Barclaycard Arrival: Keep or close?

[wasCB14]

I got a 30-day use-it-or-lose it notice from Barclaycard. This is for the no-AF Arrival. Not sure if it's worth keeping.

Utilization and credit history would not change meaningfully. $10k CL from 2015 when I still have some of my 2013-2014 cards.

I have ~$17 in remaining rewards. I'd need to spend another ~$400 on travel and dining to earn another ~$8 in rewards to hit the $25 minimum redemption. It hardly seems worth it when Gold and Premium Rewards give more. Is there some other way to redeem this?

Is offline backup PIN very useful anymore? I've mostly done domestic travel recently.

Last activity was Dec 2021.

[Guyatthebeach]

WasCB14,

Personally, I'd keep it open and use it sparingly to pad your utilization!

Guyatthebeach

[ptatohed]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

I got a 30-day use-it-or-lose it notice from Barclaycard. This is for the no-AF Arrival. Not sure if it's worth keeping.

Utilization and credit history would not change meaningfully. $10k CL from 2015 when I still have some of my 2013-2014 cards.

I have ~$17 in remaining rewards. I'd need to spend another ~$400 on travel and dining to earn another ~$8 in rewards to hit the $25 minimum redemption. It hardly seems worth it when Gold and Premium Rewards give more. Is there some other way to redeem this?

Is offline backup PIN very useful anymore? I've mostly done domestic travel recently.

Last activity was Dec 2021.

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Personally, I'd have a hard time leaving $17 on the table.  I'd spend on the card a little at a time in the rewarding categories (travel, dining as you mentioned) to keep the card open and work toward the $25 minimum redemption.  After that, you can decide to sock drawer it or not.  I think this card is no longer available except through product change.      

[wasCB14]

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@ptatohed wrote:

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@wasCB14 wrote:

I got a 30-day use-it-or-lose it notice from Barclaycard. This is for the no-AF Arrival. Not sure if it's worth keeping.

Utilization and credit history would not change meaningfully. $10k CL from 2015 when I still have some of my 2013-2014 cards.

I have ~$17 in remaining rewards. I'd need to spend another ~$400 on travel and dining to earn another ~$8 in rewards to hit the $25 minimum redemption. It hardly seems worth it when Gold and Premium Rewards give more. Is there some other way to redeem this?

Is offline backup PIN very useful anymore? I've mostly done domestic travel recently.

Last activity was Dec 2021.

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Personally, I'd have a hard time leaving $17 on the table.  I'd spend on the card a little at a time in the rewarding categories (travel, dining as you mentioned) to keep the card open and work toward the $25 minimum redemption.  After that, you can decide to sock drawer it or not.  I think this card is no longer available except through product change.      

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I don't like the idea either, and I do feel the urge to spend and redeem.

But looking at it coldly...it doesn't really seem worth it when I have much better cards for dining, travel, and off-category spend. To reach that $25 threshold in rewards with Barclaycard I'd be giving up $15-$25 in rewards elsewhere.

Then I have to concern myself with how some things will code, or Barclays inferior travel insurances, etc.

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@Guyatthebeach wrote:

WasCB14,

Personally, I'd keep it open and use it sparingly to pad your utilization!

Guyatthebeach

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My personal spend is pretty modest vs. savings, and for the most part my business spend (where balances can be high) doesn't report personally.

It really comes down to the value of offline PIN, as well as any new Barclaycard-specific features I may not have considered (or know about).

[ptatohed]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

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@ptatohed wrote:

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@wasCB14 wrote:

I got a 30-day use-it-or-lose it notice from Barclaycard. This is for the no-AF Arrival. Not sure if it's worth keeping.

Utilization and credit history would not change meaningfully. $10k CL from 2015 when I still have some of my 2013-2014 cards.

I have ~$17 in remaining rewards. I'd need to spend another ~$400 on travel and dining to earn another ~$8 in rewards to hit the $25 minimum redemption. It hardly seems worth it when Gold and Premium Rewards give more. Is there some other way to redeem this?

Is offline backup PIN very useful anymore? I've mostly done domestic travel recently.

Last activity was Dec 2021.

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Personally, I'd have a hard time leaving $17 on the table.  I'd spend on the card a little at a time in the rewarding categories (travel, dining as you mentioned) to keep the card open and work toward the $25 minimum redemption.  After that, you can decide to sock drawer it or not.  I think this card is no longer available except through product change.      

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I don't like the idea either, and I do feel the urge to spend and redeem.

But looking at it coldly...it doesn't really seem worth it when I have much better cards for dining, travel, and off-category spend. To reach that $25 threshold in rewards with Barclaycard I'd be giving up $15-$25 in rewards elsewhere.

Then I have to concern myself with how some things will code, or Barclays inferior travel insurances, etc.

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Understood.  I guess you'd have to pencil it out.  You'd have to spend $400 more with the Arrival card at 2% rewards to get the needed $8, as you have pointed out.  If you could spend that $400 at, say, 5% rewards, you'd get $20.  Which is $12 more than $8.  So, at 5% rewards, you'd be giving up $12 to get $25.  Basically, you'd have to spend that $400 at about 8.25% rewards to make it a draw and better than 8.25% to make it worth giving up.  This is why minimum redemptions suk!  Good luck!  

[longtimelurker]

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@ptatohed wrote:

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  This is why minimum redemptions suk!  Good luck!  

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Right!   When a card is useful enough, minimums aren't such an issue, but when a card gets nerfed or superceded, you are left in OPs situation.

 As @ptatohed calculates, you would need large return on that $400 to do better than collecting the $25.   But even ignoring the math, as the $400 is relatively small, I would probably be tempted to spend it, redeem and close anyway, even if other choices were slightly better reward wise, just to get rid of an annoyance.

I don't know how big a deal offline PIN is now.  I have been able to use mobile pay everywhere, but obviously destination specific.

[805orbust]

I see everyone's points here but remember... we're talking about Barclays.  There is NO bank that I have ever been more happy to kick out of my life than Barclays.

And also... $17.  Seventeen bucks.  We all lost more in January on eggs.  Throw them away. (Insert standard MF disclaimers regarding mileage, profile, uniqueness, variance, opinions)

[SouthJamaica]

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@805orbust wrote:

I see everyone's points here but remember... we're talking about Barclays.  There is NO bank that I have ever been more happy to kick out of my life than Barclays.

And also... $17.  Seventeen bucks.  We all lost more in January on eggs.  Throw them away. (Insert standard MF disclaimers regarding mileage, profile, uniqueness, variance, opinions)

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Cool. You oughta copyright that

[805orbust]

🤣🤣🤣  @SouthJamaica dude my brain literally froze. I couldn't call to mind any disclaimer: ymmv, grain of salt, imho, nothing.. totally blank.  So that's all I could come up with.  And so it begins 🤣

[SouthJamaica]

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@805orbust wrote:

🤣🤣🤣  @SouthJamaica dude my brain literally froze. I couldn't call to mind any disclaimer: ymmv, grain of salt, imho, nothing.. totally blank.  So that's all I could come up with.  And so it begins 🤣

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