Overview
APRs:
- APR: 14.99% or 18.99% depending on your credit worthiness
- Introductory APR: 0% for the first twelve billing cycles
- Cash advance APR: 25.24%
- Penalty APRs: 27.24%
- Applies if you make a late payment
- Can apply indefinitely
- Grace period: 23 days
- Minimum interest charge: $2
Note all APRs may vary based on the prime market rate.
Fees:
- Annual fee: $0
- Balance transfer fee: $10 or 3% whichever is greater
- Cash advance fee: $10 or 5% whichever is greater
- Foreign transaction fee: 0% of each transaction in U.S dollars
- Late payment fee: Up to $35
- Returned payment: Up to $35
Card Benefits
- Comes with a free TransUnion classic 2008 FICO score [Find out how often it updates here]
- MasterCard world benefits (not everybody will be approved for the world version of the card, some applicants will receive the platinum version which only has the basic MasterCard benefits)
- 0% APR for twelve billing cycles
- 20,000 mile sign up bonus
Card Negatives
- Card earns at a low rate of 1x miles per $1 spent on most categories
- 20,000 mile sign up bonus is 20,000 less than the annual fee version of this card
Application Information
What Credit Score Is Required
| Credit Boards | Credit Karma | |
| Lowest approved score | No data | 678 |
| Average approved score | No data | 730 |
We’d recommend having a score of 700+ before applying for this card. It’s also a good idea to see if you have any pre-approved offers from Barclay before applying to ensure there isn’t a better targeted offer for you. Alternatively you can find out how to view all of your pre-approved offers here.
Common Reasons For Denial:
- Too many recent inquiries
- Not enough credit history
- Low spending on existing Barclay cards
If you’re denied, we recommend calling the reconsideration line to plead your case for why you should be approved. You can find all the reconsideration phone numbers here. If you’ve never called reconsideration before, read our guide with some tips on how the whole process works.
What Credit Bureau Does Barclay Pull For The Arrival Card?
Barclay almost always pulls the TransUnion credit bureau for their information.
What Credit Limit Will I Receive?
| Minimum Credit Limit | Highest Reported Credit Limit | Average Credit Limit |
| $1,00 | $10,000 | $3,200 |
Rewards Program
Earning Rewards
This card earns Barclay Arrival miles. You can earn additional Barclay miles by participating in the travel community. You earn miles at the following rate by using the card
- 2x miles per $1 spent on travel & dining expenses
- 1x miles on all other purchases
Sign Up Bonus
Current Sign Up Bonus
- February 20th – Current: 20,000 Miles After $1,000 Spend, Annual Fee Waived For The First Year
Sign Up Bonus History
Public Offers:
- December 14th, 2012 – February 20th, 2014: 20,000 Miles After $1,000 Spend
Targeted Offers:
- 40,000 miles after $1,000 spend, no annual fee [Jan 2013: 1
- 40,000 miles after $500 spend, no annual fee [Jan 2013: 1, 2, 3
Redeeming Your Rewards
Barclay Miles can be redeemed for statement credit. The amount you get depends on what you redeem against, if you redeem against travel expenses you receive 1¢ per mile. If you redeemed against any other charge you’ll only receive 0.5¢ per mile. You have a period of 120 days to apply your miles against travel expenses before they become locked.
The following count as travel expenses:
- Airlines
- Travel Agencies & Tour Operators
- Hotels, Motels & Resorts
- Cruise Lines
- Passenger Railways
- Taxis
- Buses
- Tourist attractions
- Campgrounds
- Limousines
- Timeshares
- Car Rental Agencies
You can also look at this list to see what did and didn’t count as a travel expense.
Our Verdict
This card is OK, but I’d never recommend anybody apply for it. You’re going to be much better off applying for the Barclay Arrival Plus, which has no annual fee for the first year and a higher sign up bonus of 40,000 miles. You can then do a product change before the annual fee hits to this card to avoid any annual fee being charged, often Barclay will waive the annual fee on their Plus card for the second year as well if you call the retention department and ask to cancel.
We Recommend This Card For:
- Nobody, see our verdict for explanation
We Don’t Recommend This Card For:
- People with high restaurant spend
- People with high travel spend
- People looking for a high sign up bonus [read our list of the best cash sign up bonuses]
Card Alternatives
Review coming soon.
Current Sign Up Bonus
- February 20th – Current: 20,000 Miles After $1,000 Spend, Annual Fee Waived For The First Year
Sign Up Bonus History
Public Offers:
- December 14th, 2012 – February 20th, 2014: 20,000 Miles After $1,000 Spend
Targeted Offers:
Below is a list of targeted offers people have received for this card. If you receive a targeted offer get in contact with us.
- 40,000 miles after $1,000 spend, no annual fee [Jan 2013: 1
- 40,000 miles after $500 spend, no annual fee [Jan 2013: 1, 2, 3
Worst card and service in industry!! They lowered my credit limit out of the blue one day from $7k to $3k. I have a solid 685-710 score from month to month depending on balances, not a single blemish anywhere, and an Amex and several Citi cards with $15k limits. In the month prior to Barclaycard lowering my limit to $3k, I made a $1200 payment to them to pay off a promotional balance transfer before it expired. In the month they lowered my limit, I made a $300 payment. By lowering my limit, they caused this card to go from under 50% utilization to over 90% utilization which tanked my credit score by 20 points. It was already a worthless card and Barclaycard went the extra mile to make it useless and dangerous. Stay away from this card and bank altogether.