Travel-centric rewards
If you spend a lot of time on the road or in the air, you can build up an enviable points collection with this travel-centric rewards card. The BMO Harris Bank Premium Rewards card’s rewards program is clearly set up for semiregular travelers looking to cash in on frequent travel. It offers three points for every dollar you spend on airfare, hotels or restaurant purchases. It also offers one point for every dollar you spend on anything else.
On the downside, BMO Harris caps quarterly bonus spending to $2,500 per quarter – roughly $833 a month. So if you travel more than a handful of times a year, you may be better off with a different card. There aren’t that many rewards cards that offer triple points on both hotels and airfare, though, so if you can afford the annual fee, it may be worth keeping this card around for your first $2,500-worth of quarterly trips.
Attractive bonus offers
The BMO Harris card also offers a pretty good sign-up bonus that can help temporarily shave down the card’s expense. The rewards card offers 15,000 bonus points – worth roughly $150 – after you spend $2,500 in the card’s first three months. In addition, BMO Harris offers a 15 percent points bonus every year, which can give you a significant boost if you’re a heavy enough spender.
Uncommonly flexible redemption
The most attractive perk offered by the BMO Harris card, though, is its flexible redemption policy, which is one of the most generous policies you can get. Unlike most travel cards that require cardholders to go through the bank to redeem points for travel, the BMO Harris Bank Premium Rewards card lets you shop around and book travel yourself.
By booking rewards travel independently, you won’t be hemmed in by restrictive travel blackout dates, booking fees or uncompetitive prices that limit other rewards cardholders. You will also be able to maximize rewards earnings with the best possible deals. Points don’t expire on the BMO Harris Bank card either, so you can wait awhile before redeeming them.
Some premium travel benefits
The BMO Harris Bank Premium Rewards card also offers a number of appealing travel benefits that can help take the sting out the card’s annual fee. In addition to standard card perks, such as car rental and travel accident insurance, the BMO Harris bank card offers premium travel benefits. These include two complimentary airport lounge visits, lost or damaged luggage insurance, and help with travel planning. You may be able to get more generous perks through other cards, but you’ll likely have to pay for them.
Expensive for what you get
The biggest downside to the BMO Harris Bank Premium Rewards card is its $79 annual fee. To make the most of this card, you need to travel relatively frequently. Otherwise, it’s not worth the hefty price. You may not want to use this card for purchases you can’t immediately pay off, since the APR is also relatively steep. Cardholders with the best credit scores are a charged a minimum APR of 14.24 percent, which is just slightly below average for a rewards credit card. But cardholders with lower scores can be charged an interest rate as high as 22.24 percent.
Reasons to get it:
- You travel semifrequently and want to get more value out of travel spending.
- You want more flexibility when redeeming rewards for travel.
- You plan to spend heavily enough that rewards earnings will cancel out the annual fee.
- You’re already a BMO Harris Bank customer and want a card with the same bank.
How to use it:
- To maximize rewards earnings, use the card for all travel and restaurant spending.
- Pay attention to how much dining and travel you’re purchasing. Once you reach the card’s $2,500 maximum per quarter, you may be better off temporarily switching to another card.
- Take advantage of the card’s flexible redemption policy by shopping around for travel discounts. By purchasing cheaper tickets, you can squeeze more value out of rewards.
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