BMO Mastercard cashback changes coming May 2020! This is the announcement that many cardholders received in their email recently. At first glance the changes look exciting and potentially a money saver for customers. However, let’s take a deeper look at these changes and see if this is really so.
BMO Mastercard Cashback Changes
Currently you can earn 1% cashback on all purchases regardless if it is a one time purchase or a recurring purchase such as a monthly bill payment. Also, the purchase has to be at least $50.00 before you get the 1% cashback.
However starting May 1, 2020, you can start earning 3% cashback on grocery purchases, 1% on recurring bill payments and 0.5% on other purchases. For one time purchases the minimum purchase is only $1.00. The minimum purchase for recurring bill payments is $25.00. Also, you do not have to wait until the end of the year to redeem your cashback. You can do it immediately by having it deposited into a chequing or savings account or you use it as a credit on a monthly statement.
This sounds great! It looks like you’lll be getting more cashback that you can use sooner. Sounds like a win win situation. However, there is a “but”; there’s always a “but”.
BMO Mastercard Cashback Changes, The Fine Print!
Yes, there is always the fine print and there a few things with this card that you should know about. For instance, there is a $500.00 monthly limit on getting 3% cashback. Any grocery purchases over $500.00, you will still only get 0.5% cashback. Also, you would have to make sure that the grocery stores you go to are deemed grocery stores by BMO.
There is also a $500.00 monthly limit on getting 1% on recurring purchases bill payments. Any recurring purchase amount that is over $500.00, you only get 0.5% cashback.
Conclusion, Is it Worth it?
It depends on how much you spend on your credit card. For example, suppose you spent $500 on groceries, $500 on recurring bill payments, and $2000.00 on other purchases. Based on the new changes, you would receive $30.00 cash back. Do you know how much you would receive in cashback for same amount currently? You would also get $30.00! What does this mean?
It means that if you are putting more than $3000.00 each month on your card, then the changes do not benefit you as you would actually be getting less cash back. However, if you are spending at least $500 in groceries and at least $500 in bill payments but are putting less than $3000 per month on the card, then the changes are helpful to you, as you’ll get more in cashback.
So is the BMO MasterCard cash back changes worth it? If you do not put a lot on your credit card then potentially yes! However, if you charge a lot on your card each month then potentially it is not. This means that you as the consumer have to know your spending habits and read the fine print on any credit card you might want. Because with so many things in life, there’s always a catch!