BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®* vs BMO CashBack® Mastercard® for Students: Which one is better?
BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®*
3.1
BMO CashBack® Mastercard® for Students
4.8
Finly Rebate
Finly Rebate
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$307.13
BMO Rewards
First Year Bonus Value
$301.5
BMO Rewards
Annual Fee
$150
$0
First Year Waived
Finly Rebate
$75Exclusive Offer
First Year Value
$683.63
$157.13 in years after
Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$238.05
First Year Bonus Value
$94.3
Annual Fee
$0
Finly Rebate
$35Exclusive Offer
First Year Value
$367.35
$238.05 in years after
Based on $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
Insurance Included*
Extended Warranty
Double up to 1 year
Purchase Protection
90 days
Lost or Stolen Baggage
$500/person, $1K/trip
Baggage Delay
$500/person, $1K/trip.svg)
Car Rental Damage & Theft
$65,000 up to 48 days
Travel Accident
$500,000/person
Hotel Burglary Insurance
$1,000
Emergency Out of province Medical
$5M up to 21 days
Trip Cancellation
$1,500/person, $5K/trip
Trip Interruption
$2K/person, $10K/tripFlight Delay
$500 after 4 hours
Insurance Included*
Extended Warranty
1 yearPurchase Protection
90 days
Extra Benefits*
Car Rental Discount
20% off base rate of participating National Car Rental and Alamo Rent a Car and up to 5% on Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Discount
Up to 7% discount on Booking.com prepaid hotel or property rental bookingsDiscount
20% off admission to Cirque du Soleil shows touring Canada, and 15% off resident shows in Las VegasDiscount
FlexiRoam: Stay connected around the world without a SIM card and get up to 15% off a Global Data Roaming plan plus up to 3GB of data, free.
Airport Lounge - Dragon Pass
4 complimentary visits
Extra Benefits*
Car Rental Discount
Save up to 20% on National Car Rental® and Alamo Rent A Car® and up to 5% on Enterprise Rent-A-Car® at locations worldwide using the Car Rental Booking tool.Discount
Get 20% off admission to Cirque du Soleil shows touring Canada, and 15% off resident shows in Las Vegas..svg)
Gas Discount
Save up to 7 cents per litre at Shell stations when linked with Air MilesHotel Booking Discount
Save up to 7% on your Booking.com prepaid hotel or property rental bookings at booking.com/mastercardcanada.
Interest Rates*
Purchase:
21.99%
Cash Advance:
23.99%
Balance Transfer:
23.99%
Interest Rates*
Purchase:
21.99%
Cash Advance:
23.99%
Balance Transfer:
23.99%
Annual Fee*
$150
$0
First Year Waived
Annual Fee*
$0
Income Required*
Min Personal Income:
$80,000
Min Household Income:
$150,000
Income Required*
Min Personal Income:
N/A
Min Household Income:
N/A
Welcome Bonus*
Get up to 90,000 points and the annual fee waived in your first anniversary for both the primary cardholder and authorized users.*
Welcome Bonus*
Get up to 5% cash back in your first 3 months, up to $2,500 in spend (max $125 cashback)
Rewards Rate*
- 5x points per $1 spent on eligible travel purchases (up to $15,000 spent)
- 3x points per $1 spent on eligible dining, recurring bill payment and entertainment purchases (up to $10,000 spent per category)
- 1x point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
Rewards Rate*
- 3% cash back on grocery purchases (maximum $15 per statement)
- 1% cash back on recurring payments like bills or subscriptions (maximum $5 per statement)
- 0.5% cash back on all other purchases
Loyalty Program*
Loyalty Program*
N/A
Point Redemption Options*
Most Optimal
Travel
0.67¢ / point
Financial Products
0.67¢ / point
Entertainment
0.64¢ / point
Statement Credits (Cash)
0.5¢ / point
Gift Cards
0.48¢ / point
Merchandise
0.45¢ / point
Point Redemption Options*
Not Applicable
Is this card worth it?
The BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard is perfect for frequent travelers who want a premium card offering high earning rates on travel, dining, and entertainment, plus valuable travel perks like lounge access and comprehensive insurance coverage. If you travel often and can meet the income requirement, this card offers flexibility and peace of mind with both rewards and protection while you're on the go.
Is this card worth it?
We consider this card to be the best student credit card in Canada for it's competitive cashback rewards (3% on groceries, 1% on recurring bills), no annual fee and a generous welcome bonus. Plus, cashback redemption is flexible so no need to wait a year each time you want to get your cashback paid out.
Pros
- Generous rewards: 5 points per $1 spent on travel, 3 points per $1 spent on dining, entertainment, and recurring bills, and 1 point per $1 on other purchases.
- Lounge access: Includes 4 free annual lounge passes through Mastercard Travel Pass.
- Comprehensive insurance: 14 types of insurance, including emergency medical and trip cancellation coverage.
- First year fee waived: Try the card for a year without paying the $150 annual fee.
Pros
- No annual fee, making it a cost-effective option for all students.
- Up to 3% cash back on groceries and 1% on recurring bill payments, giving fantastic rewards to students.
- Save up to 7 cents per litre at Shell stations when linked with Air Miles.
Cons
- Low point value: Points are worth only 0.67 cents each, which is lower than other cards.
- High income requirements: Requires $80,000 personal income or $150,000 household income, making it inaccessible for many.
- Limited lounge availability: Users have reported issues with lounge access.
Cons
- Low base earn rate of 0.5% cash back on non-bonus purchases.
- Limited insurance coverage (extended warranty and purchase protection only).
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