BMO VIPorter Mastercard®∗ Review

If you plan on flying primarily with Porter Airlines or any of its international partners, BMO has pieced together a couple of credit cards to complement your air travel.

In this review, we’re going to be unpacking the BMO VIPorter Mastercard – a card that turns day-to-day expenses into eligible plane tickets.

To be one of the first to learn all there is to know about this recent addition to BMO’s travel line-up, keep reading.

How You Earn Rewards with the BMO VIPorter Mastercard

The BMO VIPorter Mastercard offers plenty of opportunities to earn VIPorter points.

Specifically, cardholders can expect to collect:

• 2 points per dollar spent on Porter purchases made through flyporter.com (capped at $10,000 in spending annually)
• 1 point per dollar spent on eligible transportation and gas purchases (capped at $3,000 in spending annually combined)
• 1 point per dollar spent on eligible groceries and dining purchases (capped at $5,000 in spending annually combined)
• 1 point per dollar spent on eligible hotel accommodation purchases (capped at $3,000 in spending annually)
• 0.5 point per dollar spent on all other purchases

As you can see, the initial rewards program effectively blends point-potential on everyday spending and trip expenses, making the card ideal for Porter Airline travellers who intend to use their card daily in order to fund future excursions.

Beyond the basic rewards system, there’s another bonus way to pocket VIPorter points. One benefit of the BMO VIPorter Mastercard is that cardholders are automatically granted a VIPorter Passport Avid Traveller membership. This benefit unlocks 6 extra VIPorter points per dollar spent on Porter flights, further optimizing your airtime.

On top of additional points, cardholders also earn $1 of Avid Traveller Qualifying Spend for every $25 in eligible credit card spend, granting them access to even more earning opportunities and travel perks in the long run. 

Redeeming your Rewards with the BMO VIPorter Mastercard

Let’s say you’ve racked up a decent amount of VIPorter points, now what?

As of now, VIPorter points are only redeemable towards eligible flights embarking on more than 3,000 routings. These routes are offered by airlines across Porter’s North American network, including its ever-expanding catalogue of global airline partners, which currently features flights operated by Air Transat and Alaska Airlines.

Through Air Transat, flyers will find 1,270 itineraries that link 56 destinations across 28 countries in North America, Europe, South America, Africa, and the Caribbean.

If you plan on flying with Air Transat to Europe, redemptions start at 25,000 points. Alternatively, if your desired flight path is headed towards, say, the Caribbean, redemptions start at 21,500 points. 

Perhaps you’d rather fly with Alaska Airlines. If so, know that there are 1,020 available connections that provide air routes between 11 Canadian and U.S. airports, with redemptions to the U.S. starting at 9,500 points.

With either airline, you can find eligible VIPorter-redeemable flights through flyporter.com.

The average redemption value of VIPorter points is about 1.5 cents per point (cpp). That said, there are tons of flights that offer up to 3 cpp.

For cardholder convenience, Porter boasts a Cash + Points redemption option that offers fares for about half the points when you pay for a component of the flight cost in cash. These dual-payment opportunities start at 2,500 points + $35 (plus taxes and fees) for short-haul flights.

Now for the not-so-fun part, redemption exclusions. Note that VIPorter points cannot be transferred or divided between accounts, except for in extreme cases, like death. As you may have gathered from above, points also cannot be redeemed on flight taxes or third-party fees and fares. 

10 Benefits of the BMO VIPorter Mastercard

To further boost its rewards program, the BMO VIPorter Mastercard comes with a generous amount of benefits.

Let’s sort through those perks now:

First-Year Fee Rebate

Nobody likes to see that a credit card has an annual fee, but when this fee is waived in the first year of membership, this inconvenience is eased slightly.

On top of a first-year fee rebate, the BMO VIPorter Mastercard also sports a relatively low annual fee, so you won’t feel like you’re emptying your wallet too much on a yearly basis.

VIPorter-Point Sign-Up Bonus

Need some more sign-up incentive? You’re in luck! The BMO VIPorter Mastercard is prepared to offer cardholders up to 40,000 bonus VIPorter points as a welcome bonus. These points are applied to your VIPorter account in increments based on specified spending milestones.

For example, you’ll earn:

• 10,000 bonus VIPorter points 110 days after opening your account and spending a minimum of $3,000
• 15,000 more bonus VIPorter points 180 days after opening your account and spending a minimum of $6,000
• An additional 15,000 bonus VIPorter points 365 days after opening your account and spending a minimum of $10,000

No VIPorter Points Expiry

Even if you have not flown for 24 months (the typical expiry time frame for VIPorter points), with the BMO VIPorter Mastercard, your points will never expire as long as you keep your card active.

Full-Value Redemptions

An important highlight of the BMO VIPorter Mastercard is the fact that it’s the only airline loyalty program in Canada that gives members full value for every dollar they spend on flights. This means that cardholders receive 100% of their eligible points for every airline ticket they purchase, including Basic economy fares. Keep in mind, however, that points will not be earned on any taxes or third-party fees.

No Seat Redemption Restrictions

To make booking your next seat on a Porter aircraft as convenient as possible, Porter offers last seat availability and doesn’t restrict access to redemptions. Basically, this means that you can redeem your points for any seat across the Porter airline network, whether you pay with points only or points and cash. The best part? Redemption opportunities are never held back by blackout dates, so you can use your points at any time!

Automatic VIPorter Passport Avid Traveller Membership Benefits

As a BMO VIPorter Mastercard cardholder, you’ll be granted VIPorter Passport Avid Traveller membership benefits.

These benefits include:

• 6 extra VIPorter points per dollar spent on Porter flights
• Dedicated airport check-in
• Priority security screening
• Early boarding
• Priority re-accommodation for flight delays

What’s the catch? Absolutely nothing, this upgrade is completely automatic.

Earn Avid Traveller Qualifying Spend

As mentioned in the rewards section, BMO VIPorter Mastercard members will also earn $1 of Avid Traveller Qualifying Spend for every $25 in eligible credit card spend. This perk allows you to access more rewards and travel benefits over time.

Didn’t get the chance to actually spend all of your Qualifying Spend? Not to worry, the BMO VIPorter Mastercard’s Head Start feature allows members to carry over up to $3,000 in Qualifying Spend into the next year to support future Avid Traveller benefits.

PorterReserve Flight Certificates

Treat yourself to PorterReserve with PorterReserve flight certificates that start at $3,000 in annual Qualifying Spend. When flying with PorterReserve, you have access to travel perks like flight modifications, upgraded seating, complimentary onboard beverages, enhanced snack services, and complimentary checked baggage.

An Annual Voucher Towards Porter Flight Base Fares

Just when you probably thought there couldn’t possibly be more flight perks, the BMO VIPorter Mastercard also provides cardholders with an annual voucher for 35% off the base fare on all Porter flights for up to 4 travellers. 

To receive this voucher each year, you’ll need to spend at least $25,000 annually on your card – which may be tricky!

Tons of Discounts

In addition to plenty of Porter-specific benefits, the BMO VIPorter Mastercard also features tons of discounts in other varying categories such as gas, travel, and entertainment.

Here’s are the other expenses you can save on:

• Rental cars at participating National Car Rental, Alamo Rent A Car, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car locations using the Car Rental Booking Tool
• Prepaid hotel or property rental bookings made through Booking.com
• Admission to Cirque du Soleil shows touring Canada and resident shows in Las Vegas
• Every litre of fuel at Shell gas stations

4 Downsides to the BMO VIPorter Mastercard

Of course, with the BMO VIPorter Mastercard, there are also a couple of downsides to consider.

Here’s where this Mastercard might fall short:

Less Impressive Rewards Program

If you're a frequent Porter (and partners) traveller who plans on taking full advantage of all of the VIPorter perks this card has to offer, it's worth considering.

However, without its perks, the BMO VIPorter Mastercard doesn't earn cardholders much reward value overall. In fact, it sits on the lower end of the net value spectrum.

Limited Redemptions

Currently, your BMO VIPorter Mastercard only allows you to redeem VIPorter points towards eligible flight fare. While this may be intriguing enough for frequent flyers, savvy travellers might expect more travel redemption opportunities on a paid card. Still, it’s nice that this card includes benefits automatic VIPorter Passport Avid Traveller membership benefits, which may make up for limited point redemption categories.

Missing Some Sought-After Insurance 

Sure, the BMO VIPorter Mastercard comes with some valuable trip insurance like 8-day out-of-province or country emergency medical insurance, car rental collision/loss damage insurance, common carrier insurance, flight and baggage delay insurance, and hotel burglary insurance, but some applicants might be disappointed that sought-after coverage categories like trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance are missing from this list.

Low Annual Spending Caps

As you could probably tell from the rewards section, common earn categories like groceries, gas, transportation, and dining are subject to low annual spending caps. After these caps are met, purchases in those categories will be subject to the card's below-average base rate.

Comparison to Other Airline Loyalty Credit Cards

The last step of any credit card decision process should always be to familiarize yourself with the card in question’s close competitors. That way, you can make sure that you're picking the best card in your desired category.

To help you assess whether the BMO VIPorter Mastercard is the best option for you, we’ve put together a comprehensive comparison section that puts the BMO VIPorter Mastercard side-by-side with other popular airline loyalty credit cards.

BMO VIPorter Mastercard vs BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard

Let’s say you’re already looking to upgrade your BMO VIPorter Mastercard, while still keeping its Porter-focused rewards program. In this case, opt for the brand new BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard.

For a higher annual fee (one that’s luckily also waived in the first year of membership), the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard earns you slightly more VIPorter points per dollar spent on Porter flights, followed by slightly more points on transportation, gas, groceries, dining, and hotel accommodations, plus a more standard base rate on everything else.

Instead of granting cardholders automatic VIPorter Passport Avid Traveller membership benefits, the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard offers up automatic VIPorter Avid Traveller Venture membership benefits instead. Like the BMO VIPorter Mastercard’s VIPorter Passport Avid Traveller membership benefits, the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard’s VIPorter Avid Traveller Venture membership benefits provide 6 bonus points per dollar spent on Porter flights, airport check-in, priority security screening, early boarding, and priority re-accommodation for flight delay. On top of all this, the VIPorter Avid Traveller Venture membership benefits also add one complimentary checked bag, a carry-on bag when purchasing a Basic economy fare, and complimentary PorterClassic seat selection.

Both cards come with the opportunity to earn $1 of Avid Traveller Qualifying Spend for every $25 in eligible credit card spend, no VIPorter points expiry, plus discounts on rental cars and Booking.com hotel and rental property bookings. That said, the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard adds more exclusive benefits like an annual round-trip Porter companion pass that gives an additional passenger on the same itinerary 100% off the base fare of any Porter flight when a spending requirement of at least $50,000 is met annually.

More exclusive perks include a complimentary Mastercard Travel Pass provided by Dragon Pass, allowing members to enjoy airport lounge access before takeoff for a small entry fee – just make sure you register for your Mastercard Travel Pass online. Not to mention, BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard cardholders have access to tons of Mastercard Travel Rewards cashback opportunities when members shop with partners outside of Canada and access to benefits and offers for digital everyday services from multiple on-demand apps and subscription services.

The travel coverage on the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard is almost identical to the coverage on the BMO VIPorter Mastercard, but better. Shared categories like out of province or country emergency medical insurance have higher coverage on the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard, plus the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard includes trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance – sought-after categories that are notably missing from the BMO VIPorter Mastercard.

Unfortunately though, all of these perks come with more than an annual cost, they also require a higher annual income from applicants, making the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard less accessible than the BMO VIPorter Mastercard.

Overall, you’d likely only upgrade to the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard if you’re a higher-earning frequent Porter flyer looking for a better VIPorter rewards program, better perks, and more comprehensive coverage. Otherwise, the BMO VIPorter Mastercard is still a good budget-conscious alternative that features some similar benefits under the same loyalty program.

BMO VIPorter Mastercard vs TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Credit Card

For a similar price point – and a first-year-annual-fee rebate – you can bypass BMO altogether and apply for another airline loyalty credit card instead. If you’re more of an Air Canada flyer than a Porter Airlines flyer, consider the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Credit Card.

Let’s begin by taking a look at these two cards’ welcome bonuses. Ultimately, you can get more VIPorter points than Aeroplan points to get you started. However, it's worth noting that in some cases, depending on the Porter flight, Aeroplan points might be on average more valuable when redeemed towards Aeroplan flights in comparison to the average cents per point you receive on Porter flights with VIPorter points.

This thinking can then be applied then to the rewards program on the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Credit Card. Technically, the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Credit Card earns you fewer points per dollar spent on everyday purchases like groceries and gas, plus Air Canada purchases and Air Canada vacations, but these points might be consistently worth more than VIPorter points when redeemed towards eligible air travel. Still, the BMO VIPorter Mastercard earns you more points on everyday spending and associated travel (especially when you consider the extra points on Porter flights through the VIPorter Passport Avid Traveller membership benefits), and in some cases (where points can earn cardholders up to 3 cpp towards Porter flights) they might be more valuable – just less reliably so. 

It’s also worth noting that the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Credit Card offers more redemption categories beyond Aeroplan flights, including car rentals, general travel, merchandise, and gift cards, whereas the BMO VIPorter Mastercard only allows cardholders to redeem towards Porter flights.

The two cards have similar insurance categories like hotel burglary insurance, car rental collision/loss damage insurance, common carrier inusrance and more.

As for benefits, the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Credit Card adds car rental discounts, like the BMO VIPorter Mastercard, except on Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car rentals, plus extra point-earning opportunities at Starbucks, Aeroplan partner brands, and online retailers through the Aeroplan eStore. Still, there seems to be more benefits offered overall through the BMO VIPorter Mastercard with its status lifts, vouchers, and overall discounts.

All in all, the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Credit Card could be a good airline loyalty credit card alternative to the BMO VIPorter Mastercard if you prefer Air Canada over Porter Airlines, if you want consistently higher point redemption values, and if you want more point-redemption flexibility. Otherwise, you might want to stick to the BMO VIPorter Mastercard for more points that have the potential to be more valuable in some cases, plus more perks overall.

Final Verdict

The BMO VIPorter Mastercard has just made its debut into the Canadian credit card market and our initial thoughts are that it’s a solid accessible option for frequent Porter flyers with some extremely enticing benefits like VIPorter Passport Avid Traveller membership perks, additional rewards through Avid Traveller Qualifying Spend, and an annual voucher on Porter flight base fares.

Of course, there are some other similarly-priced airline loyalty credit cards, like the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Credit Card, that might offer more consistently higher redemption values towards associated flights, plus more redemption flexibility. However, the BMO VIPorter Mastercard can in some cases surpass those redemption values, plus it has more overall travel perks and value.

On the other hand, there’s also an upgraded version of the BMO VIPorter Mastercard for higher-earners, the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard. This version comes with more point-potential, better perks, and more comprehensive coverage – as long as you can support the higher annual fee and you meet the steep annual income requirements.