Connect
To Top

Rewards Credit Card Review: Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard

The Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Master Card is a travel credit rewards card designed for people who want a flat-rate rewards credit card that earns miles on every expense placed on it.  Cardholders earn 2 miles on all purchases made with the card with no limit and also 5 percent miles back when earned miles are redeemed.  The miles with this card never expire. Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard cardholders can earn 40,000 bonus miles after $3,000 on purchases that are made on the card within the first 90 days.  There is an annual fee of $89 but it is waived for the first year.  Card holders of the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard do not pay foreign transaction fees.

A disadvantage to this card is that cardholders must have at least 5,000 miles accumulated before redemption can be requested.  Another disadvantage to the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard is that there is a flat rate of 2 miles per dollar for purchases made with the card. However, there are no bonus categories that give you the opportunity for higher earnings.

Pros


  •  Cardholders can earn 2 miles on all purchases.
  •  The miles earned never expire.
  •  Cardholders get 5% miles back when earned miles are redeemed.
  •  Cardholders can earn 40,000 bonus miles after $3,000 in purchases are made on the card within the first 90 days.
  • The annual fee is waived the first year.

Cons


  •  There is an $89 annual fee.
  •  Cardholders do not pay foreign transaction fees.
  •  Cardholders must have at least 5,000 miles accumulated before redemption can be requested.
  •  No bonus categories that give you the opportunity for higher earnings.

What Other People Are Saying

Citi Double Cash Card

"The big negative with the arrival plus is that each redeemable travel expense must total at least $100.  So things like uber and train fares even though they are travel, cannot be offset. The capital one venture card I have has been able to redeem public travel expenses like subway passes totaling less then $100.  The chase sapphire preferred provides much better value for each point valued at better than a penny vs Barclaycard at only a penny/point."

"I've had this card for over a year. The rewards are great but this card has spotty performance. It gets "rejected" at random times throughout the month. These rejects don't show at Barclay, but regardless it rejects at the merchant. The only solution they have for me is to have the merchant call them when this happens.  I've been told the chip is what is causing the problem, but a new card didn't help. I have to always have a back up card on hand.  I'll be looking for a new rewards card, this is too much of a pain."

Cost and Process to Join

Barclaycard

It is free to sign up for a Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Master Card.  However, there will be a $89 fee each year after the first year, which is waived.  If you'd like to sign up for the rewards card, click here

Customer Service

Blue Cash Preferred Card

I read many complaints about customer service with this card.  Also, there were many complaints about how when people were traveling, they went to use the card and the card was denied for fraud.  Calls to customer support got many people nowhere.  The following is one of the many complaints about customer service with Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Master Card.

A customer who was on vacation explained, "The person I spoke with could not keep numbers straight.... I spent 5 minutes just giving my card number ('3495'... ok '3459'... no '3495' ... ok '3459 hmm, I'm not seeing an account with that number'... 'NO THREE... FOUR... NINE.. FIVE'... 'ok, sorry about that, I have it now, 3-4-5-9'.......LOL), then another 20 minutes verifying my identity, and at the end she informed me I had to go to a bank and request a cash withdrawal."

My Conclusion 

Like most reward cards, there are advantages and disadvantages.  The Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Master Card is no different.  Cardholders earn 2 miles on all purchases made with the card with no limit.  They also earn 5 percent miles back when earned miles are redeemed.  The miles with this card never expire. You can earn 40,000 bonus miles after $3,000 in purchases are made on the card within the first 90 days.  

There is an annual fee of $89 but it is waived for the first year. Card holders of the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard do not pay foreign transaction fees.  A disadvantage to this card is that cardholders must have at least 5,000 miles accumulated before redemption can be requested, and that there is a flat rate of 2 miles per dollar for purchases made with the card. There are also no bonus categories that give you the opportunity for higher earnings. I hope that my review of the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard can help you decide if it's the right rewards card for you!

For more reviews and information, check out our list of the top ten rewards credit cards of 2018. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More in Reviews