Recently, I wrote about a targeted offer from Barclays Bank on the AAdvantage Aviator Red MasterCard: get 15,000 bonus miles for spending $500 or more in each calendar month in October, November and December (see, [Targeted Offer] 15,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles for $1,500 Spend on Aviator MasterCard).
People were quick to wonder (or speculate) whether Barclays timed these offers to a cardholder’s time for renewal, so as to sway the cardholder to spend the renewal fee. I flinched a week or two later when I received a letter from Barclays cheerfully informing me that it was almost renewal time. Yay!
When the renewal fee hit my account, I phoned Barclays (it never hurts to try, right?). Not only did Barclays agree to waive the renewal fee, it also offered me yet another promotion: 5,000 additional bonus miles if I spend $1,000 in the next 90 days.
So, I will be receiving 20,000 miles for a $2,500 spend, and my renewal fee is waived!
Do I spend a lot on the Aviator card? No. But I had a decent amount of spend on the Arrival plus card.
How will I spend this $2,500? I have already signed up for three recurring payments of my Cooperative apartment maintenance fee on Plastiq. With the 1.5% special for MasterCard payments, this “spend” will cost approximately $60.
Incidentally, Barclays extended nearly the same offers to me last year (see, Barclays Keeps Throwing Money and Miles at Me!). I like this sort of Deja Vu.
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
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