Barclaycard Arrival Plus^® World Elite Mastercard^® Review [2024]: Is It Worth It?

Why we like it

It’s one of the most flexible travel credit cards available

When it comes to booking a trip, flexibility is key. Luckily, the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard has you covered with super flexible reward redemptions.

Once you’re ready to redeem, rewards can be booked however you’d like – whether that be directly through an airline or hotel, travel agent, or travel website. The Barclaycard Arrival Plus will then reimburse your travel expenses with the reward miles in your account.

This option is especially beneficial for budget travelers since it allows you to snag the best deals whenever they become available.

Here are a few examples of how easy the process is:

Reimbursement Example 1: Let’s say JetBlue has an incredible sale on airfare and you quickly book a $100 roundtrip ticket to San Diego using your Barclaycard Arrival Plus.

Once the purchase shows on your statement, you would simply select and submit the expense for reimbursement using your miles; when the transaction clears, you’ll be jetting off to San Diego for free thanks to your rewards program.

Reimbursement Example 2: If you’re planning a trip with a group of friends and making reservations through a travel agent, you can use your miles to be reimbursed once the trip is booked.

After using your Barclaycard Arrival Plus to pay for your travel reservations, you would simply log into your account, pull up your statement, and tag the expense for reimbursement. Once it’s been processed, you’ll see a credit on your statement for the amount covered by your reward miles.

The sign-up bonus is worth getting excited over

A generous sign-up bonus is always a factor when searching for the best travel credit card and the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard doesn’t disappoint.

Rewards add up FAST

Building a stockpile of rewards with this card is easy – you’ll earn 2 miles for every dollar spent on this card! Most credit card reward rates are 1%, so this high rate of rewards is a keeper.

Get miles back every time you redeem

Each mile is worth 1 cent, and when you redeem them, you also get a redemption bonus. You’ll get 5% bonus points back to use toward your next redemption. This essentially means you'll never run out of miles.

You're in control of your card

Using the Barclays mobile app, you can instantly secure your accounts by locking your card through Barclays SecurHold protection — a huge relief if you think your card's been compromised. 

No need to worry about hidden terms and conditions

As with all rewards credit cards, worrying about blackout dates, mileage caps, and reward expirations are common. However, you won’t need to worry about that with the Barclaycard Arrival Plus. 

There’s no cap on the number of award miles you can earn, no blackout dates, and as long as your account is open, miles never expire.

Another great redemption tip is you can redeem miles for your entire trip or just a portion - you decide what’s best for you.

Traveling couldn’t be easier

This card carries no foreign transaction fee, making it a must-have for traveling abroad. Also, it’s chip-enabled and PIN capabilities make it a secure choice to use while traveling abroad.

There’s a built-in support network

One of the reasons we love this card is because of the emphasis on customer experience.

When you sign-up for the card, you not only receive a powerful travel rewards card, but you also gain access to the Barclaycard Travel Community which connects travelers across the globe and rewards them with bonus miles for sharing their travel stories.

Plus, you get World Elite Mastercard benefits

As an added benefit, this card is on the World Elite Mastercard platform, which offers cardmembers with high-end perks such as:

• Complimentary concierge service and access to travel advisors to help you plan trips
  
• Access to luxury hotels and resorts, plus perks such as complimentary breakfast
• Access to premium offers and upgrades on certain airlines
  
• Access to Priceless Experiences, such as Priceless Cities and Priceless Golf
  
• Support from an identity-theft hotline
  
• Travel protection, purchase security, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, rental car insurance, and more

Alternatives to the Barclay card

As good as this rewards card from Barclays credit cards is (if you still have it) or was (if you missed it), you may want to consider a different credit card offer from another credit card issuer:

If you prefer cash back

A high rewards rate is only good if it fits your lifestyle, so if traveling isn’t really your thing and you’d prefer a cash back rewards card, the Chase Freedom Unlimited^® may be better for you. You’ll earn a rewards rate of 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and 3% cash back on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. 

Plus, there's no annual fee, and you can earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).

If you’re loyal to a specific airline

Belonging to an airline loyalty program isn’t a deal breaker for getting the Barclaycard Arrival Plus card by any means, but if you’re able to get more value out of reward miles or points through a loyalty program, you may be better off with a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card instead. This card allows you to transfer points to several major travel programs at a 1:1 ratio, which if you’re skilled at stretching rewards, could mean squeezing as much as 5 cents out of each point. 

This card earns 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases. And you get a sweet sign-up bonus offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening (that's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel). Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.

If you don’t plan to travel abroad

If you typically stick with domestic travel, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card may be a better match for you. The Venture Rewards Card features chip-and-signature technology (vs. chip and PIN) which is standard all around the U.S. and it has a lower $95 annual fee.

This card earns 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25. And you get a great welcome bonus offer: Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

FAQs

Bottom line

If you’re looking for a rewards card to serve as a powerful travel companion around the globe, the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard is a solid choice. With so many incredible benefits and a ton of flexibility, you’ll be booking for your first rewards trip in no time.

Editor's note: The Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard is no longer available. If you're looking to earn travel rewards quickly consider one of our highly recommended best travel credit cards.