Barclaycard Overhauls Card Benefits - Mostly Negative Changes (Begins in November)

[Update 10/13/19: Here’s a PDF with the official PDF Guide to Benefits for a Barclay Uber Visa card. The details are likely the same on Mastercards issued by Barclaycards. I’ve updated the post below the additional details learned the PDF.]

We posted about changes Barclays has made to their card benefits, I thought it was worth going through them in more detail.

It’s worth noting that many of the changes are similar to changes that happened already to all Mastercard cards; however, not all Barclaycards are Mastercards (e.g. Uber Visa), yet it seems that all cards are equally affected by these changes. All changes will take effect on November 1, 2019. Purchases from October 31 and prior can continue to make claims beyond the November 1 change date. We’ll add more details to this post when the more information becomes available or when the changes go live.

The information presented below is based on emails sent out by Barclaycard to cardholders, as well as some information which appeared for some on their card statements.

Contents

1 Removed Benefits
2 Cell Phone Insurance
3 Auto Rental Collision Insurance
4 Identity Theft Benefits
5 Roadside Dispatch
6 Our Verdict

Removed Benefits

Extended Warranty

Extended Warranty protection is being removed from all cards. Previously, they had standard Mastercard Extended Warranty benefits which extends the manufacturers warranty for an extra year or so.

Price Protection

Price Protection is being removed from all cards. Previously, the Arrival+ and Uber (and possibly some more) cards had a Price Protection benefit where if the price goes down after purchase you get a refund on the difference.

Return Protection

Return Protection is being removed from all cards. (They call this “Satisfaction Guarantee” in the email.) Previously, they had standard Mastercard Return Protection benefits, plus, some cards like the Arrival+ had a special expanded protection; the benefit refunded you in the event you didn’t like the product after purchase.

Purchase Protection

Purchase Protection is being removed from all cards. Previously, they had Mastercard Purchase Protection which refunded you in case of theft or damage to an item within 3 months of purchase.

Trip Delay Benefits

Some Barclaycards apparently had some trip delay benefits. These are now being removed.

Cell Phone Insurance

There’s also a cell phone insurance benefit being added which covers theft or damage to your wireless cell phone (loss is NOT included). You must charge your card to be eligible for this benefit. Call 844-252-7831 to open a claim. You must report the claim within 90 days of the loss, or as soon as reasonably possible, or the claim may not be honored.

The maximum liability is $600 per claim, and $1,000 per Covered Card per 12 month period.
Each claim is subject to a $25 deductible.
Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per Covered Card per 12 month period. Excludes prepaid plans.
Excludes Cosmetic damage to the Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone or damage that does not impact the Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone’s ability to make or receive phone calls (including minor screen cracks and fractures less than 2 inches in length that do not prevent the ability to make or receive phone calls or to use other features related to making or receiving phone calls).

This benefit is not mentioned in all of their emails (e.g. Wyndham) so it seems only some cards will get this enhancement. Some examples of cards that will have this benefit: Arrival+, Arrival, Rewards, American Airlines, JetBlue+ and Uber cards.

See: Credit Card Cell Phone Insurance Compared – Get $600 In Coverage For Free

Auto Rental Collision Insurance

“There’ll be an enhancement to the Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver.” Looks like standard secondary collision coverage. Not sure exactly what the ‘enhancement’ is.

This benefit is not mentioned in all of their emails (e.g. Wyndham) so it seems only some cards will get this enhancement. Some examples of cards that will have this enhancement: Arrival+, Rewards, American Airlines, JetBlue+ and Uber cards.

Identity Theft Benefits

Barclaycard is adding identity theft benefits. You get access to an online monitoring dashboard and resolution features that scour the internet and Dark Web for compromised credentials and financial account takeover.

Also, in case of identity theft, contact 844-252-7831. You will have access to a team of identity theft resolution specialists, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help resolve your identity theft incident and prevent further damage. The resolution specialists are native speakers of English, French and Spanish. There is no charge for these services. More details in this PDF.

Roadside Dispatch

There’s also a new Roadside Dispatch benefit. It’s not going to cover any cost from you, it’s just a hotline where they can help you get a tow truck and the like with your paying this everything yourself. Still worth keeping in mind in case of emergency. For roadside assistance, call 800-847-2869. Current fee for a standard service call is $69.95. More details in this PDF.

Our Verdict

In the end, all the shopping benefits are being stripped away (warranty, return, price, purchase), and the only really useful thing being added is the cell phone benefit.

We’re seeing card benefits are being stripped away by most issuers. Barclaycard benefits wasn’t something that people I know used too often, regardless, this seems to be the direction we’re heading in.

Related: