Barclays Partners With AARP For New Cobranded Cards, Will Buy Existing Portfolio From Chase

Barclays has entered into a new multi year deal with AARP to provide a range of co-branded cards. New Barclays AARP cards will launch in Spring of 2021. In addition Barclays has reached a new with JPMorgan Chase & Co to buy the existing AARP portfolio. Existing cardholders will be converted to the new Barclays AARP cards in Spring 2021 when they launch. Barclays has stated that a ‘suite’ of new AARP cards will be offered, but haven’t provided any additional details.

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  • Does Anyone know if at conversion Barclays will use the original card open date or the new conversion date for the account opening date reported to the credit bureaus?

    I am trying to find out for reasons of Average Age of Accounts w the credit bureaus and it's impact on my score.

    Thanks in advance!

  • Barclay's has a history of nerfing products when they become too popular (Sallie Mae was under the radar for a long time but eventually got nerfed; Uber only lasted what, 2 years?). If this card does offer any type of decent rewards it probably won't last long, unless they are very strict on approvals.

    • Product change for Chase or Barclays?
      I still have a Barclays Uber card for the $6k limit, but just toss it my $9.99/mo. Experian sub to keep it active. If the new Barclays AARP card has decent rewards (doubtful) I may PC my Uber to it. The way you PC Barclays is to app for the new card you want and then call in & explain you want to close your old card & move the limit to the new card. I've PC'd Barclays cards 3 times that way.

      • Thanks. I was actually considering product-changing to a Chase product to avoid Barclays altogether.

    • That's unfortunate. I got mine quick, that was about 4 years ago. I can't product change to anything so this will be interesting.

  • Barclay's has burned me twice with cobranded cards: Sallie Mae and Uber. So, no, I do not regret having closed my AARP card a few weeks ago.

    • Amen, brother. Barclays is my least favorite issuer, by far... I’ll handle 5/24 at Chase or the lack of merchants who take Amex over Barclays shenanigans any day.

  • After Sallie Mae and Uber? Oh no no no Sir Barclays. If anything good comes from you, it is swiftly taken away and made into a cup coaster that can't quite do anything right.

  • I wish Chase will allow to convert to some card like Chase freedom, otherwise I'll close it before it convert to Barclays. I don't want a new account on credit report.

    • @guest_1077821 depends.. are you going to stop paying your credit card bills because you don’t like the new issuer? If so, then yes, it will affect your credit score.

  • When the Freedom Flex was rolled out, my AARP card became obsolete for me. Now I see why Chase was so willing to cannibalize one of its own cards for another.

    I've never been through this process before. Will my AARP card count as a "new" account on my credit report once it moves to Barclay?

    • Typically when this type of thing happens the original opening date of the account is preserved. Of course no guarantees.