Barclaycard Arrival Vs. Arrival Plus: Which Is Best For Me?

Barclaycard Arrival vs. Arrival Plus: Which Card Is Right For Me?

If you’ve decided that you need to add a fixed value card to your arsenal, now you need to figure out which card is right for your situation. Both cards offer no foreign transaction fees and like we already mentioned, redeeming points is very straightforward with both cards.

The biggest difference between the two cards probably lies with the annual fee. The Arrival Plus has an annual fee of $89/year (the first year is waived however) while the Arrival has no fee. The reason why the former has the higher fee is two-fold: it offers a higher sign-up bonus at 40,000 points compared to just 20,000 with the Arrival and it get 2 miles back per dollar spent on every purchase while the Arrival only gets 2 miles back per dollar on travel and dining purchases and 1 mile per dollar on everything else.

Is The Fee Right For Me?

One difference in Barclaycard Arrival vs. Arrival Plus is fees: should you choose Barclaycard arrival fee vs no fee? Generally I try to avoid paying annual fees but since the Arrival Plus is one of the only cards to offer 2% back on every purchase, it could be worth it depending on your situation. Remember, the annual fee is there for a reason. It has to make up for all of the better benefits that the Arrival Plus card offers.

Barclaycard Arrival vs. Arrival Plus: Arrival Plus Offers a Higher Sign-Up Bonus

The first one of those better benefits is an increased sign-up bonus. The Arrival Plus has a sign-up bonus that is 20,000 points higher than the Arrival. And that 20,000 point difference is worth about $200. So by opting for the Arrival Plus over the Arrival you are really getting the card free for three whole years (remember the first year annual fee is waived).

Barclaycard Arrival vs. Arrival Plus: How Much Do You Spend?

It might be tempting to open the Arrival Plus to score the higher bonus and then cancel the card once the annual fee comes up but remember that could have a negative impact on your credit score. Instead, you want to look for ways that the Arrival Plus could actually pay for itself. One of the best ways is to figure out how much you spend.

Since the fee is $89, we know that in order to break-even on the fee you need to spend more than $8,900 in a single year. Here’s how the math works out: if you spend $8,900 per year that would give you an extra $89 in cash back with the Arrival Plus card compared to the Arrival. Most people definitely spend over $742 ($8,900/12 months) per month on their credit cards so you will likely come out ahead by opting for the Arrival Plus card.