BMO CashBack Mastercard: Cardholder Insights

BMO CashBack Mastercard perks

• No annual fee. Save money every year with a $0 annual fee.
• Welcome bonus. Get 5% cash back on all eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership (up to a maximum spend of $2,500) when you apply by October 31, 2026. Then earn 3% cash back on groceries, 1% on recurring bill payments and 0.5% on all other eligible purchases thereafter. Plus, get a rate of 0.99% on balance transfers with a 2% balance transfer fee for nine months.
• Earn cash back. Earn cash back at a standard rate of 3% on groceries (up to a maximum of $500 per statement cycle period), earn 1% on recurring bill payments (up to a maximum of $500 per statement cycle period) and earn 0.5% on all other eligible purchases (unlimited).
• Flexible redemption. Redeem your cash back anytime through direct deposit into a BMO chequing or savings account, as a credit on your statement or into your BMO InvestorLine account. The cardholder I spoke to also has the BMO eclipse rise Visa card and prefers the flexibility of this card’s cash back over the BMO Rewards Points earned with their other card.
• Car rental discounts.
  • Save up to 20% on National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car and up to 5% on Enterprise Rent-A-Car locations worldwide.
  • Save up to 30% on Avis car rental base rates or get a minimum 10% off the base rate when you book with your card.
  • Save up to 35% off Budget car rental base rates when you prepay or get a minimum of 10% off the base rate when you book with your card.
• Discounted experiences. Save 20% on Cirque du Soleil shows in Canada and 15% off resident shows in Las Vegas.
• Purchase protection and extended warranty. Get added protection on eligible purchases with Purchase Security Insurance, which covers items against theft or damage for 90 days, plus Extended Warranty Insurance, which can double the original manufacturer’s warranty for up to one additional year. The cardholder I spoke to bought a laptop with their BMO CashBack Mastercard that stopped working after the manufacturer’s warranty expired. They were able to use the card’s extended warranty coverage and received a full refund within a few days of submitting their claim.
• Zero-liability coverage. Rest easy knowing that your card is protected from unauthorized use with zero-liability coverage, provided you’ve met your responsibilities.
• Optional balance protection. Purchase optional balance protection for events like death, disability or job loss. Coverage costs for $1 per $100 of your total statement balance (plus applicable taxes).
• Save on groceries. Get three months of Instacart+ and a $5 monthly Instacart credit.
• Free Credit Coach. Get access to BMO’s free Credit Coach tool to monitor your credit score and understand the factors that can affect it. This feature helped the cardholder I spoke to increase their credit score by 50 points in a year.
• Versatile mobile app. Manage your BMO CashBack Mastercard through the BMO Mobile Banking app, where you can do more than check your balance and transactions. You can lock your card, set up customizable alerts, make payments, view your credit score and manage other card settings from your phone. The cardholder I spoke to said they’ve never had to call customer support as they can do everything on the app.

Downsides

• Limited benefits. You won’t get rewards points, complimentary travel insurance or discounted airport lounge access. To get more benefits, check out rewards credit cards with annual fees.
• Low cash back. The BMO CashBack Mastercard doesn’t offer the highest cash back rates on the market, particularly on purchases outside its higher cash back categories: groceries and recurring bill payments. Browse more cash back cards here.
• Minimum income and credit score requirements. You’ll have a decent chance of getting approved for this card if your credit score is 660 or higher.
• No free use of the BMO PaySmart Plan. The cardholder I spoke to didn’t like that you don’t get one free use of the BMO PaySmart Plan to split eligible purchases into equal monthly payments like you do with the BMO eclipse rise Visa. Instead, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee of up to 0.9% to use this feature.

BMO CashBack Mastercard interest rates

BMO CashBack Mastercard vs. other cashback cards

SimplyCash’s $15,000 annual limit applies to eligible gas and grocery purchases combined.

What are the eligibility requirements of the BMO CashBack Mastercard?

To be eligible for the BMO Cashback Mastercard, you must:

• Be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada
• Have no bankruptcies in the past seven years
• Be at least the age of majority in your province or territory (18 or 19 years old)
• Have a credit score of 660 or higher (recommended)

What are the required documents?

You don’t need many documents if you apply online, but if you apply in person at a local BMO branch, be prepared to provide two pieces of valid ID like a passport and driver’s licence. Your Social Insurance Number (SIN) is optional but can help speed up the application process, because it helps BMO verify your identity.

• Personal information like your name, contact details, birth date and housing details.
• Employment and financial information like your employment status, income (including sources), company name and phone number.
• Your SIN (optional)

What’s the application process like?

It takes less than 10 minutes to apply for the BMO CashBack card online. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the process:

1. Visit BMO's website and select Apply now.
2. If you already have a BMO account, sign in to online banking. If not, begin an application as a new customer.
3. Review and agree to the terms.
4. Provide personal information like your name, birth date, SIN (optional), contact and housing details.
5. Provide employment information like your employment status, industry, company name, position, work phone number and how much you earn. You’ll have the option to enter income from non-traditional sources like gifts, investments, pensions and social assistance.
6. Indicate if you want to add another cardholder and if you want optional balance protection (for a fee).
7. Submit your application.
8. If approved, it could take several weeks to receive your new BMO CashBack Mastercard in the mail. Activate it online to begin spending.

How safe is the BMO CashBack Mastercard?

The BMO CashBack Mastercard has several security features to help protect your account and purchases. BMO uses encryption, firewalls and email security software, while its Financial Crime Unit conducts 24/7 security monitoring. Mastercard Identity Check adds another layer of security when you shop online by helping verify your identity during eligible transactions.

You can also use BMO’s mobile banking security features to lock your card, monitor transactions and receive alerts about suspicious activity or other account charges. BMO also offers zero-liability protection for eligible unauthorized transactions.