- BMO refreshed the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card on November 2, 2026: no foreign transaction fee, 10 lounge visits a year and a $200 travel credit, for the same $599 fee.
- It earns 5x on travel, dining, groceries, gas and a new health and wellness category. Drugstores are no longer 5x, and the 5x only applies in Canada.
- The welcome offer is up to 200,000 points: 80,000 after $10,000 in 110 days, 40,000 after $20,000 in 180 days and 80,000 after $40,000 in 12 months, for applications by October 31, 2027.
- The points are still worth 0.67 cents each at best, with no airline or hotel transfer partners.
BMO announced a refresh of the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card on November 2, 2026. The headline is the one that matters most on a $599 travel card: no more foreign transaction fee.
It also goes from six lounge visits a year to ten and swaps the old $200 "lifestyle" credit for a $200 travel credit. Drugstores make way for a new 5x category, health and wellness, and the annual fee stays at $599.
I don't hold this card, so everything below comes from BMO's release, its product page and the offer terms. This is how the old version compares with the new one.
What changed
| Before | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign transaction fee | 2.5% | None |
| Lounge visits | 6 a year | 10 a year |
| $200 credit | After any single purchase of $200 or more, paid after renewal | After a single flight, hotel or car rental of $500 or more, within 30 business days |
| 5x categories | Travel, dining, groceries, gas, drugstores | Travel, dining, groceries, gas, health and wellness |
| Welcome offer tiers | $6,000 / $30,000 / $75,000 | $10,000 / $20,000 / $40,000 |
| Annual fee | $599 | $599 |
The $200 credit is the change I'd look at twice. The old one paid out after almost any $200 purchase, so it was close to automatic.
The new one needs a single flight, hotel or car rental of at least $500. Most people who get a $599 travel card will book that anyway, and the money now shows up within 30 business days instead of after your renewal.
No FX fee, but 5x stays in Canada
This is the part to read carefully. A purchase in euros or yen is now converted at the exchange rate with nothing on top, but the 5x rates still only apply at merchants in Canada.
So a hotel in Tokyo earns 1 point per dollar, about 0.67% back at BMO's travel rate. That still beats paying 2.5%, and the Scotiabank® Gold American Express® Card in my wallet works the same way. Just don't expect 5x on the trip itself.
The new 5x list
Five categories earn 5 BMO Rewards points per dollar, each with its own cap per calendar year. Everything else, and anything bought outside Canada, earns 1 point per dollar.
| Category | Yearly cap | Return at 0.67 cpp |
|---|---|---|
| Dining and takeout | $25,000 | 3.3% |
| Travel (flights, hotels, car rentals) | $25,000 | 3.3% |
| Groceries | $20,000 | 3.3% |
| Gas | $15,000 | 3.3% |
| Health and wellness | $15,000 | 3.3% |
| Everything else | None | 0.67% |
Health and wellness covers massage, health and beauty spas, public golf courses, club memberships and recreation services, per BMO's terms. The product page gives gym and golf club memberships as examples.
Drugstores are off the list. If a big part of your spending was at the pharmacy, that's a step back.
Add an authorized user and the 5x becomes 6.25x for both of you, about 4.2% back at BMO's rate. BMO calls it an introductory feature that stays until it tells you otherwise.
The welcome offer
The welcome offer is still up to 200,000 BMO Rewards points, for applications received from November 2, 2026 to October 31, 2027:
- 80,000 points after $10,000 in the first 110 days
- 40,000 more after $20,000 in the first 180 days
- 80,000 more after $40,000 in the first 12 months
At 150 points per dollar on travel, the full 200,000 is worth up to $1,333. BMO's "up to $2,700" headline adds the lounge visits, the NEXUS credit, the travel credit, Instacart+ and the authorized-user bonus on top.
The ladder changed shape, too. The first tier is harder now ($10,000 in 110 days, about $2,750 a month), while the full bonus needs $40,000 in a year instead of $75,000.
Bonus points can take up to eight weeks to post, and BMO can take them back if you close the card within a year. The offer isn't open to anyone who has had this card before, or to BMO cardholders switching into it.
If you already have the card
BMO's release doesn't say when existing cardholders get each change. If you hold it, I'd check your next statement or ask BMO before you count on the no-FX part abroad.
BMO Private Banking clients can also get up to 100% of the annual fee rebated based on their spending, according to the release.
My take
For the same $599, this is a real upgrade. No FX fee plus ten lounge visits makes it a card you can actually take on a trip. The easier top tier also puts the full 200,000 within reach of a household that runs most of its spending through one card.
What hasn't changed is the currency. BMO Rewards points top out at 0.67 cents per point (cpp) with no airline or hotel partners, so there's no upside if you know your way around transfer partners.
If your spending is more modest, BMO's BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card is the cheaper way into the same program.
Final Thoughts
BMO fixed the two things that made this card a hard sell for travellers: the FX fee and the thin lounge allowance. It's still a fixed-value points card at a premium price, so it comes down to how much of your spending lands in the 5x categories.
Is the new version enough to make you switch, or are you sticking with transfer partners? Let me know in the comments!
Checked Nov 2, 2026 · Sources: BMO: BMO Elevates Rewards and Travel Experience with BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege Card Enhancements (November 2, 2026) · BMO: BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card · BMO: Credit card offer terms and conditions
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