Barclaycard Arrival Premier World Elite MasterCard (discontinued to new applications)
Updated October 16, 2018.
The Facts
The Facts
- Annual Fee: $150, waived for the first year
- Signup Bonus: none
- Application Landing Page
- Rewards: unlimited 2x miles everywhere. In addition, you receive an annual loyalty bonus of 15,000 miles when you spend at least $15,000 in the previous year, or a bonus of 25,000 miles when you spend at least $25,000.
- Best Use of Barclays Arrival Miles: You can use them towards merchandise, gift cards, cashback or statement credit, up to 0.5 cent per mile. However, there are two better redemption options: (1) Redeem for travel statement credits at fixed value of 1 cent per mile - the travel category includes airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, campgrounds, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries and your account annual fee; (2) Transfer Arrival Miles into frequent flyer miles of partner programs as following: Japan Airlines (1.7:1), Qantas (1.4:1), Malaysia Airlines (1.4:1), Air Canada (1:1.7), EVA Air (1.4:1), Aeromexico (1.4:1), Flying Blue (1.4:1), China Eastern (1.4:1), Etihad (1.4:1), and Jet Privilege (1.4:1).
- Other Benefits: (1) Waived foreign transaction fees. (2) Arrival Premier also comes with an embedded EMV chip for foreign travel. Arrival Premier is among a few U.S. credit cards that employ the "Chip & PIN" technology which has much better acceptance worldwide than the more traditional "Chip & Signature" technology. Note that Arrival Premier still has the default setting as "Chip & Signature" but you may change it to "Chip & PIN". (3) Reimbursement for Global Entry application fee ($100) every five years. (4) Lounge Key program providing access to over 800 airport lounges worldwide, at $27 per person per visit.
- Standard World Elite MasterCard (WEMC) Benefits: World Elite Luxury Hotels & Resorts (free breakfasts, upgrades, early check-in, late check-out, and hotel specific amenities), World Elite Air Program (upgrades, savings, or companion tickets, mostly on full fare tickets), World Elite Cruise Program (up to $500 savings), World Elite Tours and Vacations (up to $250 or 5% savings), World Elite Car Rental (savings and elite status with Avis, National, and Sixt), World Elite Chauffeured Car Service (savings and benefits), World Elite Private Jet Program (savings and benefits), MasterCard Airport Concierge (15% savings), and so on.
- History: in early 2018, Barclays replaced Arrival Plus WEMC with Arrival Premier WEMC, by increasing the annual fee by $61 and introducing annual loyalty bonus and the frequent flyer miles transfer feature. However, while Arrival Plus offered 40-50K signup bonus, Arrival Premier had none and did not waive the first year annual fee. In July 2018, Barclays started waiving the first year annual fee while still not offering any signup bonus. As of October 2018, this card has been discontinued to new applications.
The Math
With a $150 annual fee, Barclays Arrival Premier offers 2-3 Arrival Miles per dollar spent (3 Miles/$ achieved when your annual spending is exactly $15K or $25K). Let's take a look at the two best redemption options and see what this means. (1) Fixed value travel statement credits ($0.01/mile): Arrival Premier is a 2-3% cashback equivalent card with a $150 annual fee. When your annual spending is less than $15K, your equivalent cashback is less than 2% and you would be better off to go with a 2% cashback card without annual fees such as Citi Double Cash. When your annual spending is between $15K and $25K, your equivalent cashback rate is 2%, as the 15K annual loyalty bonus essentially offsets the $150 annual fee. When your annual spending is exactly $25K, your equivalent cashback rate is 2.4% which is also the maximum value you could get. When your annual spending is greater than $25K, your equivalent cashback rate will gradually decrease from 2.4%. (2) Frequent flyer miles transfer: unlike other similar programs such as Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Citi ThankYou (see our featured review for details), Barclays Arrival Miles don't transfer to frequent flyer miles at 1:1 ratios. Except for Japan Airlines, Arrival Miles transfer to frequent flyer miles at 1.4:1, which means Arrival Premier returns 1.4~2.1 frequent flyer miles per dollar spent, with 2.1 miles/$ achieved when your annual spending is exactly $15K or $25K. The earning rate compares favorably with the competitors'; however, bare in mind that Arrival Miles doesn't have bonus categories or significant travel perks to justify its not-too-small annual fee and Barclays' partners are fewer and perhaps less valuable than competitors'. By looking at the Barclays' current transfer partners, we conclude that it will be pretty difficult to value these frequent flyer miles more than 1.4 cents per mile, essentially making the transfer feature capped at 2-3% travel rewards (with the $150 annual fee). Considering both redemption options, it will be convenient to think Barclays Arrival Premier WEMC as a 2-3% travel rewards card with a $150 annual fee, with the maximum value (2.4% travel rewards after negating the annual fee) achieved when you spend exactly $25K per year.
Barclays Arrival Premier vs. Citi Double Cash: When your annual spending is less than $25K, Arrival Premier's travel rewards won't be more than 2% after considering the annual fee so we will recommend Double Cash. When your spending exceeds $25K, Arrival Premier easily overpowers Double Cash as its maximum value is effectively 2.4% after considering the annual fee.
Barclays Arrival Premier vs. Alliant CU Visa Signature: Alliant Visa Signature returns a solid 2.5% cashback with a much lower annual fee of $59. Before your annual spending hits $25K, the Alliant is an easy winner. When you hits $25K, after considering annual fees, Arrival Premier is slightly better with 2.4% travel rewards than the Alliant which returns 2.3% cashback. After $25K, Arrival Premier won't hold the edge much longer; for example, at $30K the effective returns on both card are almost the same, and after that the Alliant will be a better choice. You also have to consider the effortlessness of Alliant's real cashback vs. Barclays' travel rewards. The bottomline is that it is really hard for Arrival Premier to challenge Alliant Visa Signature's position as the best fixed value rewards credit card for general spending that is also easily available to anyone in the U.S.
Barclays Arrival Premier vs. the best credit cards for general spending with frequent flyer miles transfer features (e.g. Amex SPG, Amex EveryDay Preferred, Chase Freedom Unlimited): First of all, Barclays' transfer partners are fewer and likely to be less valuable, so you really need to see which partners you will likely use. Note that some of Barclays' partners (for example, Flying Blue) are also partners of the other programs, and you may consider using Arrival Premier as one of your cards for maximizing miles earning of your focus program. When you hit $25K a year, Arrival Premier returns 2.4% equivalent rewards after considering the annual fee based on our rough estimates, slightly better than Amex SPG (our value 2.25%, before considering the $95 annual fee), Amex EveryDay Preferred (our value 2.25% when you complete at least 30 transactions per month; the $95 annual fee will easily be negated by its amazing 2x and 3x bonus categories), Chase Freedom Unlimited (assuming you have a premium UR card such as Sapphire Reserve, our value 2.25%, no annual fee).
Through these analyses and comparisons, the best strategy for Barclays Arrival Premier WEMC is obviously to spend just enough to cross the $25K threshold to gain the impressive ~2.4% travel rewards after negating the annual fee. As whether to redeem Arrival Miles for fixed value travel credits or to transfer them to frequent flyer miles, you make the call. In addition, the biggest issue we see with Arrival Premier is the lack of signup bonus as an incentive to add yet another card to your wallet.
The Conclusion
When you spend $25K a year, Barclays Arrival Premier WEMC is an incredible travel rewards card with a ~2.4% return on all purchases after considering the $150 annual fee. You may decide to redeem Arrival Miles for fixed value travel credits or for transfer to frequent flyer miles of Barclays' partners. Due to its competitive travel rewards, Arrival Premier is currently rated #8 Best Credit Cards for Rewards.
© 2018 DrCreditCard.net All rights reserved.
With a $150 annual fee, Barclays Arrival Premier offers 2-3 Arrival Miles per dollar spent (3 Miles/$ achieved when your annual spending is exactly $15K or $25K). Let's take a look at the two best redemption options and see what this means. (1) Fixed value travel statement credits ($0.01/mile): Arrival Premier is a 2-3% cashback equivalent card with a $150 annual fee. When your annual spending is less than $15K, your equivalent cashback is less than 2% and you would be better off to go with a 2% cashback card without annual fees such as Citi Double Cash. When your annual spending is between $15K and $25K, your equivalent cashback rate is 2%, as the 15K annual loyalty bonus essentially offsets the $150 annual fee. When your annual spending is exactly $25K, your equivalent cashback rate is 2.4% which is also the maximum value you could get. When your annual spending is greater than $25K, your equivalent cashback rate will gradually decrease from 2.4%. (2) Frequent flyer miles transfer: unlike other similar programs such as Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Citi ThankYou (see our featured review for details), Barclays Arrival Miles don't transfer to frequent flyer miles at 1:1 ratios. Except for Japan Airlines, Arrival Miles transfer to frequent flyer miles at 1.4:1, which means Arrival Premier returns 1.4~2.1 frequent flyer miles per dollar spent, with 2.1 miles/$ achieved when your annual spending is exactly $15K or $25K. The earning rate compares favorably with the competitors'; however, bare in mind that Arrival Miles doesn't have bonus categories or significant travel perks to justify its not-too-small annual fee and Barclays' partners are fewer and perhaps less valuable than competitors'. By looking at the Barclays' current transfer partners, we conclude that it will be pretty difficult to value these frequent flyer miles more than 1.4 cents per mile, essentially making the transfer feature capped at 2-3% travel rewards (with the $150 annual fee). Considering both redemption options, it will be convenient to think Barclays Arrival Premier WEMC as a 2-3% travel rewards card with a $150 annual fee, with the maximum value (2.4% travel rewards after negating the annual fee) achieved when you spend exactly $25K per year.
Barclays Arrival Premier vs. Citi Double Cash: When your annual spending is less than $25K, Arrival Premier's travel rewards won't be more than 2% after considering the annual fee so we will recommend Double Cash. When your spending exceeds $25K, Arrival Premier easily overpowers Double Cash as its maximum value is effectively 2.4% after considering the annual fee.
Barclays Arrival Premier vs. Alliant CU Visa Signature: Alliant Visa Signature returns a solid 2.5% cashback with a much lower annual fee of $59. Before your annual spending hits $25K, the Alliant is an easy winner. When you hits $25K, after considering annual fees, Arrival Premier is slightly better with 2.4% travel rewards than the Alliant which returns 2.3% cashback. After $25K, Arrival Premier won't hold the edge much longer; for example, at $30K the effective returns on both card are almost the same, and after that the Alliant will be a better choice. You also have to consider the effortlessness of Alliant's real cashback vs. Barclays' travel rewards. The bottomline is that it is really hard for Arrival Premier to challenge Alliant Visa Signature's position as the best fixed value rewards credit card for general spending that is also easily available to anyone in the U.S.
Barclays Arrival Premier vs. the best credit cards for general spending with frequent flyer miles transfer features (e.g. Amex SPG, Amex EveryDay Preferred, Chase Freedom Unlimited): First of all, Barclays' transfer partners are fewer and likely to be less valuable, so you really need to see which partners you will likely use. Note that some of Barclays' partners (for example, Flying Blue) are also partners of the other programs, and you may consider using Arrival Premier as one of your cards for maximizing miles earning of your focus program. When you hit $25K a year, Arrival Premier returns 2.4% equivalent rewards after considering the annual fee based on our rough estimates, slightly better than Amex SPG (our value 2.25%, before considering the $95 annual fee), Amex EveryDay Preferred (our value 2.25% when you complete at least 30 transactions per month; the $95 annual fee will easily be negated by its amazing 2x and 3x bonus categories), Chase Freedom Unlimited (assuming you have a premium UR card such as Sapphire Reserve, our value 2.25%, no annual fee).
Through these analyses and comparisons, the best strategy for Barclays Arrival Premier WEMC is obviously to spend just enough to cross the $25K threshold to gain the impressive ~2.4% travel rewards after negating the annual fee. As whether to redeem Arrival Miles for fixed value travel credits or to transfer them to frequent flyer miles, you make the call. In addition, the biggest issue we see with Arrival Premier is the lack of signup bonus as an incentive to add yet another card to your wallet.
The Conclusion
When you spend $25K a year, Barclays Arrival Premier WEMC is an incredible travel rewards card with a ~2.4% return on all purchases after considering the $150 annual fee. You may decide to redeem Arrival Miles for fixed value travel credits or for transfer to frequent flyer miles of Barclays' partners. Due to its competitive travel rewards, Arrival Premier is currently rated #8 Best Credit Cards for Rewards.
© 2018 DrCreditCard.net All rights reserved.