Barclaycard Arrival Plus Now Offering a 70,000-Mile Sign-Up Bonus
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
For years, the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard has been a favorite everyday card for us at TPG. While airline miles, hotel points and transferable currencies earn top honors on our best travel credit cards list, the Arrival Plus complements these cards. That's because the card earns "miles" that can be redeemed for any travel purchase — from airline award taxes and fees to Airbnb stays.
The Arrival Plus is currently available with a best-ever sign-up bonus of 70,000 miles. The miles can be redeemed for 1 cent each, meaning this sign-up bonus can be redeemed for $700 in travel expenses. You'll have to spend $5,000 on the card in the first 90 days after opening to earn this bonus.
Annual Fee: The annual fee on the Barclaycard Arrival Plus is $89 and is waived for the first year.
Miles Earning Structure: One of the enticing aspects of the Arrival Plus is its simplicity. All purchases will earn 2x miles, giving you a 2% return on all your spending. But, thanks to the card's 5% rebate on redeemed miles, cardholders effectively get a 2.1% return on their purchases.
Per the terms and conditions, these miles can be redeemed for purchases from:
airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, campgrounds, car rental agencies, cruise lines, purchase and travel agencies, discount travel sites, trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries and the account annual fee as defined by the merchant category code.
Note that miles can only be redeemed for purchases of at least $100 made within 120 days. You can also use your miles to cover the card's annual fee.
Travel Benefits: There are no foreign transaction fees on this card. Also, the Arrival Plus is one of very few credit cards to have chip-and-PIN capability, making it an excellent choice to use overseas where chip-and-PIN cards are the standard. For reference, the Chase Sapphire Reserve will allow you to enter a random four-digit PIN in some credit card terminals, but the Arrival Plus is one of the few that you know will work in any of these terminals.
Who is the card perfect for? While most travelers can get value from this card, there are some travelers for which the Barclaycard Arrival Plus is best. For example, economy cabin travelers who don't want to deal with the hassle of finding award saver availability — and who can jump on flight deals — will get better value out of this card than airline co-branded cards.
Who isn't the card good for? Before applying, check this guide about credit card sign-up restrictions, which includes details on Barclays' rules, to make sure that you're going to qualify to get the card if you apply. Even if you qualify, you'll want to pass on signing up for the card if you won't be able to spend $5,000 in the first 90 days after opening. If you're looking for credit cards with low minimum spending requirements, here's a round-up of the airline, hotel and cash-back cards that require $1,000 or less in spending.
Between an increased sign-up bonus, 2.1% return on spending and chip-and-PIN capability, this is an excellent card for travelers to consider signing up for now. If you're ready to add it to your wallet, here's the link to apply for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard with a 70,000-mile bonus.