Charles H. Miller
The Barclaycard CashForward™ World MasterCard® is not the first card offering the simple 1.5% cash back. However, we haven’t seen any other card in that category with World MasterCard® shopping and travel benefits. It also comes with $100 sign-up bonus and 5% cash rewards redemption bonus. APR ranges from 15.24% to 23.24%, after the first 12 months of 0% APR on purchases. There is no annual fee. Let’s dive into details…
Highlights
- $100 sign-up bonus
- 1.5% unlimited cash back on all purchases, 5% cash rewards redemption bonus
- Shopping and travel benefits
- 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and on balance transfers made within the first 45 days; after that, it’s 15.24%, 19.24%, or 23.24%.
- No annual fee
How It Works?
Cash back: Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase you make with this card. You also get a 5% cash rewards redemption bonus to use toward your next redemption. So when you redeem $400 cash rewards, you will earn $20 cash rewards bonus to use toward your next redemption.
Redeem: You can redeem the money earned as an ACH deposit into a US checking or savings account, statement credit, or gift cards. Redemptions start at $50.
Sign-up bonus: $100 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 90 days after account opening.
Travel benefits: Including trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, travel accident insurance, and an auto rental collision damage waiver. Also, cardmembers get access to the 24/7 global assistance service and concierge service to help them with travel and restaurant reservations, gift arrangements, business services, and more.
Shopping benefits: Extended warranty, purchase protection from damage or theft, and return protection.
Free FICO score: Allows cardmembers to keep a close eye on their credit, with the option to receive notifications whenever their credit score changes.
APR: 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and on balance transfers made within the first 45 days of account opening. After that, a standard variable APR of 15.24%, 19.24%, or 23.24% will apply.
Costs
- 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and on balance transfers made within the first 45 days; after that, it’s 15.24%, 19.24%, or 23.24%.
- 3% Balance Transfer Fee ($5 minimum)
- 3% Foreign Transaction Fee
- $0 Annual Fee
At Barclaycard’s secure website
Pros
- Sign-up bonus of $100 that is easy to reach — no need to spend thousands to get it.
- 1.5% cash back on every purchase with no need to manage rotating categories.
- Shopping and travel perks that come included as part of the World MasterCard® card.
- 5% cash rewards redemption bonus may not be huge, but it makes this card slightly more appealing than other products offering the same cash back percentage.
- Free FICO score – could be useful for those trying to increase their credit score.
Cons
- Foreign transaction fee – although it’s “just” 3%, there are cards that have 0% foreign transaction fee. Those other cards are, obviously, made to be carried while visiting other countries.
Is This The Card For You?
The Barclaycard CashForward™ World MasterCard® offers a simple 1.5% cash back on every purchase you make, along with 5% cash rewards redemption bonus. New users are entitled for a $100 sign-up bonus and the 12-month period of 0% APR on purchases (after which APR is 15.24%, 19.24%, or 23.24% variable). There is no annual fee.
