AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard from Barclays review: A surprisingly robust no-annual-fee cash-back travel rewards card

The AARP® Travel Rewards Mastercard® * The information for the AARP® Travel Rewards Mastercard® has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. charges no annual fee and earns a cash-back rate on travel and dining that rivals some of the most premium cards on the market— and you don’t have to be an AARP member to apply. It also provides a solid introductory APR on balance transfers in case you’re looking to pay down high-interest debt from another credit card.

AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard basics

• Annual fee: $0.
• Welcome bonus: $100 cash back after spending $500 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
• Rewards: Earn 3% cash back on airfare, hotel stays and car rentals, 2% cash back on restaurant purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases.
• APR: 0% intro APR on balance transfers for the first 15 months on balance transfers completed within the first 45 days. After, a variable APR of 21.99%, 25.99% or 29.99% will apply on purchases and balance transfers. There’s a 5% or $5 balance transfer fee, whichever is greater.
• Other perks and benefits: Ability to redeem rewards for an AARP membership; Barclays will donate 1% of eligible purchases to the AARP Foundation, and will donate $10 for every new account; no foreign transaction fees.
• Does the issuer offer a preapproval tool? No.
• Recommended credit score: Good to excellent.

About the AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard

The AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard from Barclays earns 3% cash back on airfare, hotel stays and car rentals, 2% cash back on restaurant purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases. The rate on eligible travel is as good as many pricier travel cards on the market and the earnings on restaurant dining are solid too, although the rewards on all other purchases leave something to be desired.

However, this $0-annual-fee card isn’t just a rewards card — it’s also designed for balance transfers.

New cardholders enjoy a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for the first 15 months on balance transfers completed within the first 45 days. After, a variable APR of 21.99%, 25.99% or 29.99% will apply on purchases and balance transfers. There’s a 5% or $5 balance transfer fee, whichever is greater. 

You don’t have to be an AARP member to apply, so if you want to earn cash back on your travel and dining without an annual fee or transfer a balance you’re carrying on a card from a different issuer, this card could be a fit for you. The difference between a card like this and one with an annual price tag is that, typically, you’ll get a more robust slate of perks in exchange for that annual fee, like travel insurances and protections, the ability to transfer your earnings to travel transfer partners or free checked baggage perks. This card offers none of that, but it also won’t cost you anything to carry.

Pros

• Great cash-back rate on eligible travel purchases.
• Intro APR on balance transfers for more than a year.
• No annual fee or foreign transaction fees.

Cons

• No ability to transfer rewards to travel partners.
• Competing cards may earn higher rewards.
• Most redemption options have a $25 minimum.
• Lacks meaningful perks or benefits.

Rewards

With the AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard, cardholders earn elevated rewards on travel and dining. Specifically, 3% cash back on airfare, hotel stays and car rentals, 2% cash back on restaurant purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases. There’s also a welcome bonus of $100 cash back after spending $500 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.

Using government data and other publicly available information, we estimate that a household in the U.S. that would be in the market for the AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard from Barclays has an annual income of $84,352 and $25,087 in expenses they are likely to be able to charge to a credit card. Here’s a breakdown of how much you could earn in cash back from your annual credit card spending based on that estimate:

SPENDING CATEGORY	SPENDING AMOUNT	CASH-BACK RATE	CASH BACK EARNED
Eligible travel	$2,941	3%	$88.23
Restaurants	$3,526	2%	$70.52
Other	$18,620	1%	$186.20
TOTAL	$25,087		$344.95

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Rewards don’t expire while the account is open and in good standing and there’s no cap on what you can earn.

You can deposit your rewards into a checking or savings account, redeem it as a statement credit or use it to purchase gift cards, merchandise or AARP memberships.

It’s worth noting that if you put $25,087 in expenses on a credit card earning a flat 2% cash back on every purchase, you’d earn $501.74 back. That beats the AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard when used for the same spend. If you do opt to use the AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard, consider using it only for travel and dining purchases, and putting everything else on a card such as the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card that offers 2% cash rewards on purchases.

APR

There is a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for the first 15 months on balance transfers completed within the first 45 days. After, a variable APR of 21.99%, 25.99% or 29.99% will apply on purchases and balance transfers. There’s a 5% or $5 balance transfer fee, whichever is greater.

This offer makes the AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard from Barclays attractive for consumers seeking a balance transfer card to pay down existing debt, though the balance transfer fee is a bit on the high side.

Purchases don’t get a low intro period, and are subject to the regular 21.99%, 25.99% or 29.99% variable APR.

How the AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard compares to other rewards cards

AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard vs. Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card * The information for the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card keeps things simple, earning 1.5 points per $1 on purchases. There’s also a welcome bonus of 25,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. Points are worth 1 cent each if redeemed to cover past travel or dining purchases, less if redeemed for cash back.

And, if you’re a member of Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards® program, you could boost your rewards rate by 25% to 75%.

You’ll pay no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees with the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card. 

There’s a 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases and any balance transfers made in the first 60 days, followed by a 19.24% to 29.24% variable APR. A 3% intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days; then a 4% fee applies to future balance transfers.

AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard vs. Bilt World Elite Mastercard®

Anyone seeking a no-annual-fee travel rewards card will find a lot to love about the Bilt Card. It charges no annual fee, No Foreign Currency Conversion Fees (rates & fees) and points can transfer to more than a dozen travel partners.

Cardholders earn 1 point per $1 on rent payments without a transaction fee (on up to 100,000 points each year), 2 points per $1 on travel (when booked through the Bilt Travel Portal or directly with an airline, hotel, car rental or cruise company), 3 points per $1 on dining and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. At least five transactions must be made per statement period to earn these rewards.

When paying rent, Bilt lets you avoid the transaction fee often charged for paying rent by credit card. For example, Bilt can mail a check to your landlord, or set up a routing number for you to pay via your online portal.

In addition to being able to transfer points 1:1 to Bilt’s airline and hotel partners, you can redeem your rewards to book travel in the Bilt portal, in which case you get a value of 1.25 cents per point.  The card also comes with Trip Delay Reimbursement, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection and an Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver — all valuable perks you don’t normally find on a card with no annual fee.

AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited®

The no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on eligible dining and drugstore purchases and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

There’s a welcome bonus where new cardholders can earn 1.5% back on everything bought in the first year on up to $20,000 in spending, which is worth up to $300.

Cardholders also enjoy a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% to 29.24%. An intro transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies in the first 60 days. After that, a fee of either $5 or 5% of each transfer applies.

Be aware the Freedom Unlimited charges a 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars foreign transaction fee, so it’s not ideal for travel abroad.

Should you get the AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard?

Not all balance transfer credit cards offer rewards, so the AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard stands out as a card with both a solid balance transfer intro offer and ongoing value in the form of a cash-back program.

However, the intro APR doesn’t apply to purchases, only to transferred balances. And at 21.99%, 25.99% or 29.99% variable, the regular APR is high, so this card isn’t the best choice for financing a big-ticket item. 

Lastly, while it’s got “travel rewards” in the name, there are better travel rewards credit cards on the market that allow you to transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners and come with trip and baggage protections.

The AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard isn’t a bad card, especially when you consider that it earns good rewards on travel for no annual fee. But if you’re seeking a true travel card, there are other options that will likely suit you better.

AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard summary

AARP TRAVEL REWARDS MASTERCARD DETAILS
Annual fee	$0
Rewards	3% cash back on airfare, hotel stays and car rentals, 2% cash back on restaurant purchases and 1% cash back on other purchases
Welcome bonus	$100 cash back after spending $500 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
APR	0% intro APR on balance transfers for the first 15 months on balance transfers completed within the first 45 days. After, a variable APR of 21.99%, 25.99% or 29.99% will apply on purchases and balance transfers. There’s a 5% or $5 balance transfer fee, whichever is greater
Foreign transaction fees	0% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
Other perks and benefits	Barclays will donate 1% of eligible purchases to the AARP Foundation, and will donate $10 for every new account; ability to redeem cash-back rewards for an AARP membership

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)