【Nov. 2021 update】Barclays Priceline has launched a new card with a VIP label, but points are worth only 1 cent per point, which is nowhere near as good as this card’s 1.5 cents per point + 10% rebate. Maybe this card will be discontinued soon...

Barclays Priceline Rewards Credit Card Introduction

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Full review

Barclays Priceline Credit Card

Complimentary Priceline Gold membership; no annual fee!

  • Welcome bonus: $150 (available after your first purchase)
  • Rewards: 5x on Priceline; 1x on all other purchases
  • Redemption: Redeem at 1.5 cpp for Priceline purchases, 1 cpp for statement credit; 10% points back when redeeming for travel purchases
  • Annual fee: $0
  • Apply now>>

Benefits

  • 10% points rebate on redemptions: If you redeem points for Priceline purchases of $25 or more, you can get 10% of the points back.
  • Priceline Gold membership: Cardholders automatically receive Priceline Gold membership (the second-highest tier), with access to a variety of discounts and priority services. Membership benefits
  • Point redemption: Points can be redeemed at a value of 1 cent per point toward Priceline purchases of $25 or more. Or redeemed as statement credit for $50 or more.
  • Free FICO score access
  • No Foreign Transaction Fee (FTF): Most cards with no foreign transaction fee have an annual fee, so it’s nice that this card has no annual fee. See: FTF introduction

Drawbacks

  • Pay attention to the 5x bonus categories (hotels and rental cars booked with pay-at-stay do not earn 5x. Purchases not eligible will receive one point for every dollar spent using your card, which includes: cruise bookings, non-Name Your Own Price® car reservations, and hotel reservations designated as Pay When You Stay)
  • Points are a bit inflexible to redeem.

Points Redemption

The redemption formula for points earned with this card is a bit complicated.

  • Redeeming for Priceline purchases: When redeeming for Eligible Priceline Purchase (1 point = 1.5 cents) + 10% points rebate. For example, 5,000 points can redeem $75 in purchases, then you get 500 points back. Each point is effectively worth 1.66 cents. Combined with the 5x earnings on Priceline purchases, each dollar spent can generate up to 5 * 1.5 * 1.11 = 8.33 cents in value, which is equivalent to an 8% cash-back rate.
  • Redeeming for non-Priceline purchases (travel purchases): Redemption value is 1 point = 1 cent + 10% points rebate. For example, 5,000 points can redeem $50 in travel purchases, and you will receive 500 points back.
  • Redeeming for non-Priceline purchases (non-travel purchases): Redemption value is 1 point = 1 cent. For example, 5,000 points can redeem $50 in purchases,

My Review

Before and after I got the Priceline Reward Visa Card, I booked many hotels on Priceline using Bid or Express Deals. Aside from some cheap two-star hotels:

  • I bid $120 before tax for the Renaissance New York Hotel 57 in Manhattan (Marriott Cat 8, requires 35,000 to 40,000 points, equivalent to $300).
  • I bid $75 before tax for IHG’s Hotel Indigo Chicago Downtown, with excellent decor and a very quiet surrounding area (IHG Cat 6, requires 35,000 points, equivalent to $175).
  • Before Christmas in 2015, I used a Priceline Express Deal to book a 7-night hotel in New Jersey, about a 20-minute bus ride to Manhattan, at an average of only $65 per night including tax. On top of that, I used points earned earlier, the 10,000 summer bonus, and 5,000 from sign-up to offset the cost. The 7-night New York trip cost only $200 total for the hotel.

Although after getting the Priceline Reward Visa Card I mostly traveled using points from SPG, HH, and IHG sign-up bonuses, Priceline hotel bookings are still a cost-effective option.

Summer spending bonus points: During July, August, and September, spend more than $250 in a month on any purchases and you can get 10,000 points. That works out to 14.33x on regular spending and 18.33x on Priceline purchases. I’ve had the Priceline card since early 2015, and in both 2015 and 2016 I received the summer offer invitations. In 2016, I even got it with $0 spending. This shows Barclays is still quite generous when it sends out offers. As long as you plan reasonably well, paying phone bills, auto insurance, or using Plastiq to pay tuition and rent can make it easy to meet the requirement, which is basically like getting $150 in Priceline purchases for free every year.

In fact, Barclays itself now has a new co-branded card with Priceline, with very similar benefits, but the point value seems to have dropped sharply.

How to Apply

Barclays Application Guide

  • Check Barclays credit card application status
  • Barclays credit card applications generally pull TransUnion (TU), and HPs on the same day can be combined
  • If you already have another Barclays card and your new application is not approved, there will usually be no hard pull
  • You can call the reconsideration line (866-408-4064) to speed up credit card approval or request another review of a denied application. They may verify your identity and address, ask why you want the card, and review your employment and repayment situation, so be prepared. You may need to move credit limit from an existing card to get approved.
  • More on applying for Barclays credit cards

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