Amex Aeroplan Business Reserve vs BMO CashBack Business Mastercard

Both business cards worked out on the same spending: rewards, welcome bonus, fees and perks, line by line.

American Express® Aeroplan®* Business Reserve Card

American Express® Aeroplan®* Business Reserve Card

4.7

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BMO CashBack Business Mastercard

BMO CashBack Business Mastercard

3.1

Learn more

Worked out on a typical small business spending $4,000 a month. Enter yours to see your own numbers.

$1,674

First-year value

$376

$439

Every year after

$249

Amex Aeroplan Business Reserve is worth $1,297 more to your business in year one.

It stays ahead after that, by $190 a year.

How the first year adds up

Rewards and the welcome bonus in, the annual fee, FX fees and employee cards out, at your spending.

$1,217.75Better of the two
in Aeroplan points a year

Annual rewards

$428.85
cash back a year
+ $1,235Better of the two
first year only

Welcome bonus

+ $127.5
first year only
− $599

Annual fee

Better of the two− $0
no annual fee
− $180
2.5% on $600/mo

FX fees

− $180
2.5% on $600/mo
$1,673.75Better of the two

First-year value

$376.35

Where each card earns

A year of your spending on each card, category by category, biggest spend first.

Amex Aeroplan Business Reserve earns more on 17 of your 17 categories.

$299.14Better of the two
at 1.25x

All Other Business Expenses

$12,600 a year

$94.5
at 0.75%
$146.15Better of the two
at 1.25x

US Dollar Purchases

$6,150 a year

$46.13
at 0.75%
$114Better of the two
at 1.25x

Recurring Bills & Subscriptions

$4,800 a year

$36
at 0.75%
$85.5Better of the two
at 1.25x

Gas & EV Charging

$3,600 a year

$54
at 1.5%
$85.5Better of the two
at 1.25x

Dining & Restaurants

$3,600 a year

$27
at 0.75%
$71.14Better of the two
at 1.25x

Office Supplies

$3,000 a year

$45
at 1.5%
$57Better of the two
at 1.25x

Phone, Internet & Cable

$2,400 a year

$36
at 1.5%
$68.4Better of the two
at 2x

Hotels

$1,800 a year

$13.5
at 0.75%
$42.64Better of the two
at 1.25x

Shipping & Courier

$1,800 a year

$13.5
at 0.75%
$42.64Better of the two
at 1.25x

Accounting & Bookkeeping

$1,800 a year

$13.5
at 0.75%
$29.18Better of the two
at 1.25x

Other Foreign Currencies (EUR, GBP, etc.)

$1,230 a year

$9.22
at 0.75%
$28.5Better of the two
at 1.25x

Electronics & Software

$1,200 a year

$9
at 0.75%
$68.4Better of the two
at 3x

Air Canada

$1,200 a year

$9
at 0.75%
$28.5Better of the two
at 1.25x

Transportation

$1,200 a year

$9
at 0.75%
$14.14Better of the two
at 1.25x

Other Airlines

$600 a year

$4.5
at 0.75%
$22.8Better of the two
at 2x

Car Rental

$600 a year

$4.5
at 0.75%
$14.14Better of the two
at 1.25x

Other Travel

$600 a year

$4.5
at 0.75%
$1,217.75Better of the two

Rewards in a year

$428.85

Welcome bonus

Each offer as the issuer words it, then which milestones your spending reaches.

Amex Aeroplan Business Reserve

  • Earn up to 90,000 Welcome Bonus Aeroplan®* points
  • Earn 65,000 Aeroplan®* points after spending $10,500 on your Card within the first 3 months as a new American Express® Aeroplan®* Business Reserve Cardmember.
  • Plus, earn 25,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $3,500 in month 13.
  • You can earn up to $5,600 in value within your first 13 months. When you combine the Welcome Bonus offer of up to $1,800 in value, your earn potential in accelerated and everyday spend earn rate categories with approximately $2,825 in value, and the $1,000 in value you get from exceptional benefits, you can earn up to $5,600 or more in value within your first 13 months. Terms and usage assumptions apply.

BMO CashBack Business Mastercard

Get 10% cash back on gas, office supplies and cellphone and internet bill payments for 3 months!1 Plus, get a 0.00% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers for 9 months with a 3% transfer fee.†

Amex Aeroplan Business Reserve

Worth $1,235 at your spending

65,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $10,500 in the first 3 months

65,000 pts

25,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $3,500 in month 13 (card year 2)

25,000 pts

BMO CashBack Business Mastercard

Worth $127.5 at your spending

Intro rate for the first 3 months

$127.5

Fees, rates and eligibility

What each card costs to hold and to use abroad, and who it's for.

$599

⁕ Notice: As of Jan 12, 2027, the American Express® Aeroplan®* Business Reserve Card annual fee will increase to $799. Annual fees charged on or after this date will reflect the new fee. The Employee Aeroplan®* Business Reserve Card annual fee will increase to $249. The Employee Aeroplan®* Business Reserve No Fee Card will be renamed to the Employee Aeroplan®* Business Reserve Expense Card and the annual fee will increase to $25. Learn more about new benefits.

Annual fee

Better of the two$0
$0

Employee cards

$50
2.5%

Foreign transaction fee

2.5%
Aeroplan

Rewards

Cash back
American Express

Network

Mastercard

Amex Aeroplan Business Reserve

Interest rates

Purchase:

21.99%1

Cash Advance:

21.99%1

1 If you have 2 separate missed Payments, the applicable rates for your account will be 25.99%. If you have 3 or more separate missed payments, the applicable rates will be 29.99%.

Recommended credit score

300
Poor
693
Fair
743⁎
Good
790⁎
Very Good
833⁎
Excellent
⁎Estimates based on TransUnion scoring

Income required

Min Personal Income:

N/A

Min Household Income:

N/A

BMO CashBack Business Mastercard

Interest rates

Purchase:

20.99%

Cash Advance:

23.99%

Balance Transfer:

23.99%

Recommended credit score

300
Poor
560
Fair
660⁎
Good
725⁎
Very Good
760⁎
Excellent
⁎Estimates based on Equifax scoring

Income required

Min Personal Income:

N/A

Min Household Income:

N/A

How each card earns

The earn rates and caps, as each issuer sets them.

Amex Aeroplan Business Reserve

  • 3x Aeroplan® points per $1 spent on eligible Air Canada® and Air Canada Vacations® purchases
  • 2x Aeroplan® points per $1 spent on eligible hotel and car rental purchases in Canada
  • 1.25x Aeroplan® points per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases

BMO CashBack Business Mastercard

  • Earn 1.75% cash back on eligible gas purchases when you pay at the pump or shop in store at Shell®±4 (up to a maximum of $2,500 per account)
  • Earn 1.5% cash back on eligible on gas, office supplies and cellphone and internet bill payments2 (up to $1,000 of spending in each category per statement cycle)
  • Earn 0.75% cash back on all other card purchases5

Insurance and perks

What both cards include comes first in each list.

Amex Aeroplan Business Reserve

Insurance

  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    1 years
  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days

  • lost baggage

    Lost or Stolen Baggage

    $1,000
  • hourglass timer

    Baggage Delay

    $1,000/person after 6 hours
  • car insurance

    Car Rental Damage & Theft

    $85K MSRP up to 48 consecutive rental days
  • heart lock

    Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance

    $500,000
  • burglar

    Hotel Burglary Insurance

    $1000
  • travel accident medical

    Travel Medical Insurance (64 & under)

    $5M/insured up to 15 days
  • cancel airplane

    Trip Cancellation

    $1,500/person, $3K/trip
  • pause

    Trip Interruption

    $1,500/person, $6K/trip
  • hourglass timer

    Flight Delay

    $1,000/person after 4 hours

Perks

  • airplane love

    Companion Voucher

    Annual Worldwide Companion Pass from $99 to a max of $599 After spending $25,000 on your card
  • star fall

    Status lift

    Complimentary upgrade to Avis® President's Club
  • star fall

    Status lift

    Get 1,000 Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) for every $5,000 in eligible net purchases charged to your Card, up to 25,000 SQC
  • star fall

    Status lift

    Get a 10% Head Start. Starting in 2027, eligible Basic Cardmembers with Aeroplan Elite™* Status will receive a 10% head start toward qualification, based on Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) accumulated the year before. Roll over any unallocated unused eUpgrade Credits to the following year to enjoy during your travels.
  • star fall

    Status lift

    Primary Cardholders who also hold Aeroplan Elite Status will benefit from an extra 12 months to use eUpgrade credits, for a total of 24 months from issuance.
  • luggage

    Free first checked bag

    First checked bag is free for primary cardholder on Air Canada branded flight and up to 8 guests
  • reward cup

    Extra points

    Earn points twice at over 150 Aeroplan partner brands and over 170 online retailers through the Aeroplan eStore
  • bed furniture

    Free Extra Night at Hotels

    Cardmembers can now get an extra night free for every 3 hotel nights redeemed with Aeroplan points. Enjoy even more at over 300,000 hotel properties worldwide
  • border guard

    Nexus Program Rebate

    $100 every 4 years
  • airport waiting room

    Priority Travel

    At Toronto Pearson airport get benefits such as Priority Security lane, Complimentary valet, premium parking spots, priorioty taxi and limo lane and discount for parking and car care.
  • airport waiting room

    Priority Travel

    Get Priority Check-in, Priority Boarding and Priority Baggage Handling, Priority Airport Standby & Priority Airport Upgrades for you, your authorized users and up to 8 companions on the same flight (Only AirCanada)
  • alcohol cheers

    Airport Lounge - Maple Leaf and AirCanada Cafes

    Unlimited Access for you and one guest
  • alcohol cheers

    Airport Lounge - Priority Pass

    Pass only. No Complimentary visits!
  • Amex logo

    Amex Experiences™

    Amex Experiences™ opens doors for you to access a number of special events, including special dining experiences, VIP parties, advance film screenings and more

BMO CashBack Business Mastercard

Insurance

  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    1 year
  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days

Perks

  • gas station

    Gas Discount

    Get up to 7 cents off per litre on all your Shell®± fuel – just for being a BMO cardholder[7]

Our take

Amex Aeroplan Business Reserve

The most aggressive Aeroplan earning card you can get for a business: 3x on Air Canada, 2x on hotels and car rentals, and 1.25x on everything else. The $599 annual fee is steep, but the perks are hard to match — unlimited Maple Leaf Lounge access, Priority Pass membership, free checked bags, and an Annual Worldwide Companion Pass that alone can be worth hundreds. If your business spends heavily on Air Canada flights and travel, this card can return serious value. But be honest about your travel volume — at this fee, light travelers will lose money. This is a card you need to actively use to justify.

  • Premium earning rates
  • Comprehensive coverage
  • Unlimited airport lounge access
  • Priority Pass membership
  • Annual companion pass
  • Free first checked bags
  • NEXUS program rebate
  • Priority travel perks
  • High annual fee
  • Benefit limitations and conditions
  • Less valuable for non-travellers

BMO CashBack Business Mastercard

A genuinely good free card. You get 1.5% cash back on gas, office supplies, and telecom with no annual fee — that’s rare. The 10% introductory cash back for the first three months is unusually generous for a no-fee card, making it worth picking up even just for the welcome period. The 0.75% base rate on other purchases is modest, and there are annual caps on the bonus categories, but the math still works for most small businesses. If you want cashback without paying for it, this is one of the best options available. Just don’t expect travel perks or premium insurance — it’s purely about the cash back.

  • No annual fee
  • Generous welcome bonus
  • Competitive cashback
  • Business accounting software integration
  • Low base earn rate
  • Spending caps
  • Limited bonus categories
  • Foreign transaction fees
  • Lacks travel benefits
  • Lacks travel coverage
  • High purchase interest rate

More business card comparisons

Each card against every other business card we review.

Legal


Amex Aeroplan Business Reserve

*Terms and conditions apply.


If you have 2 separate missed Payments, the applicable rates for your account will be 25.99%. If you have 3 or more separate missed payments, the applicable rates will be 29.99%.


American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, (I/we) may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.

BMO CashBack Business Mastercard

1 BMO CashBack Business Mastercard applications must be received between September 1, 2020 and December 13, 2025 (the “Offer Period”) to be eligible for this offer. You will earn 10% cash back for each dollar you spend at qualifying gas stations, office supply stores, and on your cell phone/internet (phone) bill payments in the first 3 (three) billing cycles from the account open date (less refunds and excluding cash advances, cash-like transactions, interest charges, fees, credit or debit adjustments) up to a maximum of $150 cash back (a minimum of $1,500 in eligible purchases). The 10% cash back reward includes the base earn rate of 0.75% and a bonus of 9.25% for qualifying office supply store purchases, cell phone/internet bill payments, or gas purchases (bonus of 9.50% at Shell locations in Canada). To qualify for the bonus cash back reward, your purchases must be made at “Qualifying Merchants” classified in the Mastercard network as Service Stations (gas stations with or without ancillary services) and Automated Fuel Dispensers (Merchant Codes: 5541 & 5542), Stationery and Office Supply Stores (Merchant Codes: 5111 & 5943) and Cellphone/Internet billings (Merchant Codes: 4812, 4814 & 4816) at merchant locations in Canada. This bonus earn would not apply to some merchants who sell similar products/services or are separate merchants who are located on the premises of such merchants but are classified in another manner. After the first three (3) billing cycles or $1,500 spent in eligible purchases (whichever comes first), you will earn 1.5% cash back for each dollar you spend at office supply stores, on your cell phone/internet (phone) bill payments and at gas stations (1.75% cash back on purchases made at Shell locations in Canada). The 10% cash back reward offer is limited to new BMO CashBack Business Mastercard accounts and will not be awarded to current or former cardholders who reinstate a closed account, who transfer to another account, or who open a new account during the offer period. Limit of one bonus offer per account. If you cancel your card within one hundred and twenty (120) days from the date your account is opened, all cash back rewards earned within that period will be cancelled. This offer may be withdrawn or changed without notice.


2 You will earn 1.5% cash back on the first $1,000 you spend in each category per statement cycle for gas, office supply stores, and cell phone and internet (phone) bill payments for purchases made at merchant locations in Canada. The 1.5% CashBack rewards includes the base earn rate of 0.75% and the bonus of 0.75% for qualifying gas purchases, office supply store purchases, or cell phone/internet bill payments. Purchases made in these categories after the first $1,000 will earn at the base rate of 0.75%. All other purchases will continue to earn a 0.75% base rate of cash back rewards. To qualify for the bonus cash back rewards, your purchases must be made at merchants classified in the Mastercard network as Service Stations (gas stations with or without ancillary services) and Automated Fuel Dispensers (Merchant Codes: 5541 & 5542), Stationery and Office Supply Stores (Merchant Codes: 5111 & 5943) and Cellphone/Internet billings (Merchant Codes: 4812, 4814 & 4816). Some merchants may sell similar products/services or are separate merchants who are located on the premises of these merchants but are classified in another manner, in which case this bonus earn would not apply.


4 You will earn 1.75% CashBack rewards for purchases made at Shell locations in Canada, which includes the base earn rate of 0.75% and the Shell bonus of 1%. The Shell bonus CashBack rewards will be earned on purchases made at Shell locations in Canada (including Beaver, Turbo and Payless) to a maximum of $2,500 per account. The number of CashBack rewards will be rounded down to the nearest cent.


5 Cash back rewards earned are cumulative over the statement period. The awarding of cash back rewards is made for purchases charged to your account (less refunds and excluding cash advances, cash-like transactions, interest charges, fees, payments, credit or debit adjustments) and is subject to the Terms and Conditions of the BMO CashBack Business Mastercard. The number of cash back rewards will be rounded down to the nearest cent.


7 This offer is available only to AIR MILES collectors who have linked their BMO credit card with their AIR MILES collector account. To receive the savings at the pump, the eligible AIR MILES collector number must be connected to your BMO credit card and the eligible AIR MILES collector number must be valid at the time of the purchase transaction.
To qualify for the offer, eligible collectors with a BMO credit card:
Can receive their fuel discount at the pump once the customer input their AIR MILES collector number and complete the payment with the BMO credit or debit card that has been linked to their AIR MILES collector account.
BMO AIR MILES credit card holders with a valid AIR MILES collector account will receive an instant discount of $0.02 per litre on regular fuel (Shell Bronze and Shell Silver) and $0.07 per litre of premium fuel (Shell V-Power NiTRO+ or Shell V-Power NiTRO+ 91 or Shell V-Power NiTRO+ 93) at Shell (excluding Flying J locations) between March 18, 2024, to December 31, 2024, to a maximum of 1,000 litres in one month.
BMO non-AIR MILES credit card holders, including other BMO Mastercard and BMO Visa* holders must link their credit card to an existing or new AIR MILES collector account at airmilescardlink.ca/bmo-shell-benefit to be valid for this offer. The Opt-in process might take up to 5 days before the benefit is provided, then eligible AIR MILES collectors will receive an instant discount of $0.02 per litre on regular fuel (Shell Bronze and Shell Silver) and $0.07 per litre of premium fuel (Shell V-Power NiTRO+ or Shell V-Power NiTRO+ 91 or Shell V-Power NiTRO+ 93) at Shell (excluding Flying J locations) between March 18, 2024, to December 31, 2024, to a maximum of 1,000 litres in one month. This is a limited time offer and may be changed, extended, or withdrawn at any time without notice.
All BMO AIR MILES Mastercard credit card holders are automatically linked to their AIR MILES collector card, and thus, are automatically eligible for this offer.
All BMO non-AIR MILES Mastercard credit holders, by linking their BMO Mastercard to their AIR MILES collector card, are automatically enrolled in this Shell CPL offer and in other AIR MILES card-linked offers. To learn more about other AIR MILES card-linked offers, visit https://www.airmilescardlink.ca/.
BMO, AIR MILES, and Shell reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to suspend, disqualify, limit or revoke this offer to any person or account holder manipulating or otherwise abusing the process, fairness, integrity or operation of the offer. This offer will be in addition to any other offers available for you.
Shell and their affiliates are not liable or responsible for any of the services and products offered/provided by BMO. Please note that any information you provide directly to Shell or that Shell obtains about you as a Shell customer or participant will be governed by Shell’s Privacy Notice.
Offer is subject to the Terms and Conditions of your BMO Mastercard Cardholder Agreement or BMO Visa Cardholder Agreement.



† a) Subject to these Terms and Conditions, each balance transfer amount is eligible for a promotional interest rate of 0.00% provided that each balance transfer is posted to your BMO CashBack Business Mastercard account, BMO World Elite Business Mastercard or BMO Rewards Business Mastercard account (the "Account") in the first 9 (nine) statement periods from the Account open date (“Promotional Period”) , and your Account remains in good standing. Offer is available to new customers only upon Account approval for applications submitted on or after March 14, 2023. Balances from other BMO credit card accounts are not eligible to be transferred. The promotional rate will no longer apply to your Account if you transfer into a card other than the BMO CashBack Business Mastercard, BMO World Elite Business Mastercard or BMO Rewards Business Mastercard. Balance transfers apply to Canadian dollar amounts only.

b) Balance transfers do not qualify to earn loyalty rewards such as CashBack Rewards or BMO Rewards Points. Balance transfers are treated as cash advances and the promotional interest rate applies from the date the transactions are posted to your Account until the last day of the Promotional Period. After the Promotional Period expires, any remaining balance transfer amounts will be charged interest at the standard annual interest rate for cash advances. The promotional interest rate of 0.00% does not apply to purchases, fees, cash advances and other charges posted to your Account during the Promotional Period. Standard interest rates will continue to apply to those transactions. Please refer to your monthly statement for the interest rate applicable to your Account.

c) Each balance transfer is subject to a fee of 3% which will be charged to your account on the date the balance transfer is posted to your Account. For example, if an amount of $1,000 is transferred to your Account, you will be charged a fee of $30. You may request a balance transfer for as low as $100, as long as the transfer amount plus the fee, does not exceed the unused portion of the credit limit on your Account.

d) If your Account has balances with different interest rates, such as purchases with a standard interest rate and balance transfers with a promotional interest rate, any payment that exceeds the minimum payment will be allocated proportionately to those balances according to the terms set out in section 14 of the BMO Mastercard Cardholder Agreement. For example, if you have an $800 purchases balance at the standard interest rate and a $200 balance transfer balance at a promotional interest rate, 80 per cent of your payment will be allocated to your purchases balance and 20 percent will be allocated to your balance transfer balance. This offer may be withdrawn or changed without notice.

e) You will pay interest on purchases unless you pay your full Account balance by the payment due date. For example, if you complete a balance transfer for $5,000 and spend $2,000 in purchases during the same statement period, you must pay the entire balance of $7,000 before the payment due date to avoid paying interest on your purchases. You will be charged interest if you only pay the amount owing for your purchases. There is no interest-free grace period for cash advances or balance transfers.

f) To transfer balances from non-BMO credit card accounts, register for Online Banking or log in at bmo.com and do the following; select your Mastercard account, then select Set up Balance Transfer or Pre-authorized payment, then select Credit Card Balance Transfer and follow the instructions to complete the transfer.

g) If you have not made your minimum payment by the due date twice within a 12-month period, and it remains unpaid by the time we prepare your next statement, the following penalties will apply:

In both instances outlined above, you will receive the default rate disclosed to you on the card carrier or any other terms or notices we provide to you.

  • You will not receive a promotional rate on your balance transfer, even if it was presented to you through email, letter, or online banking.
  • You will lose your promotional interest rate on any balance transfers you currently hold.


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.