There's a new partnership in the Canadian rewards world – Blue Rewards and VIPorter. It's not really a surprise – BMO owns Blue Rewards, and BMO also partners with Porter to issue VIPorter Mastercards.
When you link your accounts, you'll get a host of benefits:
- Bonus points for linking your accounts
- Redeem Blue Rewards points for Porter flights and get bonus points
- Bonus VIPorter points on flight bookings made with Porter
- Coming soon: Transfer points from Blue Rewards to VIPorter
There's a lot to unpack here. What can you earn? Is the transfer worth it? We'll also answer the question: are Blue Rewards credit cards good for simply earning VIPorter points?
The full details on all this can be viewed in their press release.
Never miss an amazing deal again + get our bonus 250+ page eBook for FREE. Join 50,000 other Canadians who receive our weekly newsletter – learn more.
Linking your Blue Rewards and VIPorter accounts
To get you started, you'll need to link your Blue Rewards and VIPorter accounts together.
To do so, you can head to this page. You'll need to sign in to your Blue Rewards account and click on the button to link your accounts on the landing page.
Afterwards, sign in to your VIPorter account when prompted, agree to the terms, and your accounts will be linked.
There's a bonus just for completing this step – 500 Blue Points and 500 VIPorter points.
You'll get the VIPorter points within 48 hours (I did not have to wait), and you'll get your 500 Blue Points once you earn 1 point at any Blue Rewards partner.
Bonus points for Blue Rewards Porter flight bookings
You'll earn bonus points whenever you use your Blue Points towards a Porter flight booking.
The only way to use your Blue Rewards points for travel is through the Blue Rewards Expedia portal.
When you search for a flight, Porter results will rise to the top by default, as they are now a "Preferred Airline" (once you change the sorting, that disappears).
You won't see the bonus points advertised (at least at this time), simply the base points you always earn on flight bookings.
What you'll earn is based on how much your flight costs – taxes and fees are excluded from these numbers:
- 1,000 bonus Blue Points for up to $350 spent
- 3,750 bonus Blue Points for $351 to $450 spent
- 7,500 bonus Blue Points on more than $451 spent
There's also a limited time offer: Eligible BMO cardholders can earn up to 1,500 more Blue Points on a Porter redemption.
Earn bonus points on Porter flight bookings
Linking your accounts can earn you bonus VIPorter points on your booking. And it doesn't have to be booked through Porter or Blue Rewards – as long as you can provide your VIPorter number, you'll be eligible to earn these bonus points.
How many VIPorter points you earn depends on whether or not you have a BMO credit or debit card linked to your Blue Rewards account.
Normally, VIPorter members earn 5 points per $1 on base airfares, and that increases to up to 7 points as you reach higher levels in the VIPorter program.
You earn a little more on top of that when you link your accounts. If you have a BMO credit card of some kind, you'll earn an extra point per $1 spent. It's worth noting that you don't need to actually pay with your BMO card to get your extra point.
If you don't have a BMO credit card, you still earn an extra point per $2 spent. Your confirmation email from Porter will tell you what you'll earn on flights.
Coming soon: transfer Blue Points to VIPorter
We don't know when exactly this is coming, but in the near future you'll be able to turn Blue Points into VIPorter points.
You'll be able to turn 2 Blue Points into 1 VIPorter point, and the minimum amount of Blue Points you need to transfer is 1,500.
The question everyone has is – is it worth it? And the answer is yes, but with a caveat.
For example, 1,500 Blue Points can be turned into a $10 e-voucher at Blue Rewards partners.
Transfer 1,500 Blue Points to VIPorter, and you'll get 750 points. However, we value VIPorter points at 2 cents each, giving this transfer a value of $15 – a 50% increase over a standard Blue Points redemption.
The caveat? Once transferred, you can't reverse and re-transfer those points. You'll be limited to simply using your points for flights on Porter. And while they do have other partners (Air Transat is the big one), VIPorter value craters when you're not using them on Porter flights.
But it is a way to increase the value of your Blue Points, and it never hurts to have more redemption options.
BMO Blue Rewards Mastercards
So where does this leave BMO Blue Rewards credit cards? You do have a shiny new transfer/redemption option at your disposal.
However, if moving your Blue Rewards points to VIPorter will be your main redemption option going forward, a VIPorter Mastercard will be a better fit.
Why? Simply put, VIPorter cards earn the same amount of points as Blue Rewards cards. Since your Blue Points get cut in half on a transfer, you'll come out ahead with a VIPorter card. On top of that, VIPorter cards also offer VIPorter status. With a Blue Rewards card, you'll also lose credit card insurance coverage, since you would no longer use Blue Points for travel (credit cards require you to pay for travel in cash or with points from the card's rewards program).
Here's the comparison for each tier. The amount of VIPorter points earned over the year is based on our default $3,000 monthly spend.
World Elite cards
The more direct comparison is the World Elite cards – the BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard and the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard:
| BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard | BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard | |
|---|---|---|
| Earn Rates | * 10 points per $1 spent at Blue Rewards partners, up to $25,000 spent per year* * 2 points per $1 spent on groceries, gas, electric vehicle charging, wholesale, and alcohol purchases, up to $500 spent per month on each* * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases* | * 3 points per $1 spent on Porter * 2 point per $1 spent on gas, transit, groceries, restaurants, and hotels * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
| VIPorter Points Earned per Year on $3K Spend | 31,050 | 54,000 |
| Other Benefits | * 4 free lounge passes per year
* Roadside assistance | * VIPorter Venture status
* Annual companion voucher after spending $45,000 |
| Annual Fee | $150 | $199 |
If Porter is your primary goal, a VIPorter Mastercard is by far your best bet. Far more points on purchases, plus the Venture status brings a bevy of perks.
The only time the BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard would come ahead is if you spend a ton at Blue Reward partner stores.
Base cards
It's not quite an apples-apples comparison with the BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard and the BMO VIPorter Mastercard as the United MileagePlus Neo World Elite Mastercard does have an annual fee:
| BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard | BMO VIPorter Mastercard | |
|---|---|---|
| Earn Rates | * 5 points per $1 spent at Blue Rewards partners, up to $15,000 spent per year* * 1 point per $1 spent on groceries, gas, electric vehicle charging, wholesale, and alcohol purchases, up to $500 spent per month on each* * 0.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases* | * 2 points per $1 spent on Porter * 1 point per $1 spent on gas, transit, groceries, restaurants, and hotels * 0.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases |
| VIPorter Points Earned per Year on $3K Spend | 15,525 | 27,900 |
| Other Benefits | * Roadside assistance | * VIPorter Passport status
* Annual 35% flight discount |
| Annual Fee | $0 | $89 |
It is a similar story, where the BMO VIPorter Mastercard still vastly out earns the no-fee BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard.
In summary, the transfer option is available to increase the value of your Blue Points. But if you're planning on using your Blue Rewards to fly with Porter, a VIPorter Mastercard is generally the better option.
$50 GeniusCash + Up to 20,000 bonus points + 5x the points at partners.*
GC: $100 + $50
GC: $125 + $25
×1 Award winner GC: $150 + $50
1x Award winner Blue Rewards news
It's been a big year for Blue Rewards, and more is to come. We'll announce when the transfer option is finally coming, and you can subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when it happens.
FAQ
What benefits are there of the Blue Rewards and VIPorter partnership?
This new partnership allows members who link these accounts together to earn more points on Porter flights, get bonus points when redeeming Blue Points for Porter flights, and transfer points from Blue Rewards to Porter.
How will you be able to transfer points from Blue Rewards to VIPorter?
Coming soon, you'll be able to transfer Blue Points to VIPorter. They'll transfer at a 2:1 ratio, and you'll have to transfer at least 1,500 points.
When will the Blue Rewards and VIPorter transfer option be available?
At this time, BMO and Porter have not announced a date when this transfer option will be open. Their press release simply says it's coming soon.
creditcardGenius is the only tool that compares 126+ features of 253 Canadian credit cards using math-based ratings and rankings that respond to your needs, instantly. Take our quiz and see which of Canada's 253 cards is for you.
GC: 
Comments
Leave a comment
Required fields are marked with *. Your email address will not be published.