BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®* vs RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

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

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

4.2

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RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

2.9

Learn more

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

$1,125

First-year value

$422

$306

Every year after

$302

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®* is worth $703 more to your business in year one.

It stays ahead after that, by $4 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.

$635Better of the two
in BMO Rewards points a year

Annual rewards

$481.8
cash back a year
+ $670Better of the two
first year only

Welcome bonus

+ $120.45
first year only
$149− $0
$149 from year two

Annual fee

− $0
no annual fee
− $180
2.5% on $600/mo

FX fees

− $180
2.5% on $600/mo
$1,125Better of the two

First-year value

$422.25

Where each card earns

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

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®* earns more on 17 of your 17 categories.

$126.63Better of the two
at 1.5x

All Other Business Expenses

$12,600 a year

$126
at 1%
$61.83Better of the two
at 1.5x

US Dollar Purchases

$6,150 a year

$61.5
at 1%
$48.24Better of the two
at 1.5x

Recurring Bills & Subscriptions

$4,800 a year

$48
at 1%
$96.48Better of the two
at 4x

Gas & EV Charging

$3,600 a year

$36
at 1%
$36.18Better of the two
at 1.5x

Dining & Restaurants

$3,600 a year

$36
at 1%
$80.4Better of the two
at 4x

Office Supplies

$3,000 a year

$30
at 1%
$64.32Better of the two
at 4x

Phone, Internet & Cable

$2,400 a year

$24
at 1%
$18.09Better of the two
at 1.5x

Hotels

$1,800 a year

$18
at 1%
$18.09Better of the two
at 1.5x

Shipping & Courier

$1,800 a year

$18
at 1%
$18.09Better of the two
at 1.5x

Accounting & Bookkeeping

$1,800 a year

$18
at 1%
$12.38Better of the two
at 1.5x

Other Foreign Currencies (EUR, GBP, etc.)

$1,230 a year

$12.3
at 1%
$12.06Better of the two
at 1.5x

Electronics & Software

$1,200 a year

$12
at 1%
$12.06Better of the two
at 1.5x

Air Canada

$1,200 a year

$12
at 1%
$12.06Better of the two
at 1.5x

Transportation

$1,200 a year

$12
at 1%
$6.03Better of the two
at 1.5x

Other Airlines

$600 a year

$6
at 1%
$6.03Better of the two
at 1.5x

Car Rental

$600 a year

$6
at 1%
$6.03Better of the two
at 1.5x

Other Travel

$600 a year

$6
at 1%
$635Better of the two

Rewards in a year

$481.8

Welcome bonus

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

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

  • Get over $1,500 in value.1
  • This includes up to 100,000 bonus BMO Rewards Points in your first year (that’s $669 in value).1
  • Earn 20,000 bonus BMO Rewards Points (a value of $135) when you make your first purchase.1
  • Earn 8,000 bonus BMO Reward Points from months 3-12 by spending a minimum of $3,000 each month (a value of up to $535).1

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Earn 2% cash back on purchases* made on your card in the first three months.

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

Worth $670 at your spending

20,000 BMO Rewards Points on first purchase

20,000 pts

8,000 points per month when you spend $3,000+/month in months 3-12 (up to 80,000 total)

80,000 pts

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Worth $120.45 at your spending

Intro rate for the first 3 months

$120.45

Fees, rates and eligibility

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

$149
$0 the first year

Annual fee

Better of the two$0
$50

Employee cards

$0, max. of 1 additional card
2.5%

Foreign transaction fee

2.5%
BMO Rewards

Rewards

Cash back
Mastercard

Network

Mastercard

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

Interest rates

Purchase:

18.99%

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:

$80,000

Min Household Income:

$150,000

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Interest rates

Purchase:

19.99%

Cash Advance:

22.99%

Balance Transfer:

22.99%

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.

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

  • Get 4 points for every $1 you spend on gas, office supplies, cell phone and internet bill payments3,4
  • Get 1.5 points for every $1 you spend on all other card purchases3,4

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

  • Earn 2% cash back on purchases* made on your card in the first three months.
  • Earn 1% cash back on purchases* made on your card after three months.
  • Once your cash back balance reaches $25 or more, you can have the full amount credited to your account at any time. Otherwise the cash back rewards will automatically be credited to your account every January.
  • Get $0 delivery fees for 3 months from DoorDash6

Insurance and perks

What both cards include comes first in each list.

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

Insurance

  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    1 year
  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days

  • lost baggage

    Lost or Stolen Baggage

    $1,000
  • hourglass timer

    Baggage Delay

    $500
  • car insurance

    Car Rental Damage & Theft

    Included
  • car accident

    Car Rental Accident

    $200,000
  • heart lock

    Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance

    $500,000
  • burglar

    Hotel Burglary Insurance

    $1,000
  • luggage insurance

    Car Rental Personal Effects

    $1,000
  • luggage insurance

    Personal Effects

    $1,000
  • cancel airplane

    Trip Cancellation

    $2,500
  • pause

    Trip Interruption

    $2,000
  • hourglass timer

    Flight Delay

    $500

Perks

  • alcohol cheers

    Airport Lounge - Dragon Pass

    complimentary membership to Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass, plus 2 free lounge passes a year.
  • gas station

    Gas Discount

    Get up to 7 cents off per litre on all your Shell®± fuel – just for being a BMO cardholder[9]

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Insurance

  • extended warranty

    Extended Warranty

    Up to a year
  • purchase protection

    Purchase Protection

    90 days

Perks

No extra perks.

Our take

BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

BMO’s strongest business points card, with 4x on gas, office supplies, and telecom — categories where most businesses naturally spend. That translates to roughly 2.7% return in those categories, which is competitive. The welcome bonus of up to 100,000 points (~$670 value) and first-year fee rebate make the first year especially strong. You also get airport lounge access and solid travel insurance. The weak spot is the 1.5x base rate on everything else and the annual spending caps on bonus categories. At $149/year, it works well for businesses that spend meaningfully on fuel, supplies, and phone/internet. Less compelling if your spending is spread across categories this card doesn’t bonus.

  • Impressive optimization
  • Generous welcome bonus
  • First-year fee rebate
  • Airport lounge access
  • Comprehensive coverage
  • Shell fuel discounts
  • Additional employee cards
  • High annual fee
  • Low base earn rate
  • Annual spending caps
  • High income requirements
  • Low point values
  • Additional cardholder fees
  • Limited bonus categories

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

Flat 1% cash back on everything, no annual fee, no categories to optimize. It’s about as simple as a business rewards card gets. You won’t maximize value here — 1% is below what category-specific cards offer — but you also won’t pay a cent in fees or waste time tracking bonus spending. The 2% promotional rate for the first three months adds a small upfront sweetener. This card works best for sole proprietors or small businesses that just want to earn something on every purchase without any complexity. If your spending is high enough to justify a fee card, look elsewhere.

  • No annual fee
  • Simple cashback program
  • Interest-free grace period
  • DashPass subscription
  • Contactless payments
  • Credit card lock feature
  • Zero liability protection
  • No bonus cashback categories
  • limited additional cards
  • No travel perks
  • Foreign transaction fees
  • Annual cashback caps
  • No airport lounge access
  • Basic insurance coverage

More business card comparisons

Each card against every other business card we review.

Legal


BMO® Ascend World Elite®* Business Mastercard®*

1 a) The value of up to $1,520 could be earned in the first year of Account opening and is based on the combined total value of:

b) BMO Ascend World Elite Business Mastercard applications must be received between June 3, 2024 and December 13, 2025 (the “Offer Period”) to be eligible for this offer. 20,000 BMO Rewards points will be applied to your BMO Rewards Collector Account only after the first eligible Purchase is made on the account (less refunds and excluding cash advances, cash-like transactions, interest charges, fees, credit or debit adjustments) in the first 75 days after the account open date, as long your account is open and in good standing at the time you qualify for the points. 20,000 BMO Rewards first-use bonus points will be credited to your Collector Account within three (3) business days following the qualifying spend. Receive additional 8,000 BMO monthly Rewards points after you spend a minimum of $3,000 (less refunds and excluding cash advances, cash-like transactions, interest charges, fees, credit or debit adjustments) per month within month 3 – 12 (Month 3 starts on Day 76 and Month 12 ends Day 375) after the account open date, as long your account is open and in good standing at the time you qualify for the additional points. BMO Rewards monthly bonus points will be credited to your Collector Account within seven (7) business days following the qualifying $3,000 net monthly spend. The primary cardholder’s annual fee of $149 will be rebated in the first year and will appear as a fee and a credit on the primary cardholder’s first statement. The primary cardholder’s annual card fee applies after the first year and will appear on your account statement twelve (12) months after the account open date. Your credit card account must be open and in Good Standing at the time the annual card fee rebate is awarded. If an additional cardholder is added to the account within the first year, the Additional Card annual fee of $50 per card will be charged at a prorated rate and will not be waived or rebated. This offer is not available to current or former BMO Ascend World Elite Business Mastercard cardholders who reinstate a closed account or open a new account during the “Offer Period”. Existing BMO credit card cardholders who transfer into this product during the Offer Period are not eligible for this offer. If you cancel your card within ninety (90) days of account opening, the welcome bonus will be cancelled. If you receive points in error, we reserve the right to deduct them from your points balance. This offer may be withdrawn or changed without notice.

c) You can redeem for travel rewards at bmorewards.com or by calling the BMO Rewards Centre. Points can be used to cover any applicable taxes and fees. If you don’t have enough points to redeem a particular travel reward, you can top up the number of points you need by purchasing those points on your card. There is no maximum top up amount for travel rewards. There is no online booking fee. We charge fees plus applicable taxes for each phone reservation, modification or cancellation of a travel reservation. For fees, please see the Important Information enclosure that is provided with your BMO credit card and any notice that we may provide you. Supplier fees for each change or cancellation to your travel arrangements may also apply and will be disclosed at the time of booking based on your specific travel reservation. Booking fees, change fees and cancellation fees are non-refundable. All travel rewards are subject to availability. Additional points or cash can be used to pay for all or a portion of the flight taxes and fees or a higher value flight.


  • $149: The annual fee waiver for the first year.
  • $182: Complimentary membership ($68) in Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass and two complimentary passes ($32 each) at an approximate exchange rate of $1.38 USD as of November 1, 2023 ($132 USD = $182 CAD).
  • $520: Five free virtual care visits on Maple shared by you ($520 based on the approximate annual value of 5 GP).
  • $669: 100,000 BMO Rewards points based on the following requirements:
    • First-Use Bonus of 20,000 BMO Reward points earned when you make your first purchase with your card in the first 75 days after the account open date.
    • Monthly Bonus Offer: 8,000 BMO Reward Points per month when you spend at least $3,000 per month within month 3 – 12 (Month 3 starts on Day 76 and Month 12 ends Day 375) after the account open date.

3 You will earn 4 BMO Rewards points for each dollar you spend (up to an annual limit of $50,000) at gas stations, office supply stores, and on your cell phone/internet (phone) bill payments. The 4 BMO Rewards points includes the base earn rate of 1.5 BMO Rewards points for each dollar you spend and the bonus of 2.5 BMO Rewards points for each dollar you spend in qualifying gas, office or cell phone/internet purchases. To qualify for the bonus reward points, 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. After you reach yearly cap of $50,000 in qualifying gas, office or cell phone/internet purchases, you will earn 1.5 BMO Rewards points for each dollar you spend on these purchases and on all other eligible purchases made with the card.


4 Subject to the BMO Rewards Terms and Conditions for Business, BMO Rewards points are calculated based on purchases of goods or services charged to the BMO Ascend World Elite Business Mastercard account, less any refunds or adjustments, rounded down to the nearest whole point. Cash advances (including purchases of foreign currency or travellers cheques), interest charges, fees, credit or debit adjustments and any amount other than purchases that may be charged to the account with the card, do not qualify for points. Bank of Montreal may establish other qualifying and nonqualifying transactions from time to time.


9 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.


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.

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

* Annual cash back cap : $650


6 To receive a complimentary DashPass subscription for $0 delivery fees on orders of $15 or more at eligible restaurants when you pay with your Eligible RBC Credit Card, you must subscribe to DashPass by adding an Eligible RBC Credit Card, accept the DoorDash terms and conditions, and activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” before September 30, 2025 (“Offer Period”). If you are an existing DashPass subscriber and have already added an Eligible RBC Credit Card to your account you must activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” during the Offer Period. If you have been charged for DashPass you will receive a refund to the method of original payment, in the amount of the monthly subscription fee for the month you activate your complimentary subscription. For all clients, by clicking on “Activate Free DashPass” you agree to the DoorDash terms and conditions which can be found at https://help.doordash.com/consumers/s/terms-and-conditions .

Eligible RBC Credit cardholders include primary cardholders, co-applicants, authorized users, primary business cardholders and secondary business cardholders on an Eligible RBC Credit Card account.

The DashPass monthly subscription fee will be waived (“Complimentary DashPass Subscription”) and you will receive either a 3 month or 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription based on the Eligible RBC Credit Card you use to subscribe to DashPass.

DashPass subscriptions purchased through third parties, including third-party payment accounts, or online or mobile digital wallets (like Apply Pay and Google Pay) are not eligible for the Complimentary DashPass Subscription.

Eligible RBC Credit Cards: Your Eligible RBC Credit Card may only be used with one DoorDash account to receive a Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Once you have received a Complimentary DashPass Subscription you cannot use the same eligible RBC Credit Card to obtain a Complimentary DashPass Subscription with another DoorDash account.

You are only eligible for one 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription and one 3 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription during the Offer Period. The Complimentary DashPass Subscription commences on the date you subscribe to receive the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. For example, if you subscribe to a 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription in on the last day of your second month of a 3 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription you will receive a total of 14 months of Complimentary DashPass Subscription. In order to validate your credit card as an Eligible RBC Credit Card, Royal Bank may need to administer a $0.50 charge to validate your card enrollment. This charge will be reversed in 3 to 5 days once your account has been validated.

12 Month Complimentary DashPass Subscription is available for the following Eligible RBC Credit Cards:

As an RBC Avion Visa Platinum, RBC Avion Visa Infinite , RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege for Private Banking, WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, RBC Rewards Visa Preferred, RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard, RBC Cathay Pacific Visa Platinum, RBC British Airways Visa Infinite, RBC Avion Visa Business, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business cardholder.

You are eligible for a Complimentary DashPass Subscription for 12 months from the date you subscribe to receive the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. You will be auto-enrolled into full-price membership at the then-current rate after the end of the 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Your RBC credit card account must be open and not in default to maintain the benefits of DashPass.

3 Month Complimentary DashPass Subscription is available for the following Eligible RBC Credit Cards:

As an RBC Rewards+ Visa, Signature RBC Rewards Visa, RBC Visa Platinum, RBC Visa Cash Back, RBC Cash Back Mastercard, RBC Visa Classic Low Rate Option, RBC Visa Classic, RBC Student Visa Classic, RBC Visa Classic II Student, RBC Visa Gold, RBC U.S. Dollar Visa Gold, RBC Rewards Visa Gold, RBC RateAdvantage Visa, WestJet RBC Mastercard, RBC Visa Business, RBC Visa Business Gold, RBC Visa CreditLine for Small Business, or RBC Business Cash Back Mastercard.

You are eligible for a Complimentary DashPass Subscription for 3 months from the date you subscribed to the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. You will be auto-enrolled into full-price membership at the then-current rate after the end of the 3 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Your RBC credit card account must be open and not in default to maintain the benefits of DashPass.

DoorDash not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for (i) services and products provided through DoorDash; (ii) DashPass, including the DashPass Benefits, the administration of DashPass and (iii) the DoorDash terms and conditions. The Complimentary DashPass Subscription offer may be amended or withdrawn at any time. To learn more about DashPass, visit www.doordash.com/dashpass (opens to external site). For full DashPass for RBC Program Terms and Conditions, visit rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/documentation/pdf/full-doordash-tcs-en.pdf.