The BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege is BMO’s rewards card at the Visa Infinite Privilege tier. Its case rests on a 5x earn rate in five everyday categories, six airport lounge visits a year and an annual statement credit, set against a high fee and a high income requirement. This review works through the numbers using BMO’s own product page and offer terms. It is general education, not financial advice.
Compare this card with the Amex Cobalt (lower fee, 5x on food and drink), the Amex Aeroplan Reserve (Air Canada benefits), or the RBC Avion Visa Infinite. The full lineup is in Best Travel Credit Cards Canada 2026.
BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege at a glance
- Annual fee: $599
- Welcome offer: up to 200,000 BMO Rewards points, in three tiers
- Earn rate: 5 BMO Rewards points per $1 on groceries, dining, drugstore purchases, gas and travel; 1 point per $1 on everything else
- Redemption value: 150 points per $1 on travel purchases; 200 points per $1 on non-travel purchases
- Lifestyle credit: a $200 statement credit each annual period, after a single purchase of $200 or more in that period
- Lounge access: a Visa Airport Companion membership and 6 complimentary airport lounge visits per year
- Income requirement: $150,000 individual or $200,000 household annual income
- Interest: 21.99% on purchases and 23.99% on cash advances (21.99% for Quebec residents)
YieldMaple checked BMO’s eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege product page and its offer terms on October 11, 2026. Every figure above comes from those two pages. Earlier versions of this review listed a lower fee, a higher income requirement and transit as a 5x category; BMO’s pages no longer support any of those.
What does the card cost and pay back in a year?
The card costs $599 a year, and a hypothetical household using most of its benefits gets back about $1,257 in the example below.
| Item | Current figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege annual fee | $599 | bmo.com Verified October 8, 2026 |
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege accelerated earn rate | 5 BMO Rewards points per $1 on groceries, dining, drugstore purchases, gas and travel | bmo.com Verified October 8, 2026 |
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege base earn rate | 1 point per $1 on everything else | bmo.com Verified October 8, 2026 |
| Annual purchase limits on the 5x earn rate | the first $25,000 a year each on dining and travel, $20,000 on groceries, and $15,000 each on gas and drugstore purchases | bmo.com Verified October 8, 2026 |
| BMO Rewards travel redemption rate (Pay with Points) | 150 points per $1 on travel purchases | bmo.com Verified October 8, 2026 |
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege Anniversary Lifestyle Credit | a $200 statement credit each annual period, after a single purchase of $200 or more in that period | bmo.com Verified October 8, 2026 |
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege NEXUS statement credit | one statement credit of up to $200 when a NEXUS application fee is charged to the primary card in the first year | bmo.com Verified October 8, 2026 |
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege airport lounge benefit | a Visa Airport Companion membership and 6 complimentary airport lounge visits per year | bmo.com Verified October 8, 2026 |
| BMO's own value for the six lounge passes | about $265 (US$192 at BMO's September 18, 2025 exchange rate) | bmo.com Verified October 8, 2026 |
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege welcome offer, first tier | 80,000 points when you spend $6,000 in the first 110 days | bmo.com Verified October 8, 2026 |
| Application window for the current BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege welcome offer | applications received between December 15, 2025 and October 31, 2026 | bmo.com Verified October 8, 2026 |
The table in sentences: the fee is $599. The card earns 5 BMO Rewards points per $1 on groceries, dining, drugstore purchases, gas and travel, on the first $25,000 a year each on dining and travel, $20,000 on groceries, and $15,000 each on gas and drugstore purchases, and 1 point per $1 on everything else. Points redeem at 150 points per $1 on travel purchases. The credits are a $200 statement credit each annual period, after a single purchase of $200 or more in that period, and one statement credit of up to $200 when a NEXUS application fee is charged to the primary card in the first year. Lounge access is a Visa Airport Companion membership and 6 complimentary airport lounge visits per year, which BMO values at about $265 (US$192 at BMO's September 18, 2025 exchange rate) for the six passes. The first welcome tier is 80,000 points when you spend $6,000 in the first 110 days, and the offer covers applications received between December 15, 2025 and October 31, 2026.
Worked example: one full year on the card
Take a hypothetical household that spends $2,000 a month in the five bonus categories in Canada, $1,000 a month on everything else, and takes four lounge visits a year. Every category stays under its annual limit, and points are redeemed against travel purchases.
- Bonus-category points: 120,000 points.
- Base points: 12,000 points.
- Travel value of the points: $880.
- Anniversary Lifestyle Credit: $200, paid after the account anniversary.
- Lounge visits: four of the six passes, at BMO’s own value, come to about $177.
- Total value: $1,257.
- After the annual fee: $658.
The same household looks very different with fewer benefits in play. With no lounge visits, and points used on non-travel purchases, the points are worth $660 and the year nets $261. Without the lifestyle credit as well, the result is $61.
In the first year this household would also clear the first welcome tier, because $9,000 of spending in three months is above the $6,000 requirement. That adds 80,000 points, about $533 in travel, for applications inside the offer window that ends October 31, 2026. The Anniversary Lifestyle Credit works the other way: BMO pays it within two statement cycles after the account anniversary, when the annual fee renews, so the credit counted in step 4 does not reach the account during the first twelve months. These are example figures, not a forecast for any one reader.
Is the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege worth the annual fee?
The fee is $599, and the Anniversary Lifestyle Credit plus BMO’s own value for the lounge passes cover most of it for a cardholder who uses both.
The credit is a $200 statement credit each annual period, after a single purchase of $200 or more in that period. BMO values the six lounge passes at about $265 (US$192 at BMO's September 18, 2025 exchange rate) and the program membership at about $94 (US$68 at BMO's September 18, 2025 exchange rate). Counting only the credit and the passes, that is $465 a year, which leaves $134 of the fee to be earned back through points.
Two details change that picture. The lounge value only exists for people who take six lounge visits a year; someone who flies once a year gets a fraction of it. And the credit is paid late: BMO credits it within two statement cycles after the account anniversary, when the annual fee renews. A cardholder who closes the account before the first anniversary gets no lifestyle credit at all.
How much is the BMO Eclipse welcome bonus worth?
The first tier of the welcome offer is worth about $533 in travel, and the full up to 200,000 BMO Rewards points is worth up to $1,333 when redeemed for travel, by BMO’s own redemption rate.
BMO advertises the offer as up to $2,300 in value (BMO's own estimate). That headline adds the top welcome tier, the lounge benefit, a NEXUS credit, the lifestyle credit and a projected points bonus for adding a supplementary card. The three tiers look very different in practice:
- Tier 1: 80,000 points when you spend $6,000 in the first 110 days. That is about $55 a day.
- Tier 2: 40,000 more points when you spend $30,000 in the first 180 days, or about $5,000 a month.
- Tier 3: a further 80,000 points when you spend $75,000 in the first 12 months, or about $6,250 a month.
Most households will reach tier 1 only. On that basis the welcome points cover about 89% of the first annual fee. The NEXUS part of the offer is one statement credit of up to $200 when a NEXUS application fee is charged to the primary card in the first year.
The offer applies to applications received between December 15, 2025 and October 31, 2026. BMO’s terms also say that if the card is cancelled within 365 days of opening, all bonus points earned in that period may be cancelled, and that points are credited up to 8 weeks after each condition is met.
What is the 5x earn rate worth in dollars?
At BMO’s travel redemption rate, 5 points per dollar works out to a return of about 3.3% on spending in the five bonus categories, and about 2.5% when points are used on non-travel purchases.
Everything outside those categories earns 1 point per $1 on everything else, a return of about 0.67% on travel redemptions.
A worked example: a hypothetical household that puts $1,400 a month through 5x categories earns 84,000 points a year, worth $560 toward travel. Add the lifestyle credit and that household is ahead of the fee by $161 a year before any lounge visits.
Three limits apply:
- Canada only. The 5x rate covers purchases at merchant locations in Canada in the air fare, hotel, car rental, grocery, dining, drugstore or gas categories. Foreign spending earns the base rate.
- Annual limits. The 5x rate covers the first $25,000 a year each on dining and travel, $20,000 on groceries, and $15,000 each on gas and drugstore purchases.
- Transit is not a bonus category. BMO’s current list is groceries, dining, drugstore, gas and travel.
BMO also offers 25% more points on all purchases when you add an authorized user. Its terms describe this as an introductory feature that BMO can discontinue.
How does the lounge access work?
The card includes a Visa Airport Companion membership and 6 complimentary airport lounge visits per year, through a program run by DragonPass.
Enrollment is required, through the Visa Airport Companion app or website. The visits can be used by the cardholder and accompanying guests, with each person using one visit, so a couple travelling together uses two of the six on each lounge stop. Visits beyond the six cost US$32 per person per visit.
The Scotia Passport Visa Infinite includes 6 complimentary lounge visits a year through the Visa Airport Companion Program (run by DragonPass) for an annual fee of $150. For a reader whose main interest is lounge passes, that is the same program at a fee $449 lower.
Where does the card fall short?
- The income requirement is high. BMO asks for $150,000 individual or $200,000 household annual income, or $50,000 in total spending over the last twelve months across your other credit cards (about $4,170 a month).
- Points are fixed-value. BMO Rewards redeem at 150 points per $1 on travel purchases. BMO’s product page and offer terms describe Pay with Points redemptions only and name no airline transfer partner, so there is no way to stretch them on business-class awards the way Membership Rewards or Aeroplan points can be.
- The fee is the same as a dedicated airline card. The Amex Aeroplan Reserve also costs $599 today.
- The Cobalt is cheaper for food spending. The Amex Cobalt costs $191.88 a year and earns 5 points per $1 at eligible restaurants, coffee shops, bars, stand-alone grocery stores and food delivery in Canada. The fee gap is $407.12 a year.
- Carrying a balance is expensive. Interest is 21.99% on purchases and 23.99% on cash advances (21.99% for Quebec residents), which wipes out rewards quickly.
What insurance does the card include?
The card’s travel cover is led by emergency medical insurance of up to $5 million per insured person, per trip, for up to 22 consecutive days.
BMO’s product page also lists flight delay insurance of up to $1,000 per trip for all insured persons, mobile device insurance of up to $1,000 against loss, theft or accidental damage, plus trip cancellation and interruption, car rental collision and baggage cover. Limits and exclusions are set out in BMO’s certificate of insurance, which governs any claim.
Who the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege suits (and who it doesn’t)
It suits households that meet the income requirement, put most of their Canadian grocery, dining, gas, drugstore and travel spending on one card, take at least six lounge visits a year, and prefer a fixed points value to transfer partners.
It doesn’t suit people who would not use the lounge visits, people who want airline transfer partners, or anyone who expects the top welcome tiers without spending $6,250 a month on the card. For those readers the Cobalt, the Scotia Passport or a no-fee card covers more ground per dollar of fee.
Bottom line
The BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege costs $599 a year. The lifestyle credit and six lounge passes are worth $465 by BMO’s own figures, and the 5x categories return about 3.3% on travel redemptions. The numbers work for a high-spending household that uses every benefit, and they fall apart quickly for one that doesn’t.