BMO chequing bonus: How much of the $1,100 do you keep?

Which plan lets you keep more?

Our example assumes 16 monthly charges, such as an account opened near the start of the offer and kept through March 1, 2028. Your actual costs depend on when you open it and how many months BMO charges you. The table subtracts chequing fees from the $800 base bonus. It excludes the other bonuses, interest, card fees, and Walmart+.

Premium costs $156 more over 12 months if you pay every monthly fee. If you waive the fee with the minimum daily balance, Premium ties up $2,000 more. At an illustrative 3% elsewhere, assuming that balance earns no interest in chequing, the extra $2,000 would earn $60 a year before tax. Compare that cost with the benefits you would actually use.

What does $10,000 in savings earn?

The $200 savings bonus represents 2% of the $10,000 balance you must maintain. To compare savings accounts, look at the average rate difference over the 180-day holding period. If your alternative pays 1 percentage point more, it would earn about $49.32 more in gross interest ($10,000 × 1% × 180 ÷ 365). The BMO bonus would still leave you about $150.68 ahead. The break-even rate difference is about 4.06 percentage points over those 180 days. This is a before-tax comparison for the holding period. If you transfer the money earlier, compare the interest earned during those additional days as well.

You must qualify for the $800 bonus, open a Savings Amplifier Account by March 1, 2027, and deposit at least $10,000 in total within the first 30 calendar days after opening it. Then keep a daily closing balance of at least $10,000 for 180 consecutive calendar days. The savings account opening deadline comes before the chequing transaction deadline. If you want both bonuses and a fee waiver, plan for $14,000 across both accounts with Performance or $16,000 with Premium when both balance requirements apply.

When the $100 card bonus pays

For this offer, open and fund a new Performance, Premium, or Practical chequing account by March 1, 2027. Within 30 calendar days of opening the chequing account, open and fund a new Savings Amplifier Account, then apply and get approved for an eligible card as the primary cardholder. Any deposit amount satisfies the savings deposit requirement for this offer. The $10,000 threshold applies only to the separate $200 savings bonus.

Compare the $100 with the card fees you would actually pay. The BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege charges $599 a year. Even with the separate $300 BMO Private Banking credit, if you qualify, the first year costs $299. Counting only that fee and the $100 bonus leaves you $199 out of pocket. Opening the chequing account does not qualify you for the Private Banking credit. If the offer requires you to keep the card past its first anniversary, check the renewal fee too.

Eligible cards include the three BMO eclipse cards, BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard, both BMO Blue Rewards cards, both BMO CashBack cards, all three BMO VIPorter cards, and the BMO Preferred Rate Mastercard. Confirm the exact card and fees before applying. If you were already looking for a new card, compare it with our best credit cards.

Put these dates in your calendar

• March 1, 2027. Open and fund the chequing account and provide a valid email address when opening it. Open the savings account by the same date if you want the $200 savings bonus.
• April 30, 2027. For the $800, make sure the first recurring direct deposit of at least $500 has posted from an employer, government, or pension. Also have either two online or mobile bill payments or two pre-authorized debits post. Each must be at least $50, with two different payees for the option you choose.
• June 30 and October 30, 2027. The terms give BMO until June 30 to pay the card bonus and until October 30 to pay the chequing and savings bonuses.
• March 1, 2028. Keep the chequing account open in the eligible plan. Keep the savings account and card open as well if you received the bonuses that depend on them. BMO can recover a bonus if you no longer meet the terms.

Check eligibility before applying if you already hold a BMO account covered by the terms or closed one on or after November 3, 2025. For joint accounts, check each holder’s eligibility. The separate card offer also excludes existing primary cardholders of eligible BMO cards under its own terms.

What is Walmart+ worth?

BMO reimburses up to 11 eligible months. At the $8.97 monthly price before tax in the terms, that’s $98.67 before tax in reimbursed spending if you would have paid for the subscription anyway. The 12th month comes from Walmart’s trial for eligible customers. Start or update the monthly membership by April 30, 2027, using the BMO debit card for your eligible account. We leave this perk out of the cash bonus calculations.

Once you’ve checked the dates, apply for the BMO Performance account if you want the lower fee, or apply for the BMO Premium account if its benefits justify the difference for you. Use our chequing account comparison to see how those fees compare across banks.

We checked BMO’s winter terms for the accounts, credit card offer, and Walmart+, along with its fee schedule, on November 4, 2026. Milesopedia calculated the examples using the published fees and the assumptions shown. To follow future offers, subscribe to our newsletter.