BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card Review
BMO’s newest premium travel rewards card, the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card comes with a hefty welcome bonus, high rewards earning rates, fine dining experiences, lounge access*, and plenty more. If you’re an avid traveler or someone who enjoys the finer experiences, read on to see if this card is worth its annual fee and a slot in your wallet.
In This Article:
Pros and Cons of the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card
Pros
- Strong welcome bonus
- High rewards earning rate*
- Earn more when you add supplemental cards*
- Annual lifestyle credit*
- Mobile device insurance*
- Extensive travel insurance*
- Extended warranty and purchase assurance*
- Visa Airport Companion membership and 6 complimentary airport lounge visits per year – valued at more than $250 USD*
- Access to Visa Infinite Dining Series and Visa Infinite Wine Country*
Cons
- High annual fee
- High eligibility requirements
- The welcome bonus is not awarded immediately.
- High rewards earning rate reduces after $50,000 spend
Welcome Bonus
When you start spending with the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, you’ll be awarded 50,000 BMO Rewards points when you reach $6,000 in purchases within your first three months. Receive an additional 40,000 BMO Rewards Points after you spend a minimum of $100,000 within the first twelve months after account open date bringing you to a total of up to 90,000 BMO Rewards points* in your first year. 150 BMO Rewards points are worth $1 when redeemed for travel (approx. $0.0067 per point), so this bonus has a maximum value of about $600.
Annual Fee and Interest Rates
This credit card is a premium card, and so it has a premium fee. The annual fee for this credit card is $499, and there are no additional fees to add an additional cardholder. The purchase interest rate on this credit card is 20.99%, and cash advances are subject to a 23.99% interest rate (21.99% cash advance interest rate for Quebec residents).
Eligibility Requirements
Not everyone will qualify for this credit card, due to the stringent requirements set out by BMO. To be approved for the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, you’ll need a personal income of at least $150,000, or a household income of $200,000. You’ll also need an excellent credit score.
Main Features
Rewards Points
As we mentioned above, the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card lets cardholders earn an impressive 5 BMO Rewards points per $1 spent in essential categories like travel, dining, gas, groceries, and pharmacy*. This bonus applies up to an annual threshold of $50,000, and after that, you’ll earn 1 BMO Rewards point per $1 spent in these categories. Other purchases will earn 1 BMO Rewards point per $1 spent*. Overall this is an excellent earn rate, which we would expect from a premium travel rewards credit card with a hefty annual fee.
Supplemental Cards
If you have multiple members of your household spending, you can boost your earning even more. Adding another cardholder will increase your earnings by 25%, for both the primary cardholder and supplementary cardholder*.
Lifestyle Credit
You’ll receive an annual statement credit of $200*, called a “lifestyle credit,” that you can choose to either pay down your balance or spend on whatever you’d like.
Mobile Device Insurance
Protect your mobile device with up to $1,000 of coverage against loss, theft, or accidental damage anywhere in the world*.
Additional Perks
Beyond the benefits listed above, the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card comes with the following additional perks.
Travel Insurance
Like most premium credit cards, the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card protects cardholders with trip cancellation and interruption insurance, flight delay insurance, baggage delay, loss and damage insurance, common carrier, and hotel burglary insurance, and car rental collision/loss insurance.
Purchase Assurance and Extended Warranty
When you make purchases with this credit card, those purchases are protected for 120 days from theft or damage. Also, all purchases with warranty will have their coverage automatically doubled, up to a maximum of one year.
Priority Pass
BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card members enjoy a Visa Airport Companion membership and 6 complimentary airport lounge visits per year – valued at more than $250 USD.*
Exclusive Visa Experiences
Visa cardholders have priority access to exclusive entertainment events, including the Toronto International Film Festival and the Visa Infinite Dining Series. The dining series features exclusive events with chefs across the country. You’ll also have access to exclusive tastings at wineries in Ontario, B.C., and California via Visa Infinite Wine Country. Finally, the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection entitles you to automatic room upgrades when available, complimentary breakfast for two, and food and beverage credits at hotels worldwide.
How the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card compares
| Card Name | BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card | The Platinum Card® |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome Bonus | Up to 90,000 points* | Up to 80,000 Membership Rewards® points (conditions apply) |
| Rewards | 5x points per dollar spent on travel, dining, gas and groceries, and at the pharmacy* 1x point per dollar spent on everything else* | Earn 3 points for every $1 in Card purchases on eligible dining and food delivery in Canada, 2 points for every $1 in Card purchases on eligible travel, and 1 point for every $1 in all other Card purchases Extra points for travel booked through American Express |
| Lifestyle Credit | $200* | $200 |
| Supplementary Cards | Additional card holder is $99 | Additional card holder is $175 |
| Other Extras | Visa Airport Companion membership and 6 complimentary airport lounge visits per year – valued at more than $250 USD*, mobile device insurance*, travel insurance*, exclusive VISA experiences* | Airport lounge access, and priority security lines, travel insurance, exclusive hotel experiences, fast-tracking to higher earning tiers with hotel loyalty programs, exclusive American Express invites, points transfer to other frequent flyer programs |
| Annual Fee | $499 | $699 |
| Minimum Income Required | $150,000 individual or $200,000 household | No minimum income requirement |
There aren’t many rewards credit cards that compare to the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, but The Platinum Card® from American Express comes pretty close. The Platinum Card® has a $699 annual fee, and for that fee, you receive many of the same benefits as the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card.
Where The Platinum Card® excels is in the extra travel perks. If you’re a real globe trotter, you’ll be able to take advantage of the ability to transfer your points to any major loyalty rewards programs (such as Aeroplan) and the ability to level up your hotel loyalty points.
That said, if you aren’t likely to use those particular perks, the less expensive BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card will be the better choice.
Final Thoughts
It is clear that this card will not be accessible to many Canadians due to its strict eligibility requirements but for those who qualify, there is no doubt this card has a lot to offer. Our favourite part of this credit card is easily the rewards scheme. Earning 5 BMO Rewards points on every dollar spent on travel, dining, gas, groceries, and drug store purchases is a robust rewards scheme that is hard to match in Canada. Add to that bonus points earned by additional cardholders, and this credit card could make you a mountain of points from everyday spending.
Overall, if you are a power credit card user with a high income, the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card is an excellent way to supercharge your rewards earnings. The up to 90,000 points welcome bonus* and $200 annual lifestyle credit* makes this card very compelling and the multitude of extra benefits and perks is one of the best we’ve seen on the market.
*Terms and conditions apply
*Trademark of Visa International Service Association and used under license.
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.
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Article comments
I just got the offer letter. But. It’s giving me GUARANTEED APPROVAL FOR $5000 only. Wtf? None of my other cards are under $15,000 limit. Heck. Even amex gave me $9000 to start on their opening of account. Would it be reasonable to call and ask for higher or just accept it as is and wait a bit to ask? Thing is. I have a very low utilization rate due to the higher limits I have on all my cards. With only $5k I can barely use it. Otherwise my credit score (836) will take a hit like every month?? What do you guys recommend?
Hi Yan,
Fun little surprise; have heard this happen before with others also. By all means, call and ask for a higher limit but be prepared to back it up with your desired use case. Your low utilization rate may have contributed to the lower limit they offered but if you tell them you can barely use it as is and are considering on cancelling, they might offer something in return. Let us know how that goes.
Got the same letter. $5000 limit. My Amex platinum limit is $25k I believe (actually I don’t think there is even a limit on it). Very odd. I haven’t had a card with a 5k limit since I was in my 20’s. Very strange offer.
Hi Jen,
Interested in your take- did you end up accepting the offer and do you think the card would be worth the annual fee with the $5k credit limit?
High annual fee and still no relief on the foreign exchange fee that I can see (2.5%)
Hi Gary,
The annual fee covers a heft of premium benefits for the most discerning clientele. Perhaps that clientele just isn’t interested in saving on the foreign transaction fees? If that’s what you’re looking for, check out the Best Credit Cards with No Foreign Transaction Fees.
Bmo’s web site says the following on extended warranty:
“Extended Warranty Insurance, which triples the original manufacturer’s warranty to a maximum of 2 additional years”