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Comment by rradu | Hacker News Reader

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rradu·

Barclaycard Arrival Plus missing from the list, it's my go-to card. I recommend it to everyone.

* 2 points for each $1 spent + 5% bonus on redeeming (effectively 2.1% in cash back)

* 70,000 points ($700) on signup with minimum spend

* $89 annual fee, waived first year

* No foreign transaction fees

https://cards.barclaycardus.com/banking/cards/barclaycard-ar...

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It's a good card, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to everyone. For all but the biggest spenders, the Citi DoubleCash makes more sense because it also gives 2% but with no annual fee. Since you're paying the $89, you'd have to spend over $89,000 annually ($89 / 0.1% difference) to make the 2.1% worth it over the 2%.

Counterpoints:

* Redemption is extremely limited (only 1cpp for reimbursements for "travel" charges, and minimum 10,000 points ($100) redemption)

* That annual fee quickly eats into effective cash back after the first year. There are 1.5% cashback cards with zero annual fee; for that extra 0.5% to be worth $90 you have to put more than $18k in spend on the card every year.

I got one of these for the sign-up bonus (and I'd recommend doing so!) but I wouldn't hold on to it for a cashback card.

I get these once or twice a year, meet the minimum spend, use the points and cancel the card. Repeat after 6 or more months as a "new customer".

That's not a good deal. You have to spend $89K on it just to break even.

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