Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard Review (discontinued for new applications)
Updated July 4, 2019.
The Facts
The Facts
- Annual Fee: first yea free, and $89 thereafter
- Signup Bonus: none. Historical best bonus of this card: 70,000 miles ($735 in travel credit) with first annual fee waiver in November 2018.
- Application landing page (no new applications at this time)
- Rewards: 2x everywhere
- Best Use of Barclays miles: These miles are not traditional frequent flyer miles but rather rewards points from Barclays. You can use them towards merchandise, giftcards, cashback or statement credit, up to 0.5 cent per mile. However, the best redemption option is to pay for your travel with the card and redeem miles to receive statement credit within 120 days - the redemption value is 1 cent per mile plus you will receive 5% of the miles you redeem back to your account, essentially making 1 mile = 1.05 cent. The travel categories include airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, campgrounds, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, trains, buses, taxis, limousines, and ferries as defined by the merchant category code.
- Other Benefits: Waived foreign transaction fees. The new Arrival Plus also comes with an embedded EMV chip for foreign travel. Arrival Plus is among the first few U.S. credit cards that employ the "Chip & PIN" technology which has much better acceptance worldwide than the previous "Chip & Signature" technology. Arrival Plus still has the default setting to "Chip & Signature" but you may change it to "Chip & PIN".
- World Elite MasterCard Benefits: MasterCard Luxury Hotels & Resorts (a collection of 2,000+ luxury hotels worldwide that offer complimentary breakfasts for two, room upgrades upon availability, early check-in, late check-out, and a special amenity such as a certain amount of hotel credit up to $100 per stay, free internet, or welcome gift, etc.), MasterCard Travel & Lifestyle Services (savings on airfare, private jets, airport concierge, car rentals, chauffeured cars, cruise lines, tours, vacation packages, etc.), complimentary ShopRunner membership (free two-day shipping and returns at participating stores), 10% discount with onefinestay (high-end home sharing service), monthly $10 Lyft credit after five rides each month, double Fandango points for movie tickets ($5 rewards for every two tickets purchased), 5% rewards for Boxed purchases, the Dining Program (special amenities at participating restaurants), the Nightlife Program (exclusive access to and recognition at participating night clubs), Priceless Cities, Priceless Surprises, Priceless Causes, Priceless Golf, MasterCard Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection (up to $800 for a stolen or damaged phone as long as you charge your monthly cellphone bills to the card), MasterCard ID Theft Protection, etc.
- History: Barclays introduced two Arrival MasterCards in 2012, one with no annual fee and the other with a $89 annual fee. In May 2014, Barclays rebranded the $89 Arrival World MasterCard as "Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard" and enhanced some of its features. The non-fee Arrival did not change, and if you want to know about that card please go to our old review. In August 2015, Barclays slightly devaluated Barclays miles from 1.11 cents to 1.05 cents per mile (from 10% miles back to 5% miles back, and for cardholders who opened the account by October 2014, this change will take effect November 2015). Between April and July 2018, this card was made unavailable to new applicants with the launch of Arrival Premier which does offer a sign-up bonus. In July 2018, Arrival Plus was revived and available to new applications again, with a 60K signup bonus but the first annual fee waiver removed. In November 2018, Arrival Plus offered the best signup bonus ever - 70K miles with the first year annual fee waiver.
The Math
With an annual fee of $89, Barclays Arrival Plus returns 2.11% if redeemed for travel.
Barclays Arrival Plus vs. 2% cashback cards (e.g. Fidelity Visa, Citi Double Cash): Arrival's return of 2.11% is slightly higher than the 2% offered by several non-fee cards including Citi Double Cash and Fidelity Visa. You need to spend more than $80,909 a year on Arrival to beat a 2% non-fee card. This spending account seems high; however, you may consider Barclays when you appreciate the extra benefits Arrival Plus brings you such as zero foreign transaction fees, Chip & PIN technology, and World Elite MasterCard travel benefits.
The Conclusion
Barclays Arrival with a $89 annual fee, which was introduced in late 2012, was considered to be among the best cashback equivalent cards and has been placed on our Top List. The May 2014 overhaul with a new name "Arrival Plus WEMC" makes this product even better, especially with the available "Chip & PIN" technology. The August 2015 devaluation of Barclays miles certainly makes this card less attractive, but we still think it deserves a spot among the best cards. In April 2016, it made to our Top 10 Best Credit Cards list as #10; however, in August 2016 it fell off the list due to the introduction of Chase Sapphire Reserve.
© 2018 DrCreditCard.net All rights reserved.
With an annual fee of $89, Barclays Arrival Plus returns 2.11% if redeemed for travel.
Barclays Arrival Plus vs. 2% cashback cards (e.g. Fidelity Visa, Citi Double Cash): Arrival's return of 2.11% is slightly higher than the 2% offered by several non-fee cards including Citi Double Cash and Fidelity Visa. You need to spend more than $80,909 a year on Arrival to beat a 2% non-fee card. This spending account seems high; however, you may consider Barclays when you appreciate the extra benefits Arrival Plus brings you such as zero foreign transaction fees, Chip & PIN technology, and World Elite MasterCard travel benefits.
The Conclusion
Barclays Arrival with a $89 annual fee, which was introduced in late 2012, was considered to be among the best cashback equivalent cards and has been placed on our Top List. The May 2014 overhaul with a new name "Arrival Plus WEMC" makes this product even better, especially with the available "Chip & PIN" technology. The August 2015 devaluation of Barclays miles certainly makes this card less attractive, but we still think it deserves a spot among the best cards. In April 2016, it made to our Top 10 Best Credit Cards list as #10; however, in August 2016 it fell off the list due to the introduction of Chase Sapphire Reserve.
© 2018 DrCreditCard.net All rights reserved.