BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card Review
Credit card connoisseurs will be excited to hear that BMO (one of Canada’s top premium credit card providers) has just launched a new credit card: the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card. This premium rewards card is set to shake things up with truly original perks and an incredible four accelerated earn categories. It also has a flexible, straightforward redemption feature that makes it fast and easy to redeem the points you earn on groceries, gas, transit and dining.
In This Article:
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Generous welcome bonus of 60,000 BMO Rewards points*
- 4 accelerated earn categories that align well with everyday spending
- Pay With Points option for easy redemption
- $50 annual lifestyle credit*
- Bonus of 10% earnings for supplementary cards*
- Other nice perks like insurance and Visa Infinite* extras
Cons
- Good but not great insurance offering—certainly not ideal for a frequent flier
- Earnings in accelerated categories capped at $50,000 per year
- High threshold to apply; you’ll need at least $60,000 (individual) or $100,000 (household) annual income.
Welcome Bonus
The new BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card is kicking things off with one of the most generous bonus offers in Canada. New cardholders can earn up to 60,000 BMO Rewards points and get the $120 annual fee waived in the first year*.
You’ll get 30,000 BMO Rewards welcome bonus points when you spend a minimum of $3,000 in the first three month of card activation. Cardholders also get an additional 2,500 bonus points in each subsequent month that you spend at least $2,000, beginning 4 months from the account open date and ending 15 months from the account open date (as long as your account is in good standing). The first-year annual fee of $120 will be rebated* for the primary cardholder on the first statement. Be aware that if you cancel your card within three months of opening your account, the welcome bonus will be revoked.
To receive the bonus offer, BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card applications must be received before July 31, 2023.
Main Features
Accelerated Earn Rate
The BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card offers some of the highest accelerated earn rates in the country in an impressive, and useful, four categories. Cardholders will get 5 BMO Rewards for every $1 they spend on dining, groceries, gas, and transit*.
Dining encompasses things like restaurants, Uber Eats, meal subscription services like Chefs Plate/Hello Fresh, as well as bars and fast-food restaurants. Groceries includes supermarkets, convenience stores and specialty food stores. The gas category features both automated and full-service fuel centres and gas stations. Finally, the transit category covers everything from buses and ferries to trains and taxis, and even includes road and bridge tolls.
The accelerated earn rate is capped at $50,000 in annual purchases from January 1st to December 31st of each year. Once you reach this threshold, you will earn points at the regular earn rate of 1 point per $1 in purchases.
Regular Earn Rate
The regular earn rate of the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card is 1 BMO Rewards point per $1 spent*.
More Perks
Annual Credit
The BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card is packed with nice perks and one of the most innovative is a straightforward $50 annual lifestyle credit* that will automatically be applied to your statement once a year. How’s that for a nice treat?
Supplementary Cards
Add a friend or a family member as a supplementary cardholder and reap BMO Rewards points even faster. As an introductory feature, the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card is offering a special deal to primary cardholders who add a supplementary card to their account. When adding a supplementary card, the primary cardholder will receive a 10% bonus earn rate* to their existing accelerators that are in place for each of the respective categories, 5X on high earn 1X on all other purchases.
This 10% bonus is available on purchases made by both the main cardholder and its authorized users. Each supplementary card is $50. This is the only card I know of in Canada that has such a point-boosting offer for additional cards!
Insurance
The BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card features the following added insurances:
- Mobile device insurance (a rare benefit among Canadian credit cards) for up to $1,000*
- Extended warranty insurance*
- Purchase Security insurance*
- Out-of-Province Emergency Medial insurance*
- Common Carrier insurance*
- Car Rental Collision / Loss Damage insurance*
Pay with Points
BMO Rewards is one of Canada’s most flexible reward programs and it’s now even easier with the Pay with Points feature. With Pay with Points you simply sign into bmorewards.com and select the Pay with Points option. You then browse your recent transactions and select the purchase you want to redeem your points for.
You choose how many points you want to redeem toward your purchase and you can redeem points for as little as one dollar. When using the Pay with Points feature, 200 points is equal to $1.
Visa Infinite* Extra Benefits
BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card members enjoy attractive extras like exclusive invites to dining, hotel and entertainment experiences not available to the general public. You’ll also enjoy purchase and extended warranty insurance, as well as emergency medical, common carrier and rental car collision and loss/damage insurance (and don’t forget mobile insurance too!)*. Cardholders can also take advantage of 24 hour, 7 days a week access to concierge services.
Rates/Fees
The BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card has an annual fee of $120, rebated for the first year. The interest rate is 20.99% and the cash advance rate is 23.99% (21.99% for Quebec residents).
Who is Eligible
To successfully apply for the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card, you’ll need a minimum of income of $60,000 (individual) or $100,000 (household) annual income.
How To Get The Card
What Info Will I Need?
Generally speaking, to apply for the credit card you’ll need to know your annual income (so have a pay statement or income tax return ready), the value of your major assets like your home, and how much you pay in rent or mortgage monthly, and possibly your SIN number.
How The Card Compares
| Card Name | BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card | MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® | American Express Cobalt® Card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reward Structure | 5 BMO Rewards point for dining, transit, gas and grocery purchases* 1 point for all other purchases* | 5 MBNA Rewards points‡ per $1 spent on groceries, restaurants, digital media, memberships, and household utilities; 1 point‡ per $1 on everything else | 5 points per $1 on eats and drinks 3 points per $1 on eligible streaming services 2 points per $1 on travel and transit 1 point per $1 on all other purchases |
| Welcome Bonus | Up to 60,000 BMO Rewards points* + first year annual fee rebate* | Up to 30,000 points†† | Earn up to 30,000 Membership Rewards® points in the first year (conditions apply) |
| Added Perks | Supplementary card bonus*, $50 lifestyle credit*, some insurance, Visa Infinite perks | Special annual Birthday Bonus Points‡; price protection; and mobile device insurance | Comprehensive insurance benefits, American Express Invites perks |
| Annual Fee | $120, waived in first year* | $120 | $155.88 ($12.99 monthly fee) |
Two premium cards that are similar to the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card are the MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® and the American Express Cobalt® Card.
Unlike the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card, the MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® does not earn extra points on gas purchases, so it won’t be a good fit for those who do a lot of commuting. But it has at least one major advantage over the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card: Its points are worth more. When redeemed for a statement credit or travel, a BMO point is worth $0.005 and about $0.0067 respectively; MBNA Rewards points are worth about $0.0083 and $0.01 each when redeemed for a statement credit and travel respectively. That may seem like a small difference, but it adds up to quite a big gap when you multiply it across redemptions of thousands and thousands of points.
††, ‡, ✪, ***, ††††, Terms and Conditions apply.
MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® offer is not available for residents of Quebec. For residents of Quebec, please click here.
Sponsored advertising. MBNA is a division of The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) and TD is not responsible for the contents of this site including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete information on this MBNA credit card, please click on the “Apply Now” button.
The Toronto-Dominion Bank is the issuer of this credit card. MBNA is a division of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. ®MBNA and other-trademarks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.
The American Express Cobalt® Card offers accelerated earn categories that are similar to the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card: 5 points per $1 spent on restaurants and groceries; 3 points per $1 on streaming subscriptions; and 2 points per $1 on travel, transit, and gas. The value given to each redeemed point is excellent, with each point worth $0.01 when redeemed against a purchase on a card statement, regardless of what that purchase was. The card also features excellent insurance coverage and American Express Invites offers similar access to exclusive events like those offered by Visa Infinite.
That said, as an Amex, the American Express Cobalt® Card will not be accepted by as many merchants as either a Visa or Mastercard, and before applying you should double check to make sure it’s accepted by the grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations that you frequent most.
Want a deeper understanding of how they compare? Read our BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* vs. Amex Cobalt® comparison.
Final Words
I think the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card offers some creative extras and is worth the annual fee, especially given the automatic $50 lifestyle credit* and four accelerated categories that align well with where most Canadians spend a large portion of their money. This card is especially suitable for those who would appreciate an easy redemption process and want to maximize their spending dollars in areas like groceries, transit and dining to get rewards they can actually use.
*Terms and conditions apply
American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information click the Apply now link. Conditions apply.BMO is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click on the Apply now link for the most up to date information.
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Article comments
I have this card. The Amex cobalt much better card with a 10/1 conversion on points and can choose how to use them with other vendors. Bmo makes you use there partner page and the hotel rates are much higher with a 13/1 points conversation. Take the bonus points, say thanks and go with Amex
The thing about Amex though Coalan is it is accepted at fewer retailers domestically, so readers should keep that in mind, but your point is well taken