BMO, the Canadian-founded bank, has added a new travel option to its portfolio of credit cards. Launched on Aug. 18, 2025, the BMO Escape Credit Card charges a $150 annual fee and features a metal design. Here’s what the card offers.
BMO Escape Credit Card: Basics
Type: Travel.
Annual fee: $150.
Welcome bonus: Earn 45,000 bonus points when you spend $5,000 within the first 3 months of opening your account.
Rewards:
The card earns the following ongoing rates, though the bonus categories are subject to caps*:
- 4 points per $1 spent on airfare and dining.
- 3 points per $1 spent on hotels, tours, travel agencies and cruises.
- 2 points per $1 spent on rideshare services, taxis and car rentals.
- 1 point per $1 on everything else.
*NOTE: Cardholders can earn bonus rates up to $3,000 in purchases per bonus category per calendar quarter, and then 1 point per $1 after that. Point values vary depending on what you redeem them for. They can be redeemed for flights, hotels, cruises, vacation packages, car rentals, merchandise, gift cards and statement credit.
Other benefits:
- Up to $240 hotel credit per year. You’ll get this credit as $20 statement credits each month you spend $200 on your card at any hotel worldwide.
- TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS statement credit of up to $100, once every four years after an application fee is charged to your card.
- Two complimentary Priority Pass lounge visits. After that, your BMO Escape Credit Card will automatically be charged the typical $35 member and guest fee every time you visit a Priority Pass lounge.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
BMO offers another card that earns rewards for travel-related purchases: the $95-annual-fee BMO Premium Rewards Credit Card. The card comes with fewer travel rewards and benefits than the BMO Escape Credit Card. The bank also offers two cash-back cards, a 0% APR card and a secured card option (as of this writing). Should you get this card?
The BMO Escape Credit Card is the highest-end card the bank offers — though with an annual fee of $150, it's more affordable than some similar travel or metal cards (for those that value a "plunk" — that heavy-metal feel) on the market. And because it's not tied to a specific airline or hotel brand, you can flexibly earn rewards in its 4x and 3x categories, up to a cap, at least.
However, the Escape’s more accessible price point means that you don’t get the same shiny perks that higher-end travel cards come with. For instance, other travel cards feature a higher $120 credit toward TSA PreCheck/Global Entry, not to mention much more robust airport lounge access. (Just two Priority Pass visits? Paltry indeed.) And while a hotel credit may sound nice, this one isn't automatic: You'll have to hit a minimum spending threshold each month to qualify for it, and even then, it's doled out in small $20 increments, not all at once.
If your goal is a moderately priced travel card, the BMO Escape card can fit the bill. But if your priority is luxurious travel perks, it falls pretty short.
