The Chase Sapphire Preferred vs the Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite Mastercard®

This is a review and comparison of two of the most popular travel reward credit cards: the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard.

These cards are both designed for people with good credit, and they offer some of the best rewards and benefits you’ll find on travel credit cards. They have similar annual fees, but the Barclaycard’s is waived for the first year.

Read on to learn if one of these cards is the right one to help pay for your next vacation.

The Rewards

Chase Sapphire Preferred

You’ll earn:

• 5X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides
• 2X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel and dining at restaurants
• 1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
• 100,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening
• 25% redemption bonus when you redeem points for airfare, hotel stays, car rentals, and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards

You can transfer your points at a 1:1 rate to a number of different frequent traveler programs:

Barclaycard Arrival Plus

This card provides:

• 2 miles per dollar on every purchase you make
• 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 90 days and pay the annual fee
• 5% of your miles back every time you redeem them
• Miles that won’t expire as long as your account is open, active, and in good standing

You’ll earn 1 cent per mile when redeeming for travel expenses, but only .5 cents per mile when redeeming for cash back statement credits or gift cards. Miles will vary in value when redeeming for merchandise. To get the best value you’ll want to redeem your miles exclusively for travel statement credits.

The Verdict

As you can see, these cards offer similar rewards. But there are a few important differences to think about if you’re considering one of these cards.

The Barclaycard has the better point offer, with 2 points per dollar for every purchase you make compared to 2 points for travel and dining with the Sapphire Preferred. The Sapphire Preferred has a slightly better signup bonus.

The Sapphire Preferred also seems to have the edge when it comes to the other terms. The 25% redemption bonus on travel beats out the 5% mile redemption bonus, as long as you can redeem your points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. Or, you can transfer your Sapphire Preferred points to another frequent traveler program if you prefer the benefits you get there.

The Benefits

Here are some of the more valuable benefits offered by each card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Perks

• DoorDash Membership

  A free membership (DashPass) for at least a year, which provides free delivery and reduced service fees on orders over $12.

• Exclusive Sapphire℠ Events and Experiences

  Special travel and event opportunities for cardholders.

• 24/7 Access to Customer Service Specialists

  No matter where you are in the world, call to speak directly to a real person.

• No Blackout Dates or Restrictions

  As long as you can find a seat on the flight, you will be able to book it using Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Barclaycard Arrival Plus

Perks

• Mastercard World Elite Concierge Services

  Like having your own personal assistant, call for non-emergency help in all sorts of situations.

• Mastercard World Elite Luxury Travel Services

  Includes access to special vacation packages, travel planning, and hotel deals.

• Barclaycard Travel Community

  A place to share travel stories and advice, as well as earn miles for certain community activities.

• Free FICO® Credit Score

  Access your FICO score online at any time, for free.

The Verdict

When it comes to the benefits offered by these cards, the Barclaycard seems to take the cake.

The Sapphire Preferred offers the Exclusive Sapphire Events and Experiences, which could be quite valuable depending on how often you use them, but that’s about it.

The Barclaycard, on the other hand, offers a premier concierge service along with quite a few luxury travel benefits through World Elite Mastercard. There are many options to explore here, for several different kinds of vacations.

Each card offers some additional shopping and travel benefits and protections. You can check out the full set of benefits for the Chase Sapphire Preferred here or the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard here.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the benefits offered by each card:

The Costs & Fees

The Verdict

These cards have almost the same costs and fees. You’ll have to pay the Sapphire Preferred card’s annual fee right off the bat, while the Barclaycard’s fee is waived for the first year. You’ll get a lower interest rate with the Sapphire Preferred, but it’s not a very significant difference. And if you pay off your balance in full every month, you won’t have to worry about interest payments.

The biggest difference between these cards is that the Barclaycard has a 0% intro APR offer for balance transfers. So, if you want to transfer a balance the Sapphire Preferred won’t be the better option.

The Bottom Line

The Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard are both popular travel rewards cards, and you could use one of them to help pay for your next trip or vacation.

If you’re thinking about one of these cards, examine your spending habits and the kind of traveling you usually do. The annual fees and interest rates are pretty comparable, so take a look at the other features.

Do you want to use the card to buy all sorts of purchases, or will you stick to dining and travel expenses? Would you be able to take advantage of the 25% point bonus when redeeming points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards very often?

Think about the other benefits that each card offers. Do you love the look of the Sapphire Exclusive Experiences? If not, you’ll probably get more out of the luxury travel benefits on the Barclaycard, as well as the personal concierge. The concierge, for example, can be used at any time you might need it, while the Sapphire Preferred Experiences take a bit more work to access.

If you own one of these credit cards, how do you like it? Leave your own review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard, we’d love to hear from you!