Who this card is for
A good fit if you…
- Households that book enough eligible travel for a 5x category to matter inside a $15,000 annual cap, and who also put restaurants, entertainment, and recurring bills on the same Mastercard for 3x.
- Applicants who meet World Elite-style income (personal or household amounts are in eligibility) and will use the first-year fee waiver on the current offer.
- BMO customers who want BMO Rewards on a Mastercard they can use at Costco, rather than Eclipse’s Visa Infinite grocery mix.
- People who pay in full. Three times the points will not outrun the purchase rate.
Skip it if you…
- Grocery-and-gas specialists. Eclipse Infinite currently puts 5x on groceries, dining, gas, and transit; Ascend currently puts 5x on travel and 1x on a Superstore run that does not code as dining.
- High spenders who want 5x on groceries, dining, drugstore, gas, and travel together. That mix lives on Eclipse Infinite Privilege at a much higher fee and income bar.
- Anyone who would rather see 5% grocery cash back than learn BMO Rewards. That is BMO CashBack World Elite.
- Current or former Ascend World Elite cardholders who would reinstate a closed account or open the same card again during the offer, and existing BMO cardholders who would transfer into this product. The welcome is not available to either group.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 5x on eligible travel is a clearer trip engine than Eclipse Infinite’s grocery-first table, if you actually book travel on this card and stay inside the $15,000 annual cap.
- 3x on entertainment, dining, and recurring bills covers a Canadian month that is not only airfare, up to $10,000 a year in each of those categories.
- 1x on everything else, including purchases above the caps, is printed in the card’s features, so the card does not fall off a cliff outside bonus categories the way some cobrands do.
- The current welcome is up to $1,900 in BMO’s own figure for applications received between September 15, 2026 and December 7, 2026, including up to 115,000 BMO Rewards points and a first-year fee waiver.
- World Elite Mastercard acceptance includes Costco Canada, which Eclipse’s Visa will not cover at the warehouse. Four complimentary DragonPass lounge passes a year are included.
Cons
- The $1,900 headline is a bundle, not 115,000 points alone. BMO prices those points at up to $767 when redeemed for travel at 150 points = $1, then adds a NEXUS credit, the fee waiver, lounge passes, Instacart, and potential first-year earn.
- Each additional card is $50 a year. That fee is rebated in the first year only if the card is added when the primary cardholder applies. A household of extras is not a rounding error after year one.
- Out-of-province emergency medical is up to $5 million per insured person, per trip, for the first 21 consecutive days if you are 64 or under. Coverage also includes trip cancellation (up to $1,500 per insured person, $5,000 per trip) and trip interruption (up to $2,000 per insured person, $10,000 per trip), flight delay up to $500 per trip, baggage coverage, hotel burglary up to $1,000, common carrier coverage up to $500,000, car rental damage (MSRP up to $65,000), an extended warranty, and 90-day purchase security. Read the certificate.
- The welcome is closed to current or former Ascend World Elite cardholders who reinstate or reopen the same card during the offer, and to existing BMO cardholders who transfer into the product. Bonus points may be cancelled if you cancel within 365 days of opening.
- Merchant coding still applies. A “travel” booking through a grocer’s app, or a bill you pay by e-transfer, can miss the 5x or 3x bucket. Spend above the caps earns 1 point per dollar.
Fees and value: is the annual fee worth it?
First-year snapshot (estimate)
- Annual fee
- $150
- Estimated welcome bonus value
- up to $1,900
- Bonus minus fee (estimate)
- $1,750
This is a simple comparison of the estimated welcome-bonus value against the annual fee. It ignores rewards on spending, credits you have to remember to use, and interest if you carry a balance. Offers change — verify with the issuer.
The fee table shows a $150-class World Elite card. On the current offer the $150 primary fee is waived in the first year, and so is the $50 fee on each additional card added at application.
The first-year snapshot on this page compares the up-to-$1,900 welcome value with the headline fee. Year two is the full fee versus 5x travel up to $15,000, 3x dining, entertainment, and bills up to $10,000 a year in each category, and 1x on the rest.
The $150 fee can also be rebated each year with a BMO Premium Chequing Account if you meet the minimum annual spend. If groceries, dining, gas, and transit are the statement, Eclipse Infinite’s 5x everyday mix is the better BMO Rewards card.
If you wanted cash, CashBack World Elite is simpler. Offers change after December 7, 2026.
Pay in full.
Rewards and earn rates explained
Rewards program: BMO Rewards Points
This card earns BMO Rewards points, the same flexible bank currency as Eclipse — not CashBack dollars and not VIPorter. Eligible travel (airlines, car rentals, hotels and resorts, cruise lines, passenger railways, tour operators, timeshares, and travel agencies) earns 5 points per dollar on up to $15,000 in purchases a year.
Eligible dining, entertainment, and recurring bill payments earn 3 points per dollar on up to $10,000 a year in each of those categories. Everything else, including purchases above the caps, earns 1 point per dollar.
Caps reset on January 1. Redeem eligible travel at 150 points = $1, or non-travel purchases at 200 points = $1.
That travel 5x is the inverse of Eclipse Infinite’s grocery, dining, gas, and transit 5x. Privilege currently lists 5x on a wider stack including groceries, dining, drugstore, gas, and travel — that is the product above both of these, not a hidden Ascend perk.
Card benefits also include a DragonPass membership with 4 complimentary lounge passes a year (then US$32 per visit), up to $200 in NEXUS statement credits in the first year, and 6 months of Instacart+ plus a $10 monthly Instacart credit. If you fly Porter on purpose, compare VIPorter World Elite instead of parking Ascend points in a Porter itinerary.
Welcome bonus: how to unlock it
Up to 115,000 BMO Rewards points / up to $1,900 in value
For applications received between September 15, 2026 and December 7, 2026, BMO advertises up to $1,900 in value. The points piece is up to 115,000 BMO Rewards points, worth up to $767 at 150 points = $1 on travel: 60,000 points after $5,000 in net purchases in the first 110 days, another 20,000 after $10,000 in the first 180 days, and another 35,000 after $20,000 in the first 12 months.
The rest of the $1,900 is an up-to-$200 NEXUS statement credit in the first year, the first-year fee waiver ($150 primary, plus $50 per additional card added at application), 4 DragonPass lounge passes (BMO values up to $270), 6 months of Instacart+ with a $10 monthly credit (BMO values up to $200; activate by October 31, 2027), and potential first-year earn that BMO counts at up to $300. There is also a 0% introductory rate on balance transfers for 12 months with a 2% transfer fee.
Current or former Ascend World Elite cardholders who reinstate or reopen the same card during the offer, and existing BMO cardholders who transfer into this product, are not eligible. Points may be cancelled if the card is cancelled within 365 days.
Do not force extra spend to chase the wrap if travel and dining were not already in the budget.
Welcome bonus eligibility: Applications must be received between September 15, 2026 and December 7, 2026. Not available to current or former BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard cardholders who reinstate a closed account or open a new account for the same card during the Offer Period, or to existing BMO credit card cardholders who transfer into this product. Bonus points may be cancelled if the card is cancelled within 365 days of opening.
FAQ
Is the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard worth it in 2026?
It is worth it when eligible travel, dining, entertainment, and bills are the statement, you stay aware of the $15,000 and $10,000 caps, you meet World Elite income, and you will redeem BMO Rewards. It is not worth it as a 5x grocery card or as a cash-back substitute.
Ascend World Elite vs BMO Eclipse Visa Infinite?
Eclipse Infinite currently pays 5x on groceries, dining, gas, and transit, plus 1x on everything else and a lifestyle credit, at Infinite income. Ascend currently pays 5x on travel up to $15,000 a year and 3x on dining, entertainment, and bills up to $10,000 a year in each category, at World Elite income.
Choose Eclipse for the weekly shop. Choose Ascend for trips on a Mastercard, including Costco.
Ascend vs Eclipse Infinite Privilege?
Privilege currently lists 5x on groceries, dining, drugstore, gas, and travel, at a much higher fee and income bar. Ascend is the mid-fee travel Mastercard. Choose Privilege only if that spending and income band is already your life.
Ascend vs BMO CashBack World Elite?
CashBack World Elite pays grocery cash back as statement credits. Ascend pays BMO Rewards on travel and dining. Choose CashBack if you want dollars at the supermarket. Choose Ascend if you want points on trips and already think in BMO Rewards.
Does this card charge foreign-exchange fees?
Foreign-currency purchases are converted at the payment network’s exchange rate plus 2.50%. Ascend is a points card, not a no-FX Passport. For overseas spend, compare Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite.
Compare related cards and guides
More Canadian credit card lists that match this product, plus a few cards people usually compare it with.
- BMO Eclipse Visa Infinite Card review · BMO · $120 annual fee
- BMO Eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege Card review · BMO · $599 annual fee
- BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard review · BMO · $139 annual fee
