Who this card is for
A good fit if you…
- BMO customers who want BMO Rewards in the same app as their chequing account, without a Visa Infinite membership or a Privilege fee.
- Households that can park recurring bills, groceries, restaurants, and takeout on one Visa so the 5-points-per-$2 list is most of the statement.
- Applicants who meet the citizenship, residency, age-of-majority, and seven-year bankruptcy rules in eligibility, and who will actually redeem points instead of forgetting them.
- People who will use the current welcome path — 20,000 points after $1,500 in three months, plus, if they already planned a transfer, the introductory balance-transfer rate — and who still intend to pay new purchases in full.
Skip it if you…
- Anyone who would rather see grocery cash back than learn BMO Rewards. That is BMO CashBack Mastercard at $0, or CashBack World Elite if you qualify.
- Households that will clear Infinite’s fee with 5 points per dollar on groceries, dining (including takeout), gas, and transit, plus the lifestyle credit. Rise is not “Infinite without the fee.”
- High spenders who want 5x on drugstores and travel too. That mix lives on Eclipse Infinite Privilege.
- Anyone who will treat the intro balance-transfer rate as a reason to revolve new spend. The transfer fee and the regular purchase rate still exist.
Pros and cons
Pros
- No annual fee, so Eclipse points do not have to beat a January membership first.
- 5 BMO Rewards points per $2 on recurring bills, groceries, dining, and takeout — up to $5,000 a year in each category — is a real everyday list if those buckets are the month. Remember it is per two dollars, not per dollar.
- 1 point per $2 on everything else is printed, including purchases above the caps, so Amazon and gas do not fall to zero even if they miss the bonus list.
- The current welcome is 20,000 points after $1,500 in net purchases in the first 3 months, plus up to 5,000 bonus points a year, plus a 0.99% balance-transfer rate for 9 statement periods (2% transfer fee).
- Eligibility currently skips an Infinite income test. This is the accessible Eclipse Visa.
Cons
- Points per $2 is easy to misread as Infinite’s 5x per $1. Rise is a weaker earn story; that is why it is free.
- Rise does not list gas or transit as bonus categories. Infinite’s 5x list does, along with dining and takeout. Confirm the live table before you move the pump.
- BMO Rewards are only as good as BMO’s redemption chart. The welcome headline is an “up to 25,000 bonus points” wrap. This card does not print a dollar value for those points.
- The detailed welcome includes a 0.99% intro rate on balance transfers with a 2% transfer fee. That is a transfer product, not a reason to carry new purchases.
- Insurance is mobile device coverage up to $1,000 (loss, theft, or accidental damage), extended warranty (doubles the manufacturer’s warranty up to one extra year), and purchase security (theft or damage for 90 days). The card does not include travel insurance.
Fees and value: is the annual fee worth it?
First-year snapshot (estimate)
- Annual fee
- $0
- Estimated welcome bonus value
- up to 25,000 bonus points
- Bonus minus fee (estimate)
- —
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.
This is a $0-fee card, so there is no annual fee to earn back. The welcome-value estimate prints points (“up to 25,000 bonus points”), not a dollar figure — BMO does not publish a cash value for this bonus.
Ongoing value is 5 points per $2 on bills, grocery, dining, and takeout, on up to $5,000 a year in each category, and 1 point per $2 on the rest and above those caps, plus up to 5,000 bonus points a year if you hit the pay-in-full and redemption hurdles. If you would rather have statement-credit cash back at $0, the CashBack Mastercard is the less fiddly BMO card.
If groceries, dining, gas, and transit are large enough that Infinite’s 5 points per $1 and lifestyle credit clear that fee after year one’s waiver, Infinite wins. If Privilege spending and income are already your life, Rise is a stall.
Additional-card fees are not listed for this card — confirm extras on BMO’s page. Offers change.
Pay new purchases in full.
Rewards and earn rates explained
Rewards program: BMO Rewards Points
This card earns BMO Rewards points, BMO’s flexible currency — not CashBack dollars and not Aeroplan. The current features describe 5 points for every $2 spent on groceries, dining (including takeout and food delivery), and recurring bill payments, on up to $5,000 in annual purchases in each category, and 1 point for every $2 on everything else, including purchases above the caps.
That is 2.5 points per dollar on the bonus list and 0.5 on the catch-all if you do the division. Infinite currently lists 5 points per dollar on groceries, dining (including takeout), gas, and transit, and 1 point per dollar on everything else.
Merchant coding still applies: a warehouse club, a bill you pay by e-transfer, or a grocery banner that processes as a mass merchant can miss the bonus bucket. Redeem with Pay with Points from $1, for travel with any provider, merchandise, or a contribution to a BMO savings or investment account.
You can also earn up to 5,000 bonus points a year: 2,500 for paying your full balance on time for 12 consecutive months, and 2,500 for redeeming at least 12,000 points a year with Pay with Points. If you want cash back that does not need a catalogue, compare CashBack Mastercard.
If you want Eclipse with a lifestyle credit and 5x per $1, that is Infinite.
Welcome bonus: how to unlock it
25,000 bonus points
For applications received between December 4, 2023 and October 31, 2027, you earn 20,000 BMO Rewards points when you spend at least $1,500 in net purchases within the first 3 months. BMO says those points are credited within 60 business days of the qualifying spend, and the bonus is cancelled if the account is closed within 90 days.
On top of that, you can earn up to 5,000 bonus points every year: 2,500 for paying the statement balance in full and on time for 12 consecutive billing periods, and 2,500 for redeeming at least 12,000 points a year with Pay with Points. There is also a 0.99% promotional rate on balance transfers posted in the first 9 statement periods, with a 2% fee per transfer, then the standard cash-advance rate.
BMO’s headline adds the signup points and the annual bonus into “up to 25,000 bonus points.” This card does not price that headline in dollars.
The offer is limited to new BMO eclipse rise Visa Card accounts. It is not available to current or former eclipse rise cardholders who reinstate a closed account or open a new account, or to existing BMO credit card cardholders who transfer into this product.
Do not force extra spend to chase bonus points if grocery and dining were not already in the budget. Do not use the intro transfer rate as permission to revolve new purchases at the regular rate.
Welcome bonus eligibility: Applications must be received between December 4, 2023 and October 31, 2027. The welcome offer is limited to new BMO eclipse rise Visa Card accounts; it is not available to current or former BMO eclipse rise Visa Card cardholders who reinstate a closed account or open a new account, or to existing BMO credit card cardholders who transfer into this product. The welcome bonus is cancelled if the account is closed within 90 days of opening.
FAQ
Is the BMO Eclipse Rise Visa Card worth it in 2026?
It is worth it when you want BMO Rewards at $0 and the bills/grocery/dining/takeout list matches the month. It is not worth it as an Infinite 5x-per-dollar substitute, a cash-back substitute, or a card you revolve.
Eclipse Rise vs Eclipse Visa Infinite vs Eclipse Infinite Privilege?
Rise currently lists $0 and 5 points per $2 on bills, grocery, dining, and takeout, up to $5,000 a year in each category. Infinite currently lists 5 points per $1 on groceries, dining (including takeout), gas, and transit, plus 1 point per $1 on everything else and a lifestyle credit, at a fee often waived in year one. Privilege currently lists 5x on a wider stack, including drugstore and travel, at a Privilege fee and income bar. Choose Rise if you wanted Eclipse without a membership.
Choose Infinite or Privilege only if that spend and income band is already your life.
Eclipse Rise vs BMO CashBack Mastercard?
CashBack Mastercard pays cash back as statement credits at $0. Rise pays BMO Rewards points on a bills/grocery/dining mix. Choose CashBack if you want dollars. Choose Rise if you want points and you already bank at BMO in that currency.
Is Eclipse Rise 5x points?
Not per dollar. The card’s features currently pay 5 BMO Rewards points for every $2 on the bonus list — half of Infinite’s 5-points-per-dollar line in that review — and only on up to $5,000 a year in each of groceries, dining, and recurring bills. Read the per-$2 wording on BMO’s page before you compare multipliers.
Does this card charge foreign-exchange fees?
Foreign-currency purchases are converted at the payment network’s exchange rate plus 2.50%. Eclipse Rise 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 Mastercard review · BMO · $0 annual fee
