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About Barclays Credit Cards
Barclays credit cards are a bit more niche. The bank used to have some solid cards of its own, such as the Arrival+ and Uber cards, but those have gradually been discontinued. These days, Barclays doesn’t even have a single core in-house card left; its lineup is now entirely made up of co-branded cards with airlines, hotels, retailers, and other partners. Still, a few of these co-branded cards are quite good and worth picking up for the welcome bonus.
Because Barclays doesn’t have a full ecosystem of its own, it can be a nice issuer to squeeze in during application cooldown periods for other banks. This article covers which cards are worth applying for.
Airline Co-Branded Cards
Barclays actually has quite a few airline co-branded cards, which makes sense given that it is a major British bank.
- This card has an exceptionally easy welcome bonus to earn: just make one purchase and pay the annual fee. For long-term holding, it’s fairly similar to the Citi AA card. If you need the checked bag benefit when flying, keeping it can easily be worth it.
Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red American Airlines Credit Card
$0 intro annual fee for the first year
- Welcome bonus: 50,000 AA miles (one purchase within 90 days)
- Rewards: 2x on AA website and phone bookings; 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Best value for redeeming flights between the U.S. and China or the U.S. and Europe; business class redemptions can offer solid value.
- Annual fee: $99
- Apply now>>
- The AA card also comes in a business version, letting you grab another welcome bonus.
Barclays AA Aviator American Airlines Business Credit Card
American Airlines perks
- Welcome bonus: 60,000 AA miles (spend $5,000 within 90 days) + 15,000 miles (spend $15,000 within 12 months)
- Rewards: 2x on American Airlines purchases; 2x on office supplies, wireless phone services, and car rentals; 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Best value for redeeming flights between the U.S. and China or between the U.S. and Europe; business-class redemptions can offer solid value.
- Annual fee: $99
- Apply now>>
- This card is a solid option for frequent JetBlue flyers, and it gives you points every year, so if you can use them, the annual fee is effectively close to offset.
Barclays JetBlue Plus Credit Card
Earn 5k points every year!
- Welcome bonus: 60,000 JetBlue miles (spend $1,000 in 3 months, pay the annual fee) + 20,000 (spend $6,000 within 1 year)
- Rewards: 6x on jetBlue purchases, 2x at restaurants and supermarkets, 1x on everything else
- Redemption: Redeem for jetBlue flights, worth about 1.2 cpp
- Annual fee: $99
- Apply now>>
Hotel Co-Branded Cards
- The annual-fee Wyndham card is pretty good. It gives you points every year, which can help offset the annual fee if you can use them. It also comes with complimentary Platinum status, which is a nice perk.
Barclays Wyndham Earner+ Wyndham Credit Card
Get 15,000 points every year! Free Wyndham Platinum status!
- Welcome bonus: 45,000 Wyndham points (spend $1,000 in 90 days) + 55,000 (spend $500+ at Wydham hotels within 180 days)
- Rewards: 6x at Wyndham hotels; 4x at supermarkets, restaurants, gas stations, and travel; 1x on all other spending
- Redemption: Redeem for Wyndham hotel stays; get 10% off redemptions
- Annual fee: $95
- Apply now>>
- If you’re eligible for the business version, that’s even better, with annual points and Diamond status.
Barclays Wyndham Earner Business Wyndham Credit Card
15k points every year! Complimentary Wyndham Diamond status!
- Welcome bonus: 50,000 (spend $4,000 in 90 days) + 25,000 (spend $12,000 in one year)
- Rewards: Wyndham hotels; 5x on travel, gas and EV charging, marketing, advertising, office supplies, and shipping; 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeem for Wyndham hotel stays; 20% discount on redemptions
- Annual fee: $149
- Apply now>>
Other Cards
Barclays also has several other co-branded cards, such as Uber, AARP, and Upromise, but the welcome bonuses are generally average, and there are also stronger alternatives from other issuers.
- This AARP card is still decent, though, because it has bonus cash back categories that many other credit cards do not offer.
Barclays AARP Essential Credit Card
3% on gas and drugstores; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: $100 (Spend $1,000 within 90 days after card activation)
- Rewards: 3% on gas and drugstores; 2% on medical expenses, 1% on everything else
- Redemption: Cash back
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Applying
Barclays credit cards are generally fairly easy to get approved for. If you have six months to a year of credit history, you may have a good chance, and reconsideration is also relatively straightforward.