10 Ways to Get Big Travel With Arrival Plus 50,000 Mile Bonus

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Big Travel isn’t just award flights and hotel stays!  The Barclaycard Arrival Plus lets you redeem miles for unique travel experiences that other miles and points programs don’t offer.  

And, you get 5% of your miles back every time you redeem them!

You’ll earn 50,000 Barclaycard Arrival miles when you sign-up for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus and meet the minimum spending requirements.

I’ll give you 10 ideas about how to use them!

About the Barclaycard Arrival Plus

Link:   Barclaycard Arrival Plus® World Elite Mastercard®

Link:   My Review of the Barclaycard Arrival Plus 50,000 Point Offer

When you sign-up for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus, you’ll earn 50,000 Barclaycard Arrival miles when you spend $3,000 within the first 90 days of opening your account.

That’s worth at least ~$525 toward travel expenses (because you earn 5% of your miles back every time you redeem them).

You’ll also get 2 Barclaycard Arrival miles per $1 spent on all purchases.  There’s an $89 annual fee, but it’s waived the 1st year.  And there are NO foreign transaction fees, so it’s a great card to use overseas.

Plus, folks on Reddit report it’s possible to receive the sign-up bonus more than once.  Others report the same.  But you’ll have to close your current card first.

This is also a true chip-and-PIN card.  So you can use it for things like train tickets and gas where regular swipe (or chip-and-signature) cards aren’t accepted, as I found out during my visit to Iceland!

10 Ways to Get Big Travel With Barclaycard Arrival Miles

You can redeem Barclaycard Arrival miles for travel purchases of $100+ (requiring at least 10,000 Barclaycard Arrival miles).  And, Barclaycard’s definition of travel is very broad:

A travel redemption is defined as: airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, campgrounds, car rental agencies, cruise lines, purchase and travel agencies, discount travel sites, trains, buses, taxis, limousines, and ferries as defined by the merchant category code.

That opens up a lot of Big Travel possibilities!  Let’s look at some examples.

Note:   You can only redeem Barclaycard Arrival miles for purchases of ~$100+.  So you must have at least Barclaycard 10,000 Arrival miles in your account to make a redemption.  And, they are only worth 0.5 cents each towards statement credits for things other than travel purchases, which is NOT a good deal.

1.  Take a Cruise

If you have a lot of Barclaycard Arrival miles, a cruise would be an excellent splurge!  Or, you could offset some of the cost with your Barclaycard Arrival miles.

Taking a cruise is a fun way to see more islands, or to access parts of the world where you can’t fly.  Some interesting cruises include:

• Island-hopping in the Caribbean
• Seattle to Alaska for whale-watching and glacier-spotting
• Touring Europe on the Mediterranean

50,000 Barclaycard Arrival miles is enough to offset ~$525 worth of cruise-related expenses!

2.   Cheap Flights

If you find a cheap flight (maybe from our hot fare alerts!), you might decide to pay cash instead of redeem your airline miles.  Or if you don’t have any miles with the airline you want to fly.

Remember, you always earn 2 Barclaycard Arrival miles per $1 spent on purchases.  So it’s like getting ~2.1% when you include the 5% you get back when you redeem. If you redeem your airline miles for less than that, you might decide to use Barclaycard Arrival miles instead to get a better deal!

3.   Travel by Train

Train tickets are also a great way to see more of your destination.  For example, Emily and I took a Eurostar train from London to Paris.  Or you could see more of our country via Amtrak.

For example, if you visit Japan, you could take a bullet train to visit the countryside to see the cherry blossoms.  Or explore the beautiful ancient temples in Kyoto!

4.   Enjoy a Bus Trip or Tour

Buses are a great way to get around, depending on where you are – and where you want to go.

For example, you could take a bus tour through Denali National Park in Alaska to see wildlife and learn about the history of the area with a guide.

And if you have lots of Barclaycard Arrival miles, you might decide to take a longer tour or spend a little extra on a nicer experience.  Because you can offset the cost once you get back home!

5.   Go Camping

If you like camping, or want to explore the country with an RV, campsites like KOA are a terrific way to explore the great outdoors.

You’ll usually find KOA campgrounds in rural places near hiking trails, national parks, or other outdoor attractions.

6.   Take a Ferry

Sometimes it’s faster and easier to take a ferry than to drive or fly.  Like if you want to visit Victoria from Vancouver or Seattle.  Or see more than 1 Nordic country by traveling from Denmark to Norway or Sweden.

If you decide to make this part of your journey, you can use Barclaycard Arrival miles to cover the cost of your ferry tickets!

7.   Rent a Limo

This would be fun for a special occasion or splurge, like a honeymoon.  Arrive at your hotel in style by having a limo pick you up from the airport!

Or, treat yourself to a night on the town with friends.

While this might not be practical for every trip, it could be a fun way to make a good memory even better. 🙂

8.   Airbnb Stays

Airbnb is popular with lots of folks.  And the sign-up bonus of 50,000 Arrival miles on the Barclaycard Arrival Plus is worth ~$525 toward your stays!

Your Barclaycard Arrival miles will go even further if you negotiate a better rate.  And always be sure to book a place where you’ll feel safe and comfortable.

You could also mix-and-match an award stay at a hotel with Airbnb to stay longer in an interesting places!

9.   Take a Taxi or Uber From the Airport

If you have a long ride coming up after you land at the airport in a big city (like New York or Tokyo), you might want to take a taxi instead of public transportation.  Especially if you’re coming off a red-eye flight.  Or landing in the middle of the night.

Barclaycard Arrival miles could help you get quickly and safely to where you’re going in a taxi or Uber car.

Remember, you can get a fare estimate with Uber before you book to make sure you’ll spend at least $100 so you can cover the cost with Barclaycard Arrival miles.

10.   Buy a Subway Pass

If you have an extended stay in a city with a big subway system, like Paris, London, or Seoul, you might save money by investing in a month-long subway pass.

That way, you can get to all parts of the city without paying per ride.  And then cover the cost of the pass with Barclaycard Arrival miles!

Bottom Line

You’ll earn 50,000 Barclaycard Arrival miles when you sign-up for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus and meet the minimum spending requirements.  That’s worth ~$525 toward travel purchases.  Because you get 5% of your miles back every time you redeem them for travel purchases of $100+.

Barclaycard Arrival miles can cover much more than airfare and hotel stays.  You can also offset ferry rides, campground stays, bus tours, and much more!

Let me know your favorite way to redeem your Barclaycard Arrival miles!