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When Barclaycard rebranded to Barclays and announced a new premier travel credit card last month, most of us were stoked. Unfortunately, the new Barclays Arrival Premier credit card didn’t knock anyone’s socks off like many hoped it would.
The card doesn’t have a traditional signup bonus for starters, and its ongoing benefits don’t make it much more valuable than the Barclays Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard. Plus, the new Premier version of the card has a $150 annual fee that is not waived the first year and probably hard to justify for most of us.
Still, I know a few people who have signed up for this card. If you’re considering it or on the fence, here are five reasons that might sway you to pull the trigger.
It has a signup bonus…kind’ve.
While the Barclays Arrival Premier card doesn’t have a traditional signup bonus, it does offer bonus points you can earn every year. You get 15,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on the card and another 10,000 bonus points after you spend an additional $10,000.
That works out to 25,000 extra points after you spend $25,000 per year. The best part is, you can earn this bonus year after year and not just the first year. And remember, this is on top of the 2x points you earn for every dollar you spend.
The annual fee is reasonable.
While the $150 annual fee is hard for me to stomach, it’s not out of control, either. You may be able to justify the fee if you spend a lot on this card and take advantage of the Global Entry credit.
Score a Global Entry credit.
Speaking of Global Entry, the new Barclays Premier card offers a $100 Global Entry credit every five years. And remember, you can use this credit for anyone and not just yourself. So, if you have Global Entry for yourself but want to get it for your kids or a spouse, you could use the credit to cover their $100 application fee.
You can transfer points to certain airlines.
Another interesting perk this card offers is the ability to transfer points to specific airline partners. Currently, you can transfer Barclays miles 1.4 to 1 to Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, Etihad, EVA Air, Jet Airways, Malaysia Airlines, and Qantas. You can also transfer miles to Japan Airlines at a ratio of 1.7 to 1.
While none of these options are super useful to me, I do use Air France / Flying Blue for cheap flights to Europe frequently. At the end of the day, I think these transfer options are most ideal for someone who already uses one of these airlines frequently.
You’ll pay no foreign transaction fees.
Like many other travel credit cards, the Barclays Premier card doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees. This benefit lets you make purchases abroad without the added expense.
The Bottom Line
I can’t really see myself getting the new Barclays Premier card right now for a few reasons. I already have Global Entry for starters, but I also have the Barclays Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard and use it fairly regularly. And since the most useful transfer partner this card offers, Air France, is also a partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards and Membership Rewards, I don’t need this new card for that reason, either.
But, I can understand why someone might get this new Barclays card option. With an annual bonus you can earn, a Global Entry credit, and 2x points on every dollar you spend, this card will inevitably be a winner for some people.
Are you getting the new Barclays card? Why or why not?
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Delta® Reserve for Business
- Annual Fee: $450 fee
- Foreign Fees: No
- Card Type: Travel
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- 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
Delta® Reserve for Business
- Annual Fee: $450 fee
- Foreign Fees: No
- Card Type: Travel
| FTG Review | Reward Breakdown | Points Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
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
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