BMO Rewards is the Bank of Montreal’s own points program, earned on BMO Rewards credit cards such as the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite, the eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege and the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard. Points are redeemed through bmorewards.com, most directly with Pay with Points, which applies them to eligible purchases already on the card. BMO Rewards is a different program from Blue Rewards, the program that replaced Air Miles; that one is covered in the Air Miles and Blue Rewards guide. Both are part of the rewards programs hub.
BMO Rewards at a glance
| Feature | What BMO’s terms and pages say |
|---|---|
| Ways to redeem | Pay with Points on eligible purchases, travel booked with any provider, merchandise and gift cards, contributions to a BMO savings or investment account, charity donations |
| Smallest Pay with Points redemption | $1 |
| Expiry | Points will not expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing |
| After the account is cancelled | 90 days to redeem for merchandise and gift cards or reinstate the points, then they expire |
| Airline or hotel transfer partners | None listed in the BMO Rewards terms |
| Gifting points | To another BMO Rewards cardholder, minimum 1,000 points |
| Link to Blue Rewards | None: BMO says they are different programs |
Sources: BMO Rewards Terms and Conditions, BMO rewards credit cards page, BMO eclipse Visa Infinite page, BMO Blue Rewards page.
Cards that earn BMO Rewards points
| Card | Annual fee | Earn rate |
|---|---|---|
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Card | $120/year | 5x BMO Rewards points on groceries and dining (first $6,000/yr each), gas and transit (first $20,000/yr each), 1x everything else |
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege Card | $599/year | 5x BMO Rewards points on dining and travel (first $25,000/yr each), groceries (first $20,000/yr), gas and drugstore (first $15,000/yr each), 1x everything else |
| BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard | $150/year | 5x BMO Rewards points on travel (first $15,000/yr), 3x dining/entertainment/recurring bills (first $10,000/yr each), 1x everything else |
Welcome offers on these cards change often, so they are not listed here; the current offer is on each card’s page at bmo.com. Readers weighing a card mainly for its sign-up bonus can find the trade-offs in the credit card churning guide.
BMO eclipse Visa Infinite
The eclipse earns 5 points per $1 at merchants in Canada classified as gas, grocery, dining or transit, and 1 point per $1 on everything else. BMO’s card page also names takeout and food delivery apps, and rideshare apps, among the purchases earning the accelerated rate. The accelerated rate stops at an annual limit in each category, counted from January 1 to December 31; after the limit, purchases earn 1 point per $1. BMO’s benefit guides for the eclipse and the Privilege add that points aren’t posted to an account that isn’t in good standing when the purchases are made or the statement is issued, or that isn’t open when the statement is issued.
| Category | Annual purchases earning 5 points per $1 |
|---|---|
| Dining | First $6,000 |
| Grocery | First $6,000 |
| Gas | First $20,000 |
| Transit | First $20,000 |
Source: BMO eclipse Visa Infinite benefit guide.
The card also pays a $50 statement credit each year, and BMO’s page advertises 10% more points on all purchases after an authorized user is added. The income requirement BMO lists is $60,000 (individual) or $100,000 (household), or a minimum of $15,000 in declared current annual spending.
Example: a year on the eclipse, with one category over its limit. A household spends $800 a month on groceries, $300 on dining, $200 on gas, $100 on transit and $900 on everything else.
| Category | Spend in the year | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries | $9,600 | 33,600 |
| Dining | $3,600 | 18,000 |
| Gas | $2,400 | 12,000 |
| Transit | $1,200 | 6,000 |
| Everything else | $10,800 | 10,800 |
| Total | 80,400 |
The grocery line is where the limit bites: only the first $6,000 of the $9,600 earns the accelerated rate, so groceries bring in 33,600 points rather than the 48,000 they would earn with no limit. The 10% authorized-user bonus is left out of these figures.
BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege
The Privilege earns 5 points per $1 at merchants in Canada classified as grocery, dining, drugstore, gas, air fare, hotel or car rental, with its own annual limits, higher than the eclipse’s for dining and groceries but lower for gas:
| Category | Annual purchases earning 5 points per $1 |
|---|---|
| Dining | First $25,000 |
| Travel (air fare, hotel and car rental) | First $25,000 |
| Grocery | First $20,000 |
| Gas | First $15,000 |
| Drugstore | First $15,000 |
Source: BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege benefit guide.
BMO’s page for the card lists a $200 anniversary lifestyle credit, 25% more points on all purchases with an authorized user, and a Visa Airport Companion membership with 6 complimentary lounge visits a year (card page).
BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard
The Ascend puts its highest earn rate on travel. It earns 5 points per $1 on eligible travel purchases, 3 points per $1 on eligible dining, entertainment and recurring bill payments, and 1 point per $1 on everything else. It includes membership in Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass, with 4 free lounge passes a year (card page). BMO’s card page footnotes its accelerated rates; any limits on them are in the card’s terms at bmo.com.
How to redeem BMO Rewards points
Pay with Points. Sign in at bmorewards.com, pick a recent eligible purchase and choose how many points to apply. BMO’s page says points can be redeemed for as little as $1. The terms say points are redeemed up to the full amount of the purchase or the cash value of the points, whichever is less, and the redemption appears as a credit on the monthly statement. It doesn’t count toward the minimum payment. Only the primary cardholder can sign in to the BMO Rewards account and redeem this way.
Travel. There is no separate BMO travel portal requirement in the terms: a cardholder can book with any travel provider using the primary BMO card, then use Pay with Points on the travel purchase. To qualify, the merchant has to be classified as an airline, car rental agency, hotel or resort, cruise line, vacation package seller, eligible vacation rental, passenger railway, timeshare, travel agency or tour operator.
Merchandise and gift cards. The bmorewards.com catalogue has products and gift cards. For merchandise other than gift cards, a cardholder needs at least 80% of the points for the item and can buy the rest on the card. Gift cards can’t be topped up this way: they need the full number of points. Redeeming online is free; BMO charges a telephone redemption fee of $7.50 for each merchandise or financial rewards redemption.
Savings, investments and charity. Points can go toward a contribution to a BMO savings or investment account, or to a charity donation.
Gifting. Points can be sent to another BMO Rewards cardholder, in any amount from 1,000 points, using the recipient’s last name and collector number. A gift can’t be returned.
Sources: BMO Rewards Terms and Conditions, BMO rewards credit cards page, BMO eclipse Visa Infinite page.
What a BMO Rewards point is worth
BMO’s credit card terms value points at 150 points per $1 when redeemed for travel-related purchases, which is 0.67ยข per point; other redemptions can differ, and bmorewards.com doesn’t open to automated reading. The program terms describe Pay with Points as redeeming points up to their cash value. Dividing the dollars a redemption covers by the points it uses, times 100, gives cents per point, the same measure used for Amex’s published rates in the Amex Membership Rewards guide, so the two programs can be compared on equal terms.
Expiry and cancelling a card
- Points don’t expire while the account stays open and in good standing.
- If the account is cancelled, the cardholder has 90 days to either redeem the points for merchandise and gift cards only, or reinstate them by reinstating the account or linking them to a new BMO Rewards card account. After that, the points expire.
- Redeeming requires the account to be in good standing: not cancelled, past due or otherwise in default.
Source: BMO Rewards Terms and Conditions, sections 8 and 9.
BMO Rewards vs Blue Rewards (formerly Air Miles)
BMO runs BMO Rewards and Blue Rewards as separate programs. Asked whether Blue Rewards is the same as BMO Rewards, BMO’s answer is that they are different programs, and BMO Rewards is available only with select BMO credit cards (BMO Blue Rewards page).
| BMO Rewards | Blue Rewards | |
|---|---|---|
| Earned on | BMO Rewards credit cards (eclipse, eclipse Privilege, Ascend) | BMO Blue Rewards credit cards, eligible BMO chequing accounts and Blue Rewards partner brands |
| Main redemption | Pay with Points against eligible card purchases | 1,500 Blue Points = $10 in store at partners or for eGift cards |
| Travel | Book with any provider, then Pay with Points | Blue Rewards Travel, powered by Expedia |
| Move points between the two | BMO lists no way to move points between them | BMO lists no way to move points between them |
The earn rates on the Blue Rewards cards and the partner list are in the Air Miles and Blue Rewards guide.
BMO Rewards compared with other bank programs
| Program | Transfers to airline programs | How points are mainly used |
|---|---|---|
| BMO Rewards | None in the terms | Pay with Points against card purchases, including travel |
| Amex Membership Rewards | Yes, including Aeroplan | Statement credits and travel at published fixed rates, or partner transfers |
| RBC Avion | See the RBC Avion guide | See the RBC Avion guide |
| TD Rewards | See the TD Rewards guide | See the TD Rewards guide |
For a household deciding between a points card and plain cash back, the rewards worth-it guide and the cash back calculator put the two side by side.
Points to watch
| Situation | What the terms say |
|---|---|
| Spending past a category limit | The eclipse and Privilege limits reset each January 1; spending above a limit earns 1 point per $1 |
| Closing the card with points left | 90 days to use them on merchandise and gift cards or reinstate them |
| Expecting to move points to Blue Rewards | The programs are separate |
| Booking travel | Any travel provider works, as long as the merchant falls in BMO’s eligible travel categories |
Related resources
- Air Miles and Blue Rewards guide
- Amex Membership Rewards guide
- RBC Avion program guide
- TD Rewards program guide
- Credit card churning
Sources
- Bank of Montreal. BMO Rewards Terms and Conditions.
- Bank of Montreal. BMO eclipse Visa Infinite benefit guide and card page.
- Bank of Montreal. BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege benefit guide and card page.
- Bank of Montreal. BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard.
- Bank of Montreal. Rewards credit cards and Blue Rewards.