 in travel?
TIA for kind responses. BTW, my card went to another address along with any other program info. I have the card number from a phone call so that's why I am using FT as my info resource. Thanks for understanding.
***Unsuccessful (please mention the amount redeemed - important as anything under $25 $100 cannot be reimbursed)***
Just to make sure, I pose a question here today. Thanks for tolerating.
I want to use miles on AA "close in" at a fee of $75. Bag will be $25 but I don't think I can pay for it online like a few other airlines allow.
Will I be able to redeem at the $100 minimum two charges listed on the statement, ie, $75 + $25?
If not, is it simply a recommendation when making redemption plans for travel, to always spend a minimum of $100 in travel?
TIA for kind responses. BTW, my card went to another address along with any other program info. I have the card number from a phone call so that's why I am using FT as my info resource. Thanks for understanding.
I use the Arrival to pay for car rentals and hotels, as I know they will be over $100. Since the rules changed, I don't use it for baggage. It was a much better card when the min was $25.
Jul 12, 2017, 7:08 pm
#3868
Join Date: Feb 2006
Programs: HH Gold (again), US/UA/DL non-elite, ZE Presidents Circle, WN reluctant no fee convert.
Posts: 1,449
No, you will not be able to redeem for two separate charges of $75 and $25. Each charge must be at least $100 to redeem.
I use the Arrival to pay for car rentals and hotels, as I know they will be over $100. Since the rules changed, I don't use it for baggage. It was a much better card when the min was $25.
I use the Arrival to pay for car rentals and hotels, as I know they will be over $100. Since the rules changed, I don't use it for baggage. It was a much better card when the min was $25.
Thank you for your kind response. Yes, it was a much better card before.
