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BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®* vs BMO VIPorter Mastercard®∗: Which one is better?
BMO Ascend™ World Elite®* Mastercard®*
BMO VIPorter Mastercard®∗
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.** This offer ends on January 31, 2026.
Welcome Bonus
10,000 bonus VIPorter points after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first 110 days, 15,000 bonus VIPorter points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 180 days (plus a 35% flight discount voucher), and 15,000 bonus VIPorter points after spending $10,000 in eligible purchases within the first 365 days. Offer ends July 1, 2025*
Our Cash Offer
$125 Cash Rebate offer from FinlyWealth
Our Cash Offer
$50 $100 Cash Rebate offer from FinlyWealth
Promotional rebate expires on Nov 1, 2025
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
+
$125Exclusive Offer
First Year Value
$733.63
$157.13 in years after
Based on a hypothetical $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
Rewards Breakdown
Annual Rewards
$242.03
VIPorter
First Year Bonus Value
+
$600
VIPorter
Annual Fee
-
$89
$0
First Year Waived
Finly Rebate
Exclusive Offer
First Year Value
$942.03
$153.03 in years after
Based on a hypothetical $2,000/mo average spending. Calculate your rewards.
How to Earn Rewards
- 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
How to Earn Rewards
- Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on eligible Porter purchases via flyporter.com (up to $10,000 in spending annually)
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible gas and transportation purchases (up to $3,000 in spending annually combined)
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible groceries and dining purchases (up to $5,000 in spending annually combined)
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible hotel accommodation purchases (up to $3,000 in spending annually)
- Earn 0.5 points for every $1 spent everywhere else
- Primary cardholders will receive an annual discount of 35% on a Porter flight booking after spending a minimum of $25,000 in eligible purchases. On the anniversary date of your card, the calculation of the purchases will reset to zero and primary cardholders must qualify again for the new annual period (The flight voucher allows up to 3 companions to accompany the primary cardholder at a 35% discount on the flight booking’s base fare).
Insurance Included
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
Extended Warranty
Double up to 1 year
Purchase Protection
90 days
Hotel Burglary Insurance
$1,000
Emergency Out of province Medical
$5M up to 21 daysFlight Delay
$500 after 4 hours
Trip Cancellation
$1,500/person, $5K/trip
Trip Interruption
$2K/person, $10K/trip
Insurance Included
Lost or Stolen Baggage
Up to $500 per insured person to a maximum of $1,000 per trip for all insured persons combinedBaggage Delay
Up to $500 per insured person to a maximum of $1,000 per trip for all insured persons combinedCar Rental Damage & Theft
Rental period up to 48 days, with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of up to $65,000Travel Accident
Up to $500,000 per insured personExtended Warranty
1 yearPurchase Protection
90 daysHotel Burglary Insurance
Up to $1,000 per occurrence for all insured persons combinedEmergency Out of province Medical
Up to $5M per insured person, per trip, for 8 days per tripFlight Delay
Up to a maximum of $500 per trip for all insured persons combined
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 toolDiscount
Get 20% off admission to Cirque du Soleil shows touring Canada* and 15% off resident shows in Las VegasHotel Booking Discount
Save up to 7% on your Booking.com prepaid hotel or property rental bookings at booking.com/mastercardcanada *
Priority Travel
Priority check-in, security, and early boarding for up to 8 companions travelling on the same booking
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
$89
$0$
First Year Waived
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
$80,000
Min Household Income:
$150,000
Income Required
Min Personal Income:
N/A
Min Household Income:
N/A
Loyalty Program
Loyalty Program
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
Porter airline and partner flights
1.5¢ / point
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?
This is one of the only credit cards in Canada that directly earns you VIPorter points and gives you premium travel benefits like priority security screening, early boarding and priority re-accommodation for flight delays on Porter (and its partners) flights. For frequent Porter travelers, this is a great low-fee card that can fast track your VIPorter status and earn even more travel benefits, although the rewards may be a bit lackluster.
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 in the first year!
- A massive welcome bonus valued at $600+ that also grants you a 35%-off flight discount voucher (valid for up to 3 companions) after meeting the minimum spend requirement
- Points can be redeemed across Porter's expanding North American network, as well as Porter's growing list of global airline partners, currently featuring flights operated by Air Transat and Alaska Airlines sold on flyporter.com.
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 spending caps on common categories like groceries and dining
- Having to spend $25,000 per year just to qualify for 35%-off flight booking discount
- Points can only be redeemed towards flights currently
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Legal
**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.
BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard applications must be received between March 6, 2024 and January 31, 2026 (the “Offer Period”) to be eligible for this offer. This offer is not available to current or former BMO Ascend World Elite 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. This offer may be withdrawn or changed without notice.
In order to earn up to 90,000 bonus reward points, the following conditions must be met:
- 45,000 BMO Rewards welcome bonus points will be credited to primary credit cardholder’s Collector Account after you spend a minimum of $4,500 in net card purchases (less refunds and excluding cash advances, cash-like transactions, interest charges, fees, credit or debit adjustments) within the first 110 days after the account open date. This 45,000 BMO Rewards welcome bonus points will be credited within sixty (60) business days following the qualifying $4,500 spend, provided the account is open and in good standing.
- Starting on Day 111 after account open date, an additional 3,750 BMO Rewards bonus points will be credited to the primary credit cardholder’s Collector Account for each subsequent 30 day period during which at least $2,500 in net card purchases (less refunds and excluding cash advances, cash-like transactions, interest charges, fees, credit or debit adjustments) are posted to your account. This additional spend bonus will be earned only for the period beginning on Day 111 and ending on Day 482 from the account open date. 3,750 BMO Rewards bonus points will be credited within seven (7) business days after each 30 day period following the qualifying $2,500 spend, provided the account is open and in good standing.
The primary cardholder annual fee of $150 will be rebated in the first year and will appear as a fee and a credit on the primary cardholders first statement. Each Additional Card annual fee of $50 will be rebated in the first year if added at time of primary cardholder’s account opening and will appear as a fee and a credit on the first statement. After the first year, the annual fee plus any additional cardholder fees will appear on your Credit Card statement twelve (12) months after the Credit Card open date. If the Credit Card is cancelled within 365 days from the date it was opened, all Bonus Rewards earned within that period may be cancelled.
* †† Applications for the BMO VIPorter Mastercard or BMO VIPorter World Mastercard must be received between March 21, 2025 and January 31, 2026 (the "Offer Period") to be eligible for this offer. This offer is not available to current or former cardholders who reinstate a closed account or open a new account for the same card 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 the Credit Card is cancelled within 365 days from the date it was opened, the welcome bonus earned within that period may be cancelled. This offer may be withdrawn or changed without notice.
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.