Barclays is a British multinational investment bank and financial services company. The Barclaycard Arrival is Barclays’ credit card rewards program. It is not very traditional compared to American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards. They don’t offer any bonuses when you redeem for travel or have any transfer partners, but it is a great option if you still want to earn miles without researching awards.

Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about Barclaycard Arrival.

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Barclaycard Arrival Quick Facts

Credit Cards	Barclays Arrival World Mastercard Barclaycard Arrival Plus® World Elite Mastercard® Barclays Arrival Premier World Elite Mastercard
Redemption Options	Travel statement credits, non-travel statement credits, gift cards, merchandise
Transfer Partners	None
Rewards Value	$0.022 per mile

Earning Mileage Plan Miles

The feature that draws most customer in to the Barclaycard Arrival rewards program is the rate in which members earn miles with Arrival credit cards. American Express Membership Rewards cardholders typically earn one point for every $1 spent, and then can redeem for travel at 100 points per $1. This is equivalent to $0.01 value per point. On the other hand, Barclays allows you to earn 2x miles and get 5% of your redeemed miles back, which gives a $0.022 value per mile.

Another way you can earn bonus Arrival miles is by shopping at Barclaycard RewardsBoost. It is an online mall that features 700 stores and earns you up to 12 miles per $1 spent with your Barclaycard.

Unfortunately, all Barclays credit cards that earn Arrival miles are closed to new applicants.

Redeeming Mileage Plan Miles

Arrival miles aren’t exactly like normal miles in the rewards world, because it cannot be transferred to other airline and hotel partners. Instead, it is used more like cash to offset travel expenses, such as flights, hotel stays, cruises, cab fares, and more. This allows for more flexibility, since you do not have to deal with blackout dates and award availability. Also, the redemption process is fairly straightforward and easy.

If you would like to redeem miles, you would need a minimum of 2,500 miles, or $25. They can be used as soon as a purchase posts to your account, or you can wait up to 180 days. Once you select an item to redeem, Barclays will tell you how many miles you will get back with the 5% rebate. You must be patient, because this can take a couple weeks to credit.

There is also the option to redeem Arrival miles for non-travel related awards – statement credits, gift cards, and merchandise – but for a lesser value per mile.

BarclayCard Arrival Tips & Tricks

Best Value Awards. The most valuable Arrival miles redemptions are travel statement credits at $0.01 per mile with a 5% redemption rebate.

Worst Value Awards. Using your Arrival miles for non-travel statement credits lowers your rewards value by about $0.005 per mile. In general, you will need 5,000 Arrival miles to redeem for $25 in statement credits or gift cards.

Credit Card Pairings. Barclaycards that earn Arrival miles have fixed rates, so it goes great with a card that features rotating bonus categories. For example, the Discover it Cash Back Card or Chase Freedom Flex^SM. You can use one of these cards when you make purchases in the high-earning bonus categories and for any other charges use your Barclaycard.

Bottom Line

Barclaycard Arrival is not like most rewards program, but it is rather simple, straightforward, and flexible. It is highly recommended for big spenders and frequent flyers who don’t bode well with restrictions.

For more posts like this, check out our list of credit card bonuses.

Looking for a rewards program with transferable rewards? You’ll want to go with Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Rewards or Citi ThankYou Rewards instead.