5 Reasons I’m Still Using my Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard [EXPIRED]

November 10, 2017

Holly Johnson | Google+

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Years ago, I signed up for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard, earned the signup bonus and used the rewards, then cancelled the card. It wasn’t that I didn’t find the card and its benefits valuable; it was that I was constantly focusing on signup bonuses instead of ongoing rewards at the time.

Fortunately, I was able to do it all again last year. Since it had been around 24 months, both my husband and I were approved for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard again. And yes, we were both able to score the signup bonus a second time. But this time, I’m keeping my husband’s card and paying the annual fee.

I didn’t really plan it this way, but there are several reasons this card continues to be valuable to me. Here’s why I’m paying the $89 annual fee this month:

#1: You can still use MasterCard to pay a mortgage with Plastiq.com.

One of the biggest reasons I’m keeping our Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard another year is the fact that you can still use MasterCard to pay your mortgage through Plastiq.com. You normally have to pay a 2.5 percent fee to do so, but I still have tens of thousands of “fee-free dollars” that makes using the service free for me. We are getting ready to pay off the remainder of our mortgage and I am going to funnel our mortgage payments through Plastiq.com to earn 2 percent back. I have been doing this for the past year, but now I’m on the home stretch.

#2: Earning a flat 2 percent back toward travel isn’t bad.

Obviously, earning a flat 2 percent back toward travel is nothing to sneeze at. While I do pay my mortgage through Plastiq.com with this card to earn 2 percent back, I also use the card for some regular purchases when I can’t get a higher rate of return. Since my other favorite credit card, my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, only offers 1 point per $1 back on everything other than travel and dining, I tend to use my Barclaycard at the grocery store or for random purchases.

#3: Flexible travel credit is easier for me to spend than some other travel currencies.

One thing I really like about flexible travel credit is the fact I don’t stress so much over how it’s spent. With my other favorite rewards currency – Chase Ultimate Rewards – I have lost sleep over the best redemption options, where to transfer points, and whether I should just pay cash. But since Barclaycard miles are worth one cent each for travel and you can’t transfer them to loyalty partners, justifying their use is easy for me. Most of the time, I redeem Barclaycard miles for rental condos, train fare, and hotels.

#4: This card is chip and pin and comes with no foreign transaction fees.

The fact there are no foreign transaction fees makes this card a winner no matter where you use it, even abroad. I like having several different cards to use when I travel international so I always have a backup card if something goes wrong. I typically use this card and my Chase Sapphire Reserve card when we’re out of the country.

#5: There’s no limit to the rewards you can earn, and no rotating categories to keep track of.

While I love cards that dole out 5x points in rotating categories like the Chase Freedom, it’s nice not having to keep track of which category is in force and whether I’ve reached my limit. I really do like the simplicity of the Barclaycard, and that’s yet another reason we’re keeping my husband’s card for good (I’m an authorized user).

Do you use the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard regularly? Why or why not?

Holly Johnson Holly Johnson is a financial expert and award-winning writer whose obsession with frugality, budgeting, and travel plays a central role in her work. In addition to serving as Contributing Editor for The Simple Dollar, Holly writes for inspiring...
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Delta® Reserve for Business

Annual Fee: $450 fee
Foreign Fees: No
Card Type: Travel

Apply Now Add to Favorites

FTG Review	Reward Breakdown	Points Breakdown
Earn 40,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after you spend $3,000 in purchases with your new Card in the first 3 months.† Earn 15,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and 15,000 bonus miles after you reach $30,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in the calendar year. Earn 2 Miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta. Earn 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases. Settle into your seat sooner with Priority Boarding and enjoy 20% savings on eligible in-flight purchases in the form of a statement credit. Pay no foreign transaction fees when you spend overseas.‡ Complimentary Delta Sky Club® Access.‡ Terms and limitations apply See Rates & Fees Breakdown Earn (pt.) Spend 3 months 0 $3,000 Per dollar on eligible purchases with Delta Purchases 2.00 $1 All Purchases 1.00 $1 Apply Now
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Mat Goebel

Don’t forget the 5% miles back when you reimburse for travel making the effective rate closer to 2.1%. It’s also great for covering the taxes and stuff from a reward redemption. Honestly I would use the card more if they started supporting android pay.

Holly Johnson

Very true!

Rob philip

It’s my default card if I’m not getting a better rate for a category spend. And it works just fine with Apple pay. And (now, after I yelled at them) chip+pin works great in Europe for automated gas pumps and other places that can’t print paper.

Holly Johnson

That’s another good reason.

Rob philip

My chip+pin story – I was using the card all over Denmark and Sweden for two weeks, printing and signing paper. Finally, on my way to the airport, stopped to gas up the rental car at automated gas pump. Pin doesn’t work. Tried again, same thing. Called them up and their story was that it was shut down for “security” because I was in a “foreign” country. I pointed out that it had been working just fine for two weeks in that country and got an excuse. Then she said “OK, It’ll be turned back on in 5-7 business days”. I pointed out that I was standing in front of a gas pump and needed it turned on RIGHT NOW and she was staying on the line until I pumped my gas. Magically the card was turned on and I could buy gas. The card has never failed using chip+pin since then, so I suspect it’s somehow flagged that chip+pin is OK outside of the USA.

TomSAN

This is a card for high spenders. You need to charge $4,450 just to break even, given the annual fee. Charge another $4,500 and you end up with what effectively amounts to a paltry 1% back on your first $8,900 of charges. Only then does the payout become interesting. That’s too much for me to charge on this card, given the plethora of cards that have bonus categories throughout the year, a number of which have no annual fee.

cruiser

Agree
Rob philip

If you don’t travel it’s not such a great card. But it’s the only major card with chip+pin. And that matters if you travel to the places I travel.

These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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