BMO CashBack 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 CashBack Business Mastercard

BMO CashBack Business Mastercard

3.1

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RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

2.9

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

$376

First-year value

$422

$249

Every year after

$302

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡ is worth $46 more to your business in year one.

It stays ahead after that, by $53 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.

$428.85
cash back a year

Annual rewards

Better of the two$481.8
cash back a year
+ $127.5Better of the two
first year only

Welcome bonus

+ $120.45
first year only
− $0
no annual fee

Annual fee

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

FX fees

− $180
2.5% on $600/mo
$376.35

First-year value

Better of the two$422.25

Where each card earns

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

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡ earns more on 14 of your 17 categories, BMO CashBack Business Mastercard on 3.

$94.5
at 0.75%

All Other Business Expenses

$12,600 a year

Better of the two$126
at 1%
$46.13
at 0.75%

US Dollar Purchases

$6,150 a year

Better of the two$61.5
at 1%
$36
at 0.75%

Recurring Bills & Subscriptions

$4,800 a year

Better of the two$48
at 1%
$54Better of the two
at 1.5%

Gas & EV Charging

$3,600 a year

$36
at 1%
$27
at 0.75%

Dining & Restaurants

$3,600 a year

Better of the two$36
at 1%
$45Better of the two
at 1.5%

Office Supplies

$3,000 a year

$30
at 1%
$36Better of the two
at 1.5%

Phone, Internet & Cable

$2,400 a year

$24
at 1%
$13.5
at 0.75%

Hotels

$1,800 a year

Better of the two$18
at 1%
$13.5
at 0.75%

Shipping & Courier

$1,800 a year

Better of the two$18
at 1%
$13.5
at 0.75%

Accounting & Bookkeeping

$1,800 a year

Better of the two$18
at 1%
$9.22
at 0.75%

Other Foreign Currencies (EUR, GBP, etc.)

$1,230 a year

Better of the two$12.3
at 1%
$9
at 0.75%

Electronics & Software

$1,200 a year

Better of the two$12
at 1%
$9
at 0.75%

Air Canada

$1,200 a year

Better of the two$12
at 1%
$9
at 0.75%

Transportation

$1,200 a year

Better of the two$12
at 1%
$4.5
at 0.75%

Other Airlines

$600 a year

Better of the two$6
at 1%
$4.5
at 0.75%

Car Rental

$600 a year

Better of the two$6
at 1%
$4.5
at 0.75%

Other Travel

$600 a year

Better of the two$6
at 1%
$428.85

Rewards in a year

Better of the two$481.8

Welcome bonus

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

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.†

RBC® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡

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

BMO CashBack Business Mastercard

Worth $127.5 at your spending

Intro rate for the first 3 months

$127.5

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.

$0

Annual fee

$0
$50

Employee cards

$0, max. of 1 additional card
2.5%

Foreign transaction fee

2.5%
Cash back

Rewards

Cash back
Mastercard

Network

Mastercard

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

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 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

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 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]

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 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

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.

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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.

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.