Barclaycard Arrival Mishap - what should I do??

[Open123]

40K points for $1,000 spend is definitely worth the app!  It's a really nice card if you can use the travel credits for their full or close to full value.  However, in my view, it clearly isn't worth renewing for the $89 annual fee.

[enharu]

If possible try to have some form of written record about the sign up bonus being promised to you.

Also, if you want a world MasterCard, ask for a CLI now. A number of people have reported being stuck with the same type of MasterCard / visa for Barclays even after their CLI raised them past 5k. Some were told to reapply if they wanted the higher tier. So its safer to do it now.

[manzanita]

@enharu - Thanks for the suggestion - I just tried using the 866-408-4064. No dice. Not the end of the world. I'll try again at some other point down the road after they've seen some payments and usage. 

@Open123 - agreed on the renewal. 

[lhcole77]

I would get the confirmation in writing too.

I was approved for my card yesterday. Didn't see any confirmation about the bonus after approval so I contacted a CSR through their website to confirm. Got this message:

Response Customer Service via Email 07/11/2013 11:13 PM

Dear lhcole77 :

Thank you for contacting us regarding your Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard. We can certainly address your inquiry regarding the bonus miles on your account.

Welcome to the BarclaycardUS family of credit cards! This is to confirm that 40,000 bonus miles are earned if you use your account for $1,000 in net purchases within ninety (90) days of your account being opened.

[djc1puno]

Congrats!

[manzanita]

- As of this evening the original card was closed completely, so you guys called it. Do I need to worry about the account posting? 

-Confirmed both verbally and in writing via the customer service email that I will get the 40k miles, 0% intro apr, waived fee, etc.

Really excited about this card. I really like the rewards - I can see it getting a lot of use!

[jumpinjax]

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@manzanita wrote:

Hi -

So yesterday I couldn't hep myself and applied for the Barclay Card Arrival. Right now on their Arrival card with an AF they are offering that 40k miles deal. Great.

Except somehow I - in my haste/obliviousness/i don't know  I ACTUALLY applied for the No AF card which is only offering 10k.

I was approved with a 4000 CL. So, after researching here about recons, I called Barclays today and asked if I could somehow be switched to the card I intended to apply for. They told me I could, but I would have to transfer my existing 4k CL from the non-AF card to the AF card with the better deal (fee waived first year). Ok fine. It would be an HP. Ugh...fine...I don't have many inquiries and I really truly am gardening from here on out because I don't need anything else.

So I was told that the original, non AF would be canceled. I just logged in and saw my new AF card with the 4k limit ...but I also saw my "old" non-AF card, now with a $500 limit.

So what should I do here? Do I:

A) Call them, tell them I don't need two cards ( I don't) and please actually cancel the first card? Maybe the first won't even report if I catch it soon enough?

B) The above, except ask them to move that additional $500 CL to my new card? Then at some point (now? later?) see if I can get the small bump up to the MC World? 

C) Keep them both -this would mean two new tradelines, but I added a new Amex revolver with a 2001 backdate that would help offset- get the miles deal on the little one then transfer them to the big one (is that possible?). Essentially try to get the miles deal on both. 

My concern with C, aside from the AAoA hit, is the whole "not available to existing cardmembers or existing accounts." Does this mean I can't get both deals? These are two seperate products, with seperate app processes apparently. If I am cardmember for one, am I then "an existing cardmember" where the 2nd account is concerned?

What do you guys think? Afraid to call and ask in case there's something accidentally working in my favor and I'm too much of a newbie to the miles game to know it.

Thanks!

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Don't worry.  The next business day, the original card that says $500 will be closed down to 0.  It is a barclays system issue when closing cards.  I had the same problem, when i pc'ed. gl

[mxp114]

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@manzanita wrote:

- As of this evening the original card was closed completely, so you guys called it. Do I need to worry about the account posting? 

-Confirmed both verbally and in writing via the customer service email that I will get the 40k miles, 0% intro apr, waived fee, etc.

Really excited about this card. I really like the rewards - I can see it getting a lot of use!

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Barclays is very fast about reporting and if it does, send a letter to:

Barclaycard US

Credit Bureau Disputes
P.O. Box 8803
Wilmington, DE 19899-8803

Save yourself from calling, the credit bureau team is mail only. Ask them to please suppress the account from reporting and explain why they should. In this case, should be an easy process. I hope it doesn't but just in case.

[manzanita]

Wow - that WAS fast!

Barclays reported both accounts, as of today. When the first (now closed) account reported, it made my EQ score jump from 706 to 713. When the second (valid) account reported, my score stayed the same at 713. Checked my EQ report, as well as CK and sure enough, there are two tradelines with two account numbers. 

Since it seems to have not made much of a difference, I would think I should just leave it be - except it doesnt specifically say that the first one is closed. So, I'm wondering if an extra 4k (the CL that is reporting on the closed acct) is being factored into my utilization and therefore outweighing any damage done to my AAoA. When they correct that account to show as "closed" there might be a detrimental effect, right?

Another concern - I signed up for a Discover It card for balance transfers back at the end of May (10k limit, of which I'm using very little) that has yet to report, so maybe I should just see what happens when that hits? 

In terms of AAoA - I'm at 6.2 years right now. This includes BOTH Barclays TLs, does not include the Discover It or my new Amex Delta, which I expect to be backdated to 2001. I have a handful of SL accounts that go back to the early 2000's so they, plus my two Amex's and a Cap 1 from '04 will hopefully balance out the accounts I have added this year. I am also DONE adding accounts for the foreseeable future. 

If it doesn't seem to hurt my AAoA much, should I concern myself with getting this TL removed?  Any other reason that I should be motivated to get it removed?

Thanks again