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[Update 2019.6] This card has been removed from the official website, but readers found a direct 70,000-point application link again. If you missed it last time and are worried the welcome bonus may change after a relaunch, you may want to apply soon through this link. 70,000 points can be redeemed for $700 in travel purchases, and redemptions come with a 5% rebate, which means 3,500 points back = $35. That adds up to $735 in pure value. On top of that, this card earns 2x points on all purchases, effectively making it a 2% card on everyday spending. For people who are not familiar with airline miles or do not want to deal with complicated programs, this card is very convenient: just use it normally and redeem against travel purchases.

Barclays Arrival Plus Credit Card Review

Application Link

None

Key Features

  • Welcome bonus: 60,000-70,000 Arrival points (after spending $5,000 within 90 days)
  • Earning rate: 2x on all purchases
  • Point redemption: 1 point = 1 cent toward travel purchases; 2 miles = 1 cent for cash. Redemptions receive a 5% rebate.
  • No FTF foreign transaction fee
  • $89 annual fee, waived the first year

Highlights

  • Easy point redemption: These points are not traditional airline miles. Instead, they can be redeemed at 1 mile = 1 cent to directly offset travel purchases, including airfare, car rentals, hotels, cruises, and more. The category is very broad. After making an eligible travel purchase with this card, just choose to redeem points against that transaction ($100 minimum redemption). Cash redemptions are worth only half as much (1 mile = 0.5 cent), so they are generally not worth considering.
  • 5% redemption rebate: Every time you redeem, the bank gives back 5% of the points used.
  • 2x earnings: This card earns 2x on all purchases. If you always redeem for travel purchases, it is effectively a 2% cash-back card. With the 5% redemption rebate on top, the return is slightly above 2%.
  • Free monthly FICO score: You can keep track of your credit score. See: Comparison of free credit scores
  • Balance Transfer 0 APR: If you do a Balance Transfer within 45 days of account opening, you can get 12 months of 0 APR. Keep in mind that BT comes with a fee. This can be useful for short-term cash flow needs or lowering your overall credit card APR. See: Introduction to Balance Transfer

Drawbacks

  • Travel redemptions start at $100, and the annual fee is not very compelling after the second year

My Take

The main appeal of this card is the effective 2% return on all spending. If you spend a lot in categories that do not fall into common bonus categories on other cards, such as groceries, gas, or travel, this card can earn about twice as much as a standard 1% cash-back card. The points are also easy to use: once you have at least 10,000 points, you can redeem them all at once against an airfare purchase.

That said, I personally think this is mostly a one-year card. Getting $700 with the first-year annual fee waived is great. But paying the $89 annual fee in the second year just for a 2% return is a bit hard to justify. To come out ahead of a no-fee 1% cash-back card after accounting for the annual fee, you would need to spend more than $9,800. So you could apply, get the easy $700, and after one year call to see whether there is a Retention Offer available (often this means the annual fee may be waived). If not, you can downgrade to the no-annual-fee Arrival version. See:

Application

Application Link

None