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While it doesn't get as much hype as other travel cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Barclaycard Arrival® Plus World Elite Mastercard® deserves recognition for keeping it simple. Each transaction on the Arrival Plus earns 2x miles or 2% back, so you don't have to do any mental calculation based on the product you purchase. Additionally, on top of redeemed miles, you will also receive a 5% rebate on redeemed miles, which ups your effective return to 2.1%. Now that the card is also offering its highest ever 70,000 miles bonus signup, it may be time to add it to your wallet.
To obtain the 70,000 bonus, make sure you spend $5,000 on the card in the first 90 days of opening. It's a steep spending requirement but most premium cards have a similar threshold. Additionally, the Barclay Arrival Plus will come with no foreign transaction fees and an $89 annual fee, though it is waived the first year.
Still, the welcome bonus is very generous, and after obtaining your miles, you redeem through the rewards portal Barclays provides on its website. You can redeem for travel, gift cards, and merchandise, but the best value comes from travel statement credits. These credits begin at 10,000 miles for $100 and can only be used towards purchases made in the last 120 days. Luckily, as mentioned above, the scope of purchases that fall under Barclays definition of travel is wide. Then after making your selection, your 5% mileage refund should appear credited back into your account in one business day! All in all, we appreciate the Arrival card's simplicity and wide coverage of travel-related purchases. If you regularly make purchases that don't earn bonus points from your current credit cards, the Arrival Plus could be a good addition.
