The Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard is a great card that offers flexibility and value on travel redemptions. While it has been downgraded quite a bit since its initial release years ago, it’s still a terrific card that can be great for travel bookings or incidentals. In fact, I’d argue that Arrival miles are often better than airline miles. Here are 6 reasons why:
Better Redemption Value
Sometimes, redeeming airline miles isn’t the best value. This is true during really great fare sales or when a mistake fare pops up. For short-haul flights, you might get more out of your Arrival miles than airline miles. For example, a roundtrip flight to any place in the U.S. normally costs 25,000 miles roundtrip. A lot of folks prefer to redeem airline miles for premium travel, in which case you might be better off saving those 25,000 miles and instead redeeming Arrival miles if the fare is less than the value of the miles.
If you’re thinking, “but what about premium redemptions?” keep in mind that there are some amazing premium cabin deals to Asia. We’re talking ~$1,800 roundtrip flight in business class. During times like these, you’re actually better off redeeming Arrival miles than airline miles. Keep an eye out for airline deals like this and have a stash of Arrival miles on hand in anticipation. However, even if you don’t, there are options…
Pay Now, Redeem Later
The great thing about Arrival Miles is that you have 120 days after a charge posts to redeem miles for it. So unlike with an airline miles account, you don’t need to have the miles before booking travel. This provides much more flexibility and gives you a bit more time to get the miles you need together, without putting off travel.
You Get a 5% Rebate on Miles Redeemed Towards Travel
Arrival miles are worth 1 cent each towards travel, but cardholders get an extra 5% rebate. If you redeem a ton of Arrival miles every year, this can really add up to a substantial amount.
Lower Annual Fees Than Airline Miles Cards
Most airline rewards cards have an annual fee of $95, but the Barclaycard Arrival Plus card’s is just $89. I don’t keep many airline credit cards long term (except for the Barclaycard Aviator Red card), so its nice to have a credit card with an annual fee that’s less than most other airline card that earns a flexible currency, which can be used for flights.
No Flight Restrictions
One of the most frustrating parts about redeeming airline miles is finding saver availability. That’s especially true during peak travel times when mileage redemption rates can double. With Barclaycard Arrival miles, you can (to borrow Jennifer Garner’s tagline) “redeem miles for any flight, any time” without paying for it out of pocket. Sure, the $100 minimum for travel redemptions isn’t ideal, but if you’re booking flights for multiple people, it isn’t a problem.
You Can Earn Miles
The great thing about booking paid fares and redeeming Arrival miles against the purchase is that you can earn airline miles for the distance flown. Not just that, you’ll also earn elite qualifying miles! This is great for folks who still manage to do mattress runs, not to mention its an added bonus if you’re already getting great value out of your travel redemption.
These are some of the ways I think Arrival miles are better than airline currency. I’d love to hear your take on this – when do you use Arrival vs. airline miles?