World elite MasterCard holders

[Anonymous]

Members,

Have a quick question for you guys regarding the world elite master cards. Have you guys used it for the Lufthansa economy class ticket upgrade to first class? If so which economy class ticket counts for the upgrade?

Currently have a few trips coming up next year to Europe and was offered a PC to the Barclaycard world elite arrival plus and thinking about maybe taking the offer for the upgrade alone since I'm looking at flights over 16 hours out of Denver minimum. And I know not the best travel card, I rely heavily on freedom and CSP for travel needs and don't want to open a Amex platinum and I burned Citi 8 hours and they haven't let me back in yet... so holding off till April/may to be under the 5/24 rule for The CST.

[wasCB14]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Members,

Have a quick question for you guys regarding the world elite master cards. Have you guys used it for the Lufthansa economy class ticket upgrade to first class? If so which economy class ticket counts for the upgrade?

Currently have a few trips coming up next year to Europe and was offered a PC to the Barclaycard world elite arrival plus and thinking about maybe taking the offer for the upgrade alone since I'm looking at flights over 16 hours out of Denver minimum. And I know not the best travel card, I rely heavily on freedom and CSP for travel needs and don't want to open a Amex platinum and I burned Citi 8 hours and they haven't let me back in yet... so holding off till April/may to be under the 5/24 rule for The CST.

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The upgrade is to business class, subject to availability, and requires a full-fare Y economy ticket. Like most things travel, there may be a time and place when something makes sense, but many savvy travelers consider these WEMC upgrades to be a gimmick of no real value.

Generally, Y fare tickets are stupidly expensive on long flights, and you may find it cheaper to buy a confirmed discounted Business class seat with cash or pay for one with miles (real miles, not that Arrival "miles" silliness).

But if you really need flexibility in your plans, maybe Y class can make sense.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
I burned Citi 8 hours and they haven't let me back in yet...

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Wow, Citi has a long memory, 8 hours ago and they still haven't forgiven!   (I assume this is 8 years)

[Anonymous]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:
Members,

Have a quick question for you guys regarding the world elite master cards. Have you guys used it for the Lufthansa economy class ticket upgrade to first class? If so which economy class ticket counts for the upgrade?

Currently have a few trips coming up next year to Europe and was offered a PC to the Barclaycard world elite arrival plus and thinking about maybe taking the offer for the upgrade alone since I'm looking at flights over 16 hours out of Denver minimum. And I know not the best travel card, I rely heavily on freedom and CSP for travel needs and don't want to open a Amex platinum and I burned Citi 8 hours and they haven't let me back in yet... so holding off till April/may to be under the 5/24 rule for The CST.

---

The upgrade is to business class, subject to availability, and requires a full-fare Y economy ticket. Like most things travel, there may be a time and place when something makes sense, but many savvy travelers consider these WEMC upgrades to be a gimmick of no real value.

Generally, Y fare tickets are stupidly expensive on long flights, and you may find it cheaper to buy a confirmed discounted Business class seat with cash or pay for one with miles (real miles, not that Arrival "miles" silliness).

But if you really need flexibility in your plans, maybe Y class can make sense.

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Yes, fully agree, I've had a number of such offers over the years, including things like companion passes, where it turns out that one full fare Y is often much more than you would pay for two "normal" coach tickets, and, as wasCB14 says, often more than available discounted biz.

Thing to remember:  WEMC aren't exactly rare any more, and as with any credit card-based offer, you are unlikely to be able to win "big" as there are just too many people.

[Anonymous]

Yes 8 years lol! I figured it was a gimmick and figured let me ask first. At least for the barclay annual fee it just doesn't seem worth it to me to PC/upgrade from rewards to arrival +. The card doesn't seem worth it to me now that I have my question answered

[happypill]

The real allure of the Arrival+ (and really for many cards) is the sign-on bonus of 40-50k points worth $400-500 + their 5% bonus.  Frankly, for most users will be way more useful than the difference between 2% rewards or 1.5% rewards.  For big spenders, certain points systems are much more valuable of course.

So, there's really little incentive to PC to an Arrival+ if it means missing out on the sign-on bonus.

[RaiseMyScoreASAP]

Did you get a bonus when you did a PC into this card? Which card did you have?

[Anonymous]

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@RaiseMyScoreASAP wrote:

Did you get a bonus when you did a PC into this card? Which card did you have?

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I am curious about this myself. I heard that Barclays does not offer a lot of flexibility with PCs

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@RaiseMyScoreASAP wrote:

Did you get a bonus when you did a PC into this card? Which card did you have?

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I am curious about this myself. I heard that Barclays does not offer a lot of flexibility with PCs

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+1 I'm curious too.

[Anonymous]

And with the arrival plus you are stuck doing barclay arrival plus math. Minimum redemption at $100, plus easy to leave money left hostage due to the 5% dividend.

https://loopholetravel.com/2016/03/16/barclay-arrival-redemption-math-lesson-optimize-your-miles/