I can officially call myself a credit card churner. I’ve been opening new credit cards for the sign-up bonus for a while now, but this is the first time I reopened a card to get the bonus for a second time. It’s well known that Barclays credit cards are churnable, and I was able to do it within a three-month time frame. Here’s what you need to know about churning the Barclaycard Arrival Plus.

Applying for the First Time

I applied for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus for the first time on 11/1/2016 (read more about that here). This is a great time to apply for this card since the sign-up bonus is 10,000 points higher than the usual offer. I met the $3,000 spending requirement on 11/25 and the points posted the same day. I redeemed my points for a $344 flight to New Orleans, $240 private tour in Chile, and a $25 statement credit. I was left with 250 points and closed my account on 12/7.

Planning Your Churn

After opening the Barclaycard Arrival Plus, I received a targeted mailer for the same offer. Since the offer expired on 1/6/2017, I decided to wait until January 5th to use it. I figured having a unique offer code would help increase my chances of being approved again.

Applying for the Second Time

Barclays Pending Application
Even though I received this pending screen, my application was actually denied because I’d recently had this product.

I used my targeted offer to apply for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus for the second time on 1/5/2017. I was bummed to get a pending screen and decided to call the reconsideration line. Upon calling, the credit analyst noted that my application was actually automatically denied because I recently had the product. They didn’t even do a credit pull. Looks like the targeted mailer didn’t do squat!

I told the credit analyst that I’d recently closed the account and regretted doing so, so I decided to apply again. He said he could consider my application if I’d authorize a credit pull. Then he verified my income and employment and put me on hold while he assessed my report. Moments later he came back and told me I was doing what they like to see in terms of paying on time. He then approved my application with a $7,500 credit line.

Don’t Let the Fine Print Scare You

While I was working on the spending requirement, I was afraid I wouldn’t receive the bonus a second time since the fine print reads:

“This offer is available to new cardmembers only.“

I knew it was the risk I was taking by trying to churn the card. It would be a bummer if I didn’t get the bonus, but the worst that would happen is I earned some points I didn’t really care about and had another hard pull on TransUnion.

Barclaycard minimum spend
The bonus points posted with the transaction that put me over the $3,000 minimum spend

Getting the Bonus (Again!)

I met the spending requirement on 2/3/2017 and the points posted the same day. I was able to get the Barclaycard Arrival Plus bonus twice within three months! It’s so easy I almost feel bad…keyword being almost. I’ve already redeemed points for $260 worth of hotels in Chile. I’ll use the rest for tours and trains for my upcoming trip to Italy.

Final Thoughts

Barclaycard Bonus
Yes, I did earn it…twice!

I don’t think this method is sustainable and since I really don’t want to get banned by Barclays, I don’t think I’ll try it again for another year. A few key things to keep in mind when churning the Barclaycard Arrival Plus is that you can’t have an active version of the card or the no-fee version (Barclaycard Arrival) or your application won’t be processed. The system also won’t process your application if you recently closed the card like I did. In general, I’d recommend taking a more conservative approach by waiting six months to a year before opening a new account. However, if you need some travel cash fast or want a recon call challenge, you can try churning it quickly. This is definitely one of the easiest ways to get over $1,000 worth of travel for free.

Have you successfully churned the Barclaycard Arrival Plus?

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8 thoughts on “Success Churning Barclaycard Arrival Plus”

  1. I had the arrival plus and then downgraded to the no-fee version of the card. Can i apply for the arrival plus and get the sign-up bonus with the no-fee version card open or must cancel it?

    1. In order to receive the bonus again on the Arrival Plus, you will need to either close the no-fee card or convert to a separate product like the Rewards Master Card since Barclaycard automatically denies applications if you already have either card. This article explains more about possibly being able to apply while still holding the no-fee Arrival but it’s generally safer to close or convert: http://millionmilesecrets.com/2016/09/22/get-barclaycard-arrival-plus-with-no-fee-arrival/ Hope this helps!

    2. I have the Barclay American Advantage Aviator, for less than one year. I called twice to see if I was eligable for the new miles and more card from Barclay. Both times they said NO. I knew they were wrong and applied online. A security person called to verify it was me and approved me acknowledging that I WILL receive the new 50K bonus!
      Good to know!

  2. Hi,

    Anyone else have luck getting a recent approval (churn) with the offer currently stating: “This offer is available to new card members only.“ I have churned this card before, but I do not remember this verbiage, maybe I didn’t notice it before…..

  3. Hi Again,
    “This onetime 50,000 miles bonus offer is valid for first-time Card members with new accounts only. Existing Card members and existing accounts are not eligible for this offer.”

    This is the verbiage in there now……

    1. Hi Pete, Thanks for your comments. This updated verbiage is news to me. Hopefully we can track down some data points to see if this is actually enforced. Certainly sounds like they may be trying to prevent churning. If you end up applying again, please update us!

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