Barclaycard Arrival World Mastercard review

**Note: This offer is no longer available. For reviews of current offers, visit our reviews section.

As a rewards card, the Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard is a solid choice for frequent travelers who don’t want to spend money on an annual fee. The rewards card offers a generous sign-up bonus worth up to $200 in travel statement credits, and twice the points on dining and travel. But as a balance transfer card, it has less to offer – especially for cardholders who are heavily in debt.

If you have just a small amount of debt to repay and enough income to repay new purchases in full, the Arrival World MasterCard can be a good option. Just make sure you don’t transfer too much debt to the Arrival card since its regular interest rate is on the high side for a balance transfer card.

Generous rewards for frequent travelers

If you spend a lot on dining and travel, the Arrival World MasterCard is a good value for a card with no annual fee. Cardholders earn two points for every dollar spent on travel and dining purchases and one point per dollar spent on everything else. Cardholders also earn an additional 5 percent bonus when they redeem points for travel. In addition, Barclaycard makes it easy to earn a free trip in a short period of time by awarding a generous sign-up bonus in return for modest spending. If you spend roughly $333 a month for the card’s first three months, you’ll automatically receive 20,000 bonus miles, which you can redeem for up to $200 worth of self-booked travel.

First-rate rewards, second-rate promotion

Beware of overspending, though, if you plan to transfer a balance. The Arrival World MasterCard is designed to tempt cardholders into spending heavily on dining out and travel. But unlike some balance transfer cards, it doesn’t grant cardholders a temporary interest-free reprieve. Without a zero percent APR on purchases, spending money on the Arrival World MasterCard before you pay off your transferred balance is risky – especially since the Arrival card’s 12-month interest-free balance transfer period is so short. To clear a $5,000 balance in under a year, for example, you need to pay a minimum of $417 a month and pay off all new purchases in full so you don’t incur additional interest.

Few restrictions

On the upside, transferring a balance to the Arrival World MasterCard is relatively painless. At 3 percent, the card’s balance transfer fee is more affordable than those charged by some balance transfer cards. For example, some cards charge between 4 and 5 percent to transfer a balance. Barclaycard also imposes relatively few restrictions. You can transfer any amount you want as long as it’s within your credit limit. You just need to be quick with completing all your transfers. Barclaycard only gives cardholders 45 days to transfer a balance and still take advantage of the card’s promotion.

Too pricey to carry a balance

The biggest downside to the Arrival World MasterCard is its APR, which is significantly more expensive than the rate charged by most balance transfer cards. Cardholders with the best credit are charged a minimum of 15.99 percent, which is high even for a rewards credit card. The average rewards card, for example, charges just 15.14 percent. Meanwhile, the average balance transfer card charges 14.12 percent, according to CreditCards.com data. When a credit card’s interest rate is that high, we typically recommend that cardholders either pay off all new purchases in full, or look for a new card.

Why get the Barclaycard Arrival World Mastercard?

• You just have a small amount of debt to repay and need a few months to pay it off.
• You spend heavily on dining and travel.
• You want a generous travel rewards card, but don’t want to pay an annual fee.
• You don’t plan to carry a balance on any new purchases.

How to use the Barclaycard Arrival World Mastercard:

• Do the math before you use the card for a major purchase. If you can’t afford to pay off your new credit card balance in full, use another card.
• Be aggressive with your payments. Consider how much you need to pay each month to clear your balance by the end of the card’s promotion and try to pay more than that when you can.
• To maximize your rewards, use your card for all your travel and dining purchases.
• Keep an eye on your credit by regularly viewing your free FICO credit score.