Understanding the 2.22% of the Arrival+

[Matt]

As you might know, I love the arrival card! But amazingly haven't used it to redeem until today. This is mainly due to having very little 'real travel' expenses until the little one came along, and everything changed. This post will show how the 10% rebate works on the arrival+ card, it is pretty neat.

Step 1 go to Rewards>Travel Statement Credits (the left option)

Cash Statement Credits redeem at 0.5 each, so you would get terrible value here!


Not all things that you think of as Travel will be listed here, but if you have anything, then you have found the place to redeem. Anything that you redeem here creates a points credit of 10%, they redeem in blocks, here is how it worked for me.

Knocking out the Iberia Charges on my account


I had a $620 charge from Iberia, and a starting points balance of 58940 miles. They allow me to apply 57500 to this charge, with a remainder of 1440.

The 10% bonus immediately applies to the account, you can see the bonus here of 5750

Interestingly, you can only apply such a credit one time - when I went back into Travel Statement Credits" the original $620 line item vanished, so I couldn't stack the 10% into that for perpetuity. However, as I had two line items, a second for $281.31 I could apply the new points to that instantly.


This time I applied 5000 points, for $50, this reduced the $281.31 down to $231.31, granted me a new 500 bonus points, and removed that line item from the redeeming options.


Starting Points Balance 58940
Redeemed 57500+5000 (62500)
Ending Points Balance 2690

So by using the 10% travel bonus the original 58940 miles grew into 65190, but now I have no more travel expenses to apply my remaining balance of 2690 towards.



Hope that helps some new folks considering this card, or those who haven't redeemed yet!

 

[ElainePDX]

Not all things that you think of as Travel will be listed here

And don't trust the reps if you call in to see if something will qualify. My daughter bought a TravelZoo deal for a weekend away and before doing so, she called Barclays to make sure she could use her points. They said yes but when she was billed, it was not coded as Travel and she could not use them. She called a second time and was told there is nothing they will/can do to enable her to use the points. Obviously YMMV but if your travel budget depends on using these points, I suggest sticking to airlines and hotels, not travel sites like TravelZoo.

 

[johnny cash]

It is also worth considering that you earn points on the original Iberia purchase, even though you redeemed it. So you are really earning more than 2.2. If you redeem airline miles, you earn 0 on that flight. I don't know the math. Since you are in finance I'll leave the calculations to you.
BTW, this is another answer to your post on the blog about family travel. With arrival you book your travel the same way you normally would when paying for it. Find the best deal, pay with your arrival card. And when the purchase posts a couple of days later, redeem. No blackouts, seat limits, etc.

 

[Mike @ The Hustle Blog]

You can also use 8,900 points towards the $89 annual fee.

 

[Matt]

You can also use 8,900 points towards the $89 annual fee.

Really? I'd have thought that a cash statement credit no?

 

[Mike @ The Hustle Blog]

Really? I'd have thought that a cash statement credit no?

I thought it would have been but I was able to use 8900 for the $89, and of course the 10% rebate.

 

[ElainePDX]

You can also use 8,900 points towards the $89 annual fee.

I've heard reports that this is a fee that you can sometimes get waived with a retention call. I hope that works for me in the fall.

 

[Trevor]

Just did my first redemptions this weekend. Was just as easy as you layed out. Available credit was increased the day after I made the redemptions.

 

[augustus23]

I've heard reports that this is a fee that you can sometimes get waived with a retention call. I hope that works for me in the fall.

When I called in and ask for retention, I was offered a fee waiver for the annual fee (spent ~$70,000 last year).

 

[Matt]

It is also worth considering that you earn points on the original Iberia purchase, even though you redeemed it. So you are really earning more than 2.2. If you redeem airline miles, you earn 0 on that flight. I don't know the math. Since you are in finance I'll leave the calculations to you.
BTW, this is another answer to your post on the blog about family travel. With arrival you book your travel the same way you normally would when paying for it. Find the best deal, pay with your arrival card. And when the purchase posts a couple of days later, redeem. No blackouts, seat limits, etc.

I've heard this talk of them being worth more than 2.22% but I don't immediately see it - I'm happy for someone to explain it but the way I see it:

Spend 100x $100 transactions (Tr) - Earn $200 (2%)

Then from your line items:

Tr1 $100-$100= 0 Earn $10 Balance $110
Tr2 $100-100= 0 Earn $10 Balance $20
Tr3 $100-20= 80 Earn $2 Balance $2
Tr4 $100-2 = 98 Earn $0.20 Balance 0.20
Tr5 $100- 20 cents... and then it becomes silly thereafter...

I can't see it being more than 2.22% - but maybe I am not the best at this, happy to be proven wrong.

 

[smittytabb]

And don't trust the reps if you call in to see if something will qualify. My daughter bought a TravelZoo deal for a weekend away and before doing so, she called Barclays to make sure she could use her points. They said yes but when she was billed, it was not coded as Travel and she could not use them. She called a second time and was told there is nothing they will/can do to enable her to use the points. Obviously YMMV but if your travel budget depends on using these points, I suggest sticking to airlines and hotels, not travel sites like TravelZoo.

Too bad the TravelZoo expense didn't post as a travel one. I would say that in addition to airlines and hotels, there are other good types of merchants to consider as well. I enjoyed experimenting to see what might work. I was able to redeem statement travel credit for a food truck tour of PDX (sorry Elaine, it was before I knew you, tickets to see "The Last Supper" in Milan, train tickets in Japan, and even museum gift store purchases at The Phillips Collection in D.C. for Father's Day gifts. I think museum gift shops might work if they are coded as associated with tourist attractions. The only one I was just sure would count was a charge at "Butterfly Balloons" for a balloon tour of Cappadocia, Turkey. That one coded as "Rugs, Floor Carpeting and Carpets". If you have been to Turkey, you will understand. That one made me laugh!

 

[johnny cash]

I've heard this talk of them being worth more than 2.22% but I don't immediately see it - I'm happy for someone to explain it but the way I see it:

Spend 100x $100 transactions (Tr) - Earn $200 (2%)

Then from your line items:

Tr1 $100-$100= 0 Earn $10 Balance $110
Tr2 $100-100= 0 Earn $10 Balance $20
Tr3 $100-20= 80 Earn $2 Balance $2
Tr4 $100-2 = 98 Earn $0.20 Balance 0.20
Tr5 $100- 20 cents... and then it becomes silly thereafter...

I can't see it being more than 2.22% - but maybe I am not the best at this, happy to be proven wrong.

As you calculated, it is exactly 2.22%, but my point is in comparison to miles programs or UR points, you earn more. When you redeem miles, you earn 0. Let's say you redeem enough miles to take a $1000 flight, either thru an airline partner or the UR mall, you don't earn anything since you didn't pay anything. But with Arrival, you first pay 1000 and earn another 2000 points you wouldn't with other programs. To put another way, Arrival could allow you to redeem any travel purchase, but then subtract the points from the original purchase.

 

[Matt]

As you calculated, it is exactly 2.22%, but my point is in comparison to miles programs or UR points, you earn more. When you redeem miles, you earn 0. Let's say you redeem enough miles to take a $1000 flight, either thru an airline partner or the UR mall, you don't earn anything since you didn't pay anything. But with Arrival, you first pay 1000 and earn another 2000 points you wouldn't with other programs. To put another way, Arrival could allow you to redeem any travel purchase, but then subtract the points from the original purchase.

I see what you mean... So if you had 20000 arrival points, bought a $200 flight you'd earn 400 more points, then redeem 20000, earning 2000 and having 2400 left over.

That would make it a touch more, assuming you earn points on transactions that are paid in points- is that last part confirmed?

 

[johnny cash]

I see what you mean... So if you had 20000 arrival points, bought a $200 flight you'd earn 400 more points, then redeem 20000, earning 2000 and having 2400 left over.

That would make it a touch more, assuming you earn points on transactions that are paid in points- is that last part confirmed?

Yes. Look at your account. Go to transactions it lists points next to purchase. They don't take them away.

 

[smittytabb]

And of course, depending on the multiple you earn miles or points at (certain elites earn double miles on BIS miles and many have a credit card that has a multiplier on hotel spend), you are also earning with the hotel or airline. Plus if you care about retaining airline or hotel status, you are still earning EQMs and hotel nights while being able to redeem for them. That of course is impossible to factor in to the percentages because it is a separate variable. In a nutshell, if you are a hotel or airline customer with status and you use most points and miles to redeem, you are giving something up. You give up credit for hotel nights or EQMs. With the Arrival, you give nothing up and potentially can still redeem those purchases for travel credit. The only exception to this is that if you have a multiplier higher than the Barclays 2.something for your airline or hotel purchase, you give up the difference in points or miles earned there. For example, if your Hilton CC earns 10x at Hilton properties and you give that up for the 2.something, you give up that difference in potential points earned.

 

[Matt]

Yes. Look at your account. Go to transactions it lists points next to purchase. They don't take them away.

And of course, depending on the multiple you earn miles or points at (certain elites earn double miles on BIS miles and many have a credit card that has a multiplier on hotel spend), you are also earning with the hotel or airline. Plus if you care about retaining airline or hotel status, you are still earning EQMs and hotel nights while being able to redeem for them. That of course is impossible to factor in to the percentages because it is a separate variable. In a nutshell, if you are a hotel or airline customer with status and you use most points and miles to redeem, you are giving something up. You give up credit for hotel nights or EQMs. With the Arrival, you give nothing up and potentially can still redeem those purchases for travel credit. The only exception to this is that if you have a multiplier higher than the Barclays 2.something for your airline or hotel purchase, you give up the difference in points or miles earned there. For example, if your Hilton CC earns 10x at Hilton properties and you give that up for the 2.something, you give up that difference in potential points earned.

I see where you guys are coming from, but the way I see this it is that it is a 'true*' 2.22% card, and that all others have that cost attached- it may be a confusing look at this, but the card does not pay more than 2.22%, it just always pays it.

*true in the sense that travel money isn't real money.

And we should note that other cards have this feature, but it isn't used because even with a 10% kickback it isn't worth it. Prime example -imagine using your CSP at dining/travel and earning 2% - you could use that as a statement credit in exactly the same manner and it would be a 'true' 2% card (for the transactions made) but you wouldn't 99% of the time do this because the 2% earned could be stretched forward massively by using the points differently (specifically transfer partners) which make it much more valuable than 10%

 

[Dkelly1110]

Where appropriate, you can "appeal" to have your expense properly coded as Travel, and thus eligible for the 10% back. I used the card to purchase intra-Italy train tickets on the Trenitalia website. They intitially did not show as eligible travel expenses, but I called in to ask for a reconsideration. If I recall correctly, I had to speak to someone in the "rewards department" rather than a front line CSR. After a about two weeks they magically appeared as eligible for the 10% back.

 

[Matt]

Where appropriate, you can "appeal" to have your expense properly coded as Travel, and thus eligible for the 10% back. I used the card to purchase intra-Italy train tickets on the Trenitalia website. They intitially did not show as eligible travel expenses, but I called in to ask for a reconsideration. If I recall correctly, I had to speak to someone in the "rewards department" rather than a front line CSR. After a about two weeks they magically appeared as eligible for the 10% back.

I've heard that this has failed for many people (including in this thread already) but am happy to hear otherwise - perhaps you getting away from the front line helped. In either case not as good as other options, like the Chase Sapphire preferred who are able to do code into travel on the spot in my experience... but everything has strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Dkelly1110]

I've heard that this has failed for many people (including in this thread already) but am happy to hear otherwise - perhaps you getting away from the front line helped. In either case not as good as other options, like the Chase Sapphire preferred who are able to do code into travel on the spot in my experience... but everything has strengths and weaknesses.

Interesting to hear that. As always in this game, YMMV.

 

[ElainePDX]

I see what you mean... So if you had 20000 arrival points, bought a $200 flight you'd earn 400 more points, then redeem 20000, earning 2000 and having 2400 left over.

This is very nice but if they don't waive my soon-to-be assessed annual fee I will say "no thanks" and start using my Fidelity 2% more.

 

[InstinctX]

Has anyone tried the Southwest "trick?"

 

[KennyBSAT]

I have had to cancel prepaid hotel reservations, no problem. And you definitely can use 8900 points for an $89 credit towards the annual fee, even if they gave you a statement credit for retention

 

[new2points]

I see where you guys are coming from, but the way I see this it is that it is a 'true*' 2.22% card, and that all others have that cost attached- it may be a confusing look at this, but the card does not pay more than 2.22%, it just always pays it.

*true in the sense that travel money isn't real money.

And we should note that other cards have this feature, but it isn't used because even with a 10% kickback it isn't worth it. Prime example -imagine using your CSP at dining/travel and earning 2% - you could use that as a statement credit in exactly the same manner and it would be a 'true' 2% card (for the transactions made) but you wouldn't 99% of the time do this because the 2% earned could be stretched forward massively by using the points differently (specifically transfer partners) which make it much more valuable than 10%

Actually Matt, there's a sure fire way to turn arrival points into straight cash. In this case travel money=real money. It might already be covered in Level 2 but I haven't peeked behind the curtain yet. If you wan't to hear about it let me know and we can decide if its safe enough for general access.

 

[Matt]

Actually Matt, there's a sure fire way to turn arrival points into straight cash. In this case travel money=real money. It might already be covered in Level 2 but I haven't peeked behind the curtain yet. If you wan't to hear about it let me know and we can decide if its safe enough for general access.

It's talked about in several places, and best kept to level 2 for sure. If it is what I am thinking then it's beyond my own personal ethical code, but that doesn't mean people shouldn't do it.

 

[Beth]

My annual fee billed a month a so ago - $89- I could use points towards it - 8900- I called and got the fee waived (yeah!) interestingly, it stays in the travel portion and I could still redeem points against it - so a good way to use 8900 points!
Here's a trick I use in hotels- have them charge do a separate charge for $25 or $50 on your bill (any amount above $25 really...) having several line items of charges makes it easier to redeem and use the smaller charge for the residual.... HTH!

 

[James from BNA]

this is one of the only fixed value currencies I've found that you can redeem for Southwest flights. US Bank Flexperks, Citi Thank-you, and Travelocity AmEx are all no-go. This makes the Arrival helpful for A List requalification and a nice tool for those with CP.

 

[shoppergirl]

And don't trust the reps if you call in to see if something will qualify. My daughter bought a TravelZoo deal for a weekend away and before doing so, she called Barclays to make sure she could use her points. They said yes but when she was billed, it was not coded as Travel and she could not use them. She called a second time and was told there is nothing they will/can do to enable her to use the points. Obviously YMMV but if your travel budget depends on using these points, I suggest sticking to airlines and hotels, not travel sites like TravelZoo.

Elaine, did your daughter talk to the rewards department? I had several travel related purchases that didn't show up in my redemptions. I called the Barclays Rewards Department. They took down the information and forwarded off to another department. I received a credit for everything I requested. I had made a hotel reservation on ihg.com using points and cash option. It didn't code as hotel. Barclay's granted my request. I went out east on vacation. I took my kids to Storyland and Santa's Village in NH. Both places weren't categorized as tourist attractions, but Barclay's granted my request. What I didn't anticipate was receiving a credit for purchasing a museum membership. All in all, I've found Barclay's customer service fantastic. It's my go to card, and I'm dumping my CSP. Orbitz does show up as travel related. I'm MSing right now to pay for my Disney hotel booked through Orbitz.

 

[shoppergirl]

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem booking award tickets. I used chase ultimate rewards to book 5 flights on Southwest. I did this all together. I used my Arrival card to pay the fees. When I got my statement, instead of a $50 charge, each ticket fee of $10 posted individually. So far, I've been unsuccessful redeeming this charge, but I'm going to try again.

 

[ElainePDX]

Elaine, did your daughter talk to the rewards department? I had several travel related purchases that didn't show up in my redemptions. I called the Barclays Rewards Department. They took down the information and forwarded off to another department. I received a credit for everything I requested. I had made a hotel reservation on ihg.com using points and cash option. It didn't code as hotel. Barclay's granted my request. I went out east on vacation. I took my kids to Storyland and Santa's Village in NH. Both places weren't categorized as tourist attractions, but Barclay's granted my request. What I didn't anticipate was receiving a credit for purchasing a museum membership. All in all, I've found Barclay's customer service fantastic. It's my go to card, and I'm dumping my CSP. Orbitz does show up as travel related. I'm MSing right now to pay for my Disney hotel booked through Orbitz.

Thanks for this advice. I will be sure to suggest my daughter follow up, but it may too late, since I know they also have a time limit. But very good to know!

 

[shoppergirl]

Thanks for this advice. I will be sure to suggest my daughter follow up, but it may too late, since I know they also have a time limit. But very good to know!

It's worth a try. Especially when Barclay's told her it would be ok! The rewards people I spoke with twice were working from Maine and were very helpful and understanding.

 

[Marc]

Does anyone know if this card is churnable?

 

[What The Heck?]

I recently tried to redeem arrival points for "Citypass" vouchers thinking that they would be valid travel expense but they are not considered to be travel expense by Barclays. Jsut a data point for someone who might be trying to do the same.

 

[Toni Perkins]

So....I actually don't have the BarclayArrival card, I know I know, but I do have the Capital One Venture and it seems that they both work pretty similarly when it comes to "writing off" or "erasing" expenses. There is a way with capital one to actually get 2% cb on ALL your purchases and not just on travel; I guess really it's a glitch. I wonder if it would work with the arrival card as well.

 

[Miles Mademoiselle]

And don't trust the reps if you call in to see if something will qualify. My daughter bought a TravelZoo deal for a weekend away and before doing so, she called Barclays to make sure she could use her points. They said yes but when she was billed, it was not coded as Travel and she could not use them. She called a second time and was told there is nothing they will/can do to enable her to use the points. Obviously YMMV but if your travel budget depends on using these points, I suggest sticking to airlines and hotels, not travel sites like TravelZoo.

One other suggestion is that she call Barclay back and explain the situation. If she called before making the purchase, tell the agent to play back the call (your daughter should be able to pinpoint the date of the call based on when she purchased the deal) and verify that a Barclay agent told her the purchase would qualify. They should be able to do this and should compensate her by awarding bonus points equal to the 1% she would miss out on redeeming points for that particular purchase. I haven't tried this with Barclay but had a semi-related issue with my Chase United card once and they played back the recording and honored what I was told by the agent.

 

[Dangjr213]

I recently tried to redeem arrival points for "Citypass" vouchers thinking that they would be valid travel expense but they are not considered to be travel expense by Barclays. Jsut a data point for someone who might be trying to do the same.

I was worried about that when I purchased our city passes, so we purchased through orbitz or travelocity (can't remember which) for the same price