Barclaycard Miles & More World Elite MasterCard Reivew
Updated October 14, 2022.
The Fact
The Math
For $89 a year, the most valuable benefit other than rewards is the two annual lounge passes in our opinion. Companion ticket can only make sense in limited circumstances due to the fact that you can't use it on lowest fares and fuel surcharges can be high. The 5:1 ratio on the conversion from awards miles to status miles is pretty poor, and 15% discount for hotel & rental car isn't that much. We think except when you are a Senator or HON Circle member and/or you charge a lot on Miles & More airlines, you would be better off to use Amex SPG which returns up to 1.25 Miles & More miles for general spending and you still have flexibility to transfer points to other airline partners.
The Conclusion
The Miles & More WEMC is a nice product for Miles & More flyers, especially high spenders and/or Senator/Hon Circle members. However, Amex SPG is still highly recommendable due to a higher earning rate for general spending.
The Fact
- Annual Fee: $89, waived for Senator and HON Circle Members
- Signup Bonus: 80,000 miles after spending $3,000 within 3 months of new account opening. Historical best bonus: 80,000 miles with $3K spending requirement in 2022; 75,000 miles with a $20K spending requirement in 2019; 60,000 miles in 2021; 50,000 miles for several times in the past years.
- Application Landing Page
- Rewards: 2x on airlines in Miles & More, 1x everywhere else
- Best Use of Miles & More miles: Miles & More is the frequent flyer program for Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Swiss Air Lines, LOT Polish Airlines, Adria Airways, Croatia Airlines, Condor, and Luxair. Miles & More is a member of Star Alliance. Miles & More miles are best used towards airfare on Miles & More airlines and other partners such as United, Singapore, Asiana, ANA, etc.
- Travel Benefits: (1) An annual companion ticket for economy class (only on H, M, Y, & B fare classes - most discounted fares are not eligible) on a Lufthansa operated flight from the U.S. to Europe, Middle East, Africa or Far East. The primary cardmember will need to pay for his/her own ticket and taxes and fees of the companion ticket (fuel surcharges can be high). (2) Two Lufthansa business lounge passes each year. (3) You can achieve Miles & More status faster by converting 5,000 to 25,000 miles earned on purchases into status miles at 5:1 ratio. (4) Up to 15% off Miles & More hotel and car awards. (5) Waived foreign transaction fees with an embedded EMV chip.
- 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 (offers for hotels, airfare, private jets, airport concierge, car rentals, chauffeured cars, cruise lines, tours, vacation packages, golf, sports and entertainment event tickets, etc.), complimentary ShopRunner membership (free two-day shipping and returns at participating stores), complimentary DoorDash benefits (3 months of complimentary DashPass membership & $5 off first two orders per month through 9/30/2022), monthly $5 Lyft credit after 3 rides each month, 5% discount for every HelloFresh order, $5 rewards for every $20+ Fandango purchase, 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, 24/7 World Elite concierge service, 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.
- The History: In late 2015, Barclays increased the annual fee by $10 but upgraded the card from World MasterCard to WEMC and added the EMV chip, two annual lounge passes, ability to convert awards miles to status miles, and 15% discount for hotel & rental car redemption.
The Math
For $89 a year, the most valuable benefit other than rewards is the two annual lounge passes in our opinion. Companion ticket can only make sense in limited circumstances due to the fact that you can't use it on lowest fares and fuel surcharges can be high. The 5:1 ratio on the conversion from awards miles to status miles is pretty poor, and 15% discount for hotel & rental car isn't that much. We think except when you are a Senator or HON Circle member and/or you charge a lot on Miles & More airlines, you would be better off to use Amex SPG which returns up to 1.25 Miles & More miles for general spending and you still have flexibility to transfer points to other airline partners.
The Conclusion
The Miles & More WEMC is a nice product for Miles & More flyers, especially high spenders and/or Senator/Hon Circle members. However, Amex SPG is still highly recommendable due to a higher earning rate for general spending.