Pros & cons
Pros
- Get up to 20,000 welcome bonus points.*
- Earn up to 5 points per $1 spent on purchases.*
- Free roadside assistance.*
- No annual fee.*
Cons
- Lower rewards compared to other no fee credit cards.
- Limited insurance.
Your rewards
Getting your welcome bonus
Based on $3,000 in monthly spending, you can get up to 20,000 points which translates to an estimated $134.◊
For all welcome bonus details click here.
How you earn rewards
Each card earns rewards differently. Part of choosing your card is deciding what type of rewards you want to get. With BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard, here's how you earn rewards:
- 5 points per $1 spent at Blue Rewards partners
- 1 point per $1 spent on groceries , gas , electric vehicle charging , wholesale, and alcohol purchases
- 0.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
For all reward details click here.
How much your rewards are worth
The dollar value of your rewards depends on the specific rewards program ‒ and what you choose to redeem your points for. For BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard in particular, if you spend $3,000 per month, here's our estimated annual rewards earned depending on which reward you choose:
| eVouchers | $208 |
Calculating your annual rewards
$36,000 annual spending x 0.58% return on spending = $208 annual rewards
$208 annual rewards − $0.00 annual fee = $208 net annual rewards
Details and eligibility
- Estimated Credit Score
- 560 - 659
- Personal Income
- N/A
- Household Income
- N/A
- Annual Fee
- $0.00
- Extra Card Fee
- $0
- Card type
- Credit
- Purchase
- 21.99%
- Cash Advance Δ
- 23.99%
- Balance Transfer Δ
- 23.99%
- Balance Transfer
- 0.99%
- Transfer Term
- 9 months
Insurance coverage
- Extended Warranty
- 1 year
- Purchase Protection
- 90 days
Please review your insurance certificate for details, exclusions and limitations of your coverage, terms and conditions apply.
Learn more about the value of credit card insurance coverage.
Genius Rating
BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard's 3.6 Genius Rating is based on the weighted average of the following scores:
Methodology
All scores are produced by our math-based rating algorithm that takes into account over 126 credit card features.
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BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard review
The BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard is the no-fee option in the new Blue Rewards program. It's the replacement for the old BMO AIR MILES Mastercard in BMO's credit card lineup.
It offers a rare perk and an excellent balance transfer, but it's a little light on rewards – even for a no-fee card.
Earning Blue Rewards with the BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard
This card earns Blue Rewards, BMO's replacement for AIR MILES. Here's what you'll earn:
- 5 points per $1 spent at Blue Rewards partners
- 1 point per $1 spent on groceries, gas, electric vehicle charging, wholesale, and alcohol purchases
- 0.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
What does that translate to for annual rewards? If you spent $3,000 per month across various categories, you would earn around 208 Blue Rewards points per year.
1,500 Blue Rewards points will get you a $10 e-voucher to many Blue Rewards partner stores, giving each point a value of 0.67.
Overall, those 208 Blue Rewards points are worth 31,050, or an average return of 208.
Pros to the BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard
There's more to this card than rewards.
1. Welcome bonus
Give your Blue Rewards points bank a boost. You'll earn 20,000 points after spending $1,500 in the first 110 days.
2. Roadside assistance
Roadside assistance is a rare credit card perk. This is only one of a handful of credit cards in Canada that includes it, saving you a membership fee.
3. Balance transfer offer
Have credit card debt? You can use this card to get a break from regular credit card interest. The balance transfer offer is 0.99% for the first 9 months, with a 2% fee.
4. No annual fee
To top everything off, there's no annual fee for this card.
Cons to the BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard
Here are 1 big thing to keep in mind.
1. Low rewards
Outside of Blue Rewards partners, the BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard's return rate on purchases is low.
Even for the bonus categories, you'll only get 0.67% back. On all other purchases, it's only 0.335%.
Comparison to the BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard
There's another Blue Rewards card that offers more rewards and perks – the BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard. Here are the basics of what both cards offer.
| BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard | BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $0 | $150 |
| Welcome Bonus | Up to 20,000 bonus points (terms)* | Up to 100,000 bonus points, first year free (terms)* |
| Earn Rates | * 5 points per $1 spent at Blue Rewards partners * 1 point per $1 spent on groceries, gas, electric vehicle charging, wholesale, and alcohol purchases * 0.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases | * 10 points per $1 spent at Blue Rewards partners * 2 points per $1 spent on groceries, gas, electric vehicle charging, wholesale, and alcohol purchases * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
| Average Earn Rate | 0.58% | 1.16% * Roadside assistance |
| Features | * 0.99% on balance transfers for 9 months* | * Roadside assistance*
* 4 airport lounge passes* * 0% on balance transfers for 12 months |
| Insurance Coverages | 2 types | 12 types |
| Income Requirements | None | * $80,000 personal
* $150,000 household |
FAQ
What are Blue Rewards?
Blue Rewards is a rewards program owned by BMO. It was previously known as AIR MILES, but BMO has made changes and re-branded the program as Blue Rewards. You can use points for e-vouchers and for travel.
What does the BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard offer for rewards?
The BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard has plenty of bonus earn rates. Cardholders earn 5 points for every $1 spent at Blue Rewards partners, 1 point per $1 spent on groceries, gas, electric vehicle charging, wholesale and alcohol purchases, and 1 point per $2 spent on all other purchases.
What other features does the BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard offer?
The BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard offers more than just rewards. It also includes a 20,000 point welcome bonus, roadside assistance, and an introductory balance transfer offer, for no annual fee and no income requirements.
Key benefits
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