Who this card is for
A good fit if you…
- Households that want to collect Blue Points without a World Elite income test or a $150-class membership, and whose grocery, gas, EV, and wholesale spend is real enough for the 1-point category to matter inside its cap.
- Former AIR MILES no-fee cardholders who understand they now collect Blue Points, not Collector Miles, and will learn the partner list rather than assume $12 earn blocks still apply.
- Canadian citizens or permanent residents who have reached the age of majority, have not declared bankruptcy in the past seven years, meet BMO’s minimum income requirement, and pay in full.
- People who want extra cards at no cost. BMO’s line is that you can add an extra cardholder for free.
Skip it if you…
- Anyone who will actually shop participating Blue Rewards partners often enough for a higher partner rate to be the earn story. That is World Elite, at a mid-premium fee, with 10 points per $1 at partners.
- People who wanted grocery cash back as dollars. BMO CashBack currently lists 3% at eligible supermarkets at $0 — a simpler statement credit than Blue Points.
- Current or former BMO Blue Rewards cardholders who would reinstate a closed account or open the same card again during the offer, and existing BMO cardholders who would transfer into this product. The welcome is not available to either group.
- Anyone who revolves a balance. Five points per dollar on a brochure line will not survive 21.99%.
Pros and cons
Pros
- No annual fee, so the 5/1/0.5 mix does not have to clear a World Elite membership first.
- 1 point per $1 in Canada at grocery stores, gas stations and EV charging, wholesale clubs, and liquor stores, on up to $500 per category per statement period.
- 0.5 points per $1 on the rest of the statement still earns Blue Points, including purchases above the caps, which a store-only loyalty card will not.
- Additional cards are $0.
- Mastercard acceptance includes Costco Canada, which matters if wholesale is part of how you shop.
Cons
- The welcome is 20,000 Bonus Points, worth up to $133 at BMO’s in-store and eGift rate of 1,500 Points = $10. That is a modest first-year cushion, not a premium-card haul.
- You need at least $1,500 in net purchases in the first 110 days. Points post up to 8 weeks after the conditions are met, and they may be cancelled if the card is cancelled within 365 days.
- 5 points at partners and 1 point on groceries is a weaker grocery product than CashBack’s 3% dollars, and a weaker partner product than World Elite’s 10 points per $1.
- Insurance on this card is extended warranty (extends the manufacturer’s warranty up to 1 year) and purchase protection (theft or damage for 90 days), with a $60,000 lifetime maximum for both combined. This is not a travel-medical card.
- Blue Points are not cash back. The published redemption anchor is 1,500 Points = $10 in store or on eGift Cards; travel and merchandise redemptions can differ.
Fees and value: is the annual fee worth it?
First-year snapshot (estimate)
- Annual fee
- $0
- Estimated welcome bonus value
- up to $133 (20,000 Points at BMO's in-store/eGift Card rate of 1,500 Points = $10)
- Bonus minus fee (estimate)
- $133
This is a simple comparison of the estimated welcome-bonus value against the annual fee. It ignores rewards on spending, credits you have to remember to use, and interest if you carry a balance. Offers change — verify with the issuer.
The annual fee in our table is $0, and extra cards are $0, so you are not racing a January bill. The welcome-value estimate is up to $133, from 20,000 points at 1,500 Points = $10.
There is also a 0.99% introductory rate on balance transfers for 9 months, with a 2% transfer fee. Ongoing value is the capped 5/1/0.5 mix versus CashBack’s grocery percentage versus World Elite’s 10-points-per-dollar partner rate at a $150 fee.
Partner earn is 5 points per $1 on up to $15,000 in combined partner purchases per calendar year. If those partners are not in your week, this $0 card is a Blue Points collector, not a high-rate partner machine.
If grocery dollars matter more than points, CashBack wins at the same $0. The offer runs through October 31, 2027.
Pay in full.
Rewards and earn rates explained
Rewards program: Blue Rewards Points
This card earns Blue Rewards points, BMO’s successor to AIR MILES — not Collector Miles, not Eclipse’s BMO Rewards, and not CashBack dollars. Participating Blue Rewards Partners, including travel booked through Blue Rewards Travel (powered by Expedia), Fairmont, Dollarama, Instacart, and Pharmasave, earn 5 points per $1 (BMO’s 10x line) on up to $15,000 in combined partner purchases per calendar year.
Groceries, gas, EV charging, wholesale clubs, and liquor stores in Canada earn 1 point per $1 (BMO’s 2x line) on up to $500 per category per statement period. Everything else, including purchases above the caps, earns 0.5 points per $1.
You can earn extra points by also showing a Blue Rewards Member Card at partners. Redeem 1,500 Points = $10 in store or on eGift Cards, or for travel, merchandise, and more.
Extras include 3 months of Instacart+ plus a $5 monthly Instacart credit, and 20% off Cirque du Soleil shows in Canada. Merchant coding still applies: a grocer that processes as a mass merchant can miss the accelerator.
If you want statement-credit cash back at $0, compare CashBack. If you want 10 points per $1 at partners, that is World Elite.
Welcome bonus: how to unlock it
20,000 Bonus Points plus a 0.99% introductory interest rate on balance transfers for 9 months (2% transfer fee)
For applications received between June 2, 2026 and October 31, 2027, the offer is 20,000 Bonus Points, posted 110 days after the account open date when you spend at least $1,500 in net card purchases in the first 110 days. The issuer values that at up to $133 using BMO’s 1,500 Points = $10 in-store and eGift rate.
Points are credited to the primary cardholder up to 8 weeks after the conditions are met, and they may be cancelled if the card is cancelled within 365 days. There is also a 0.99% promotional rate on balance transfers posted in the first 9 statement periods, with a 2% fee per transfer, then the standard cash-advance rate.
Current or former BMO Blue Rewards cardholders who reinstate a closed account or open the same card during the offer, and existing BMO cardholders who transfer into this product, are not eligible. Do not force extra spend to chase points if grocery and gas were not already in the budget.
Welcome bonus eligibility: Applications must be received between June 2, 2026 and October 31, 2027. Not available to current or former BMO Blue Rewards cardholders who reinstate a closed account or open a new account for the same card during the Offer Period, or to existing BMO credit card cardholders who transfer into this product.
FAQ
Is the BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard worth it in 2026?
It is worth it as a $0 way to stay in Blue Points if you will use the grocery, gas, and wholesale accelerators and do not need 10 points per $1 at partners. It is not worth it as a 3% grocery cash-back substitute.
No-fee Blue Rewards vs Blue Rewards World Elite?
World Elite earns 10 points per $1 at partners (up to $25,000 a year) and 2 points per $1 on grocery, gas, EV, wholesale, and alcohol, at a $150 fee that is waived in the first year on the current offer. This card is $0 with 5 points at partners (up to $15,000 a year) and 1 point on those everyday categories.
Choose World Elite if partner spend is real and you qualify. Choose this card if you only wanted to stay in Blue Rewards.
Blue Rewards vs BMO CashBack Mastercard?
CashBack pays grocery cash back as statement credits at $0. Blue Rewards pays points that want partners and a travel portal. Choose CashBack if you want dollars at any grocer that codes as grocery. Choose Blue Rewards if you already live in that program.
Who can apply?
BMO asks you to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, to have reached the age of majority where you live (18 in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan; 19 elsewhere), to have not declared bankruptcy in the past seven years, and to meet a minimum income requirement. The product page does not print a credit-score cutoff.
Does this card charge foreign-exchange fees?
Foreign-currency purchases are converted at the payment network’s exchange rate plus 2.50%. This is a points card, not a no-FX Passport. For overseas spend, compare Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite.
Compare related cards and guides
More Canadian credit card lists that match this product, plus a few cards people usually compare it with.
- BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard review · BMO · $150 annual fee
- BMO CashBack Mastercard review · BMO · $0 annual fee
- BMO Eclipse Visa Infinite Card review · BMO · $120 annual fee
