Deal has expired, you can view more Barclays deals here.
The Offer
Barclays is sending out an authorized-user bonus offer on various cards:
- Cardmembers who receive this offer and add an authorized user between 08/14/2018 and 08/28/2018 will earn a $15 statement credit.
The Fine Print
- Primary cardmember is financially responsible for all authorized user purchases and transactions.
- In addition, we may provide account information to the credit bureaus for all account users, which could impact an authorized user’s credit score.
- Offer is valid for select cardmembers and is not transferable.
- If you close your account or switch to another product during the promotional period, you may no longer be eligible for this promotion.
- Limit of one $15 statement credit per account.
- To receive the statement credit, the cardmember account must be open, active and in good standing at the time of fulfillment.
- All statement credits earned will appear on your statement 6-8 weeks after the end of the promotion.
Our Verdict
This offer is targeted. One reader got the offer on their Arrival card and another got it on the Uber card; I assume it’s being sent out as a targeted offer across many/all Barclays cards.
I got more particular with authorized-user bonus offers lately since I’d rather have a cleaner looking credit report, and $15 wouldn’t do it for me. It’s possible there are techniques to add authorized users without it hitting anyone’s credit reports (e.g. it might be that adding someone at a different address won’t result in the card showing on anyone’s credit report).
Hat tip to readers Chris and Alex
PSA: If anyone went ahead and did this and are wondering if they are ever going to get the credit. I wasn’t using the card but decided to put a few charges on it to see if that triggered the credit. The two temporary charges have disappeared from my account. Its almost as if they set it up to erase the next $15 worth of purchases as if they didn’t happen… at least thats my guess, ill put another charge >$15 and see if the remaining $13 or so come off.
For anyone curious: they don’t ask for SSN. Name, citizenship (US or enter a country), relation to you, and birthdate.
Got the offer on my Wyndham AF. Attempted to add my daughter (age 7), entered her birth date, received an error that she must be at least 13 years of age to be added as an AU.
Good to know……. about Barclays AU age rules……
I had previously gotten a $10 AU offer for my Arrival+ before I cancelled it.
They never sent the card, no notice about it being returned, either. Took months for the $10 credit to show on my account (it was a statement credit). I never expected to get it since I hadn’t gotten the card, but apparently they simply credit your account very late sometimes (or always?). By that point I had cancelled the card, so I had a cancelled account with a -$10 balance. I called them up to ask about it and they sent me a check for the $10.
All in all, it was a strange experience.
Does any other bank do AU bonuses like this?
Lots of Chase cards have AU bonuses for new cards, like an addition to the signup bonus. CSP is the main one I can think of, where it’s a 5k UR bonus if you add an AU within 3 months after initially being approved for the card.
AmEx has been known to do AU offers on some of their cards, as well. Those aren’t related to new accounts, though.
Added my parents dog last time around and got the points on my AA Aviator
Against the law or no?
Law? No. T&C? Yes. But travel hacking in general is against T&C (strongly implied if not straight out mentioned a lá AmEx).
As a noted philosopher once mused: “You’ve got to ask one question – do I feel lucky? Well do ya, punk?”
Actually (I did a little deeper search – surprisingly hard to find a straight answer) and it sounds like… maybe, but probably not, depending on what info you give them. If they request a SSN & you make up a fake, yes, it’s identity fraud (creating a synthetic identity). If they don’t ask, it’s not. I don’t believe Chase requests a SSN for AU, but I know AmEx does. Which makes me wonder – they ask for it but I believe (from last time I added a family member) they ask for one but allow you 3 months past approval to give it. I can’t recall if I did that or they just never followed up.
So now my question is, if they request but you don’t enter anything, is it fraud? Attempted fraud? You wouldn’t have actually falsified anything but you clearly had the intent to. God, I love this game & it’s little quirks..
Just got in on my uber. Gonna pass on it for sure.
I got it on my Wyndham card. Not interested
Is that really gonna do the trick i.e. adding someone at a different address won’t result in the card showing up in the credit report?