Porter has been expanding its service across North America at a staggering rate and if you have followed Frugal Flyer for a while, you’ll know that we are always excited to fly with them.
The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard shook up the Canadian credit card market when it launched in March 2025 as a much-needed alternative airline co-branded credit card and it rapidly became one of our favourites thanks to the benefits it offers on Porter flight bookings.
Let’s take a deep dive into all of the aspects of the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard and see if it deserves a place in your wallet!
BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard Overview
Welcome Bonus
The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard currently has a welcome bonus in which new cardholders can earn up to 70,000 VIPorter Points:
- Earn 20,000 VIPorter points upon spending $5,000 within 110 days
- Earn 20,000 VIPorter points and one companion pass† upon spending $9,000 within 180 days
- Earn 30,000 VIPorter points upon spending $18,000 within 365 days
Plus: You can earn an additional $125 FlyerFunds on the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard when you apply through Frugal Flyer Rebates!
The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard offers benefits including VIPorter Venture membership and the opportunity to earn an annual round-trip companion pass through spending.
See our BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard Review for an in-depth review of this card.
Earn when you apply through Frugal Flyer.
70,000 VIPorter points
$18,000
$1,175+
$199 (FYF)
Yes
Oct 31, 2026
This offer has an expiry date of Oct 31, 2026, so if you are interested in this offer, ensure you apply by that date.
The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard has an annual personal income requirement of $80,000 or an annual household income requirement of $150,000.
Earning Rates
The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard earns VIPorter points for all eligible purchases made on the card at the following rates:
- 3 VIPorter points for every dollar spent on Porter purchases (on up to $20,000 spent per calendar year).
- 2 VIPorter points for every dollar spent on gas and transportation purchases (on up to $5,000 spent per calendar year).
- 2 VIPorter points for every dollar spent on groceries and dining purchases (on up to $10,000 spent per calendar year).
- 2 VIPorter points for every dollar spent on hotel accommodation purchases (on up to $5,000 spent per calendar year).
- 1 VIPorter point for every dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Once the spending threshold for a specific category is reached in a calendar year, all other spending in that category will earn 1 VIPorter point per dollar spent.
Annual Fee
The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard has an annual fee of $199.
While this is an average annual fee for a World Elite Mastercard in Canada, it’s very easy to get more value than the card’s annual fee, as I’ll touch on next.
BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard Benefits
Instant VIPorter Avid Traveller Venture Status
The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard is the only airline co-branded credit card in Canada that grants you instant airline elite status. What’s nice is that they don’t just give you the entry-level Passport status, but instead, you get Venture status, which is where most of the tangible and meaningful benefits kick in. Check out the complete breakdown of VIPorter Avid Traveller status to learn more about each status tier and what you can expect!
The most notable benefits of this level of status include complimentary PorterClassic seat selection, a complimentary piece of carry-on baggage (if booking the barebones PorterClassic Basic fare), and 1 complimentary checked bag for you and your travel companions (which is a great way to save on Porter Airlines baggage fees). Plus, status holders will receive dedicated priority check-in, priority security, and early boarding on the day of their flight.
Even better, all of the benefits I’ve listed in this section apply to the cardholder and up to eight guests on the same booking.
With the VIPorter Venture status, my partner and I have been upgraded to PorterReserve multiple times and have enjoyed their amazing service and included meals on top of their always complimentary alcoholic beverages. Getting upgraded to Porter’s highest class fare just for holding a co-branded credit card is a pretty great perk and not one you see with other Canadian airlines like Air Canada or WestJet.
Annual Round-Trip Companion Pass
You also have the opportunity to earn an annual companion pass, where 100% of the fare for your traveling companion is covered on the same itinerary (all you need to do is pay the taxes and fees). There is a caveat to this benefit, though, that makes it harder to earn.
In your first cardholder year, you will have to spend $9,000 within the first 6 months to unlock the companion pass. This is very achievable for many households! However, in every subsequent year after that, you will need to spend $50,000 per year to earn a companion pass. This makes it significantly harder and more out of reach for most people to earn.
Personally, I won’t be chasing this benefit after Year 1, as there are more rewarding credit cards to put my spending. However, the easier-to-earn companion pass in the first year offers excellent value, as we will be using our VIPorter companion pass to fly to Vancouver to head to Whistler for a ski trip on miles and points this year!
Earn Qualifying Spend Towards Status
To keep progressing on the VIPorter Avid Traveler status ladder, you must earn qualifying spend. Each tier of status is unlocked when you reach a spending milestone. For example. $6,000 is the next milestone I will need to reach to jump up to Ascent status.
BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard holders will earn $1 status qualifying dollar for every $25 spent on the credit card. This does not amount to any tangible value, and unfortunately, you would have to spend a sizable fortune to earn enough status qualifying spend to jump up to Ascent status (and it’s not worth it!).
Instacart+ & Monthly $10 Credit
Cardholders who enroll their BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard can enjoy six months of Instacart+ and a $10 monthly Instacart credit.
Insurance Coverage
The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard offers a comprehensive suite of travel and purchase insurance:
- Out-of-province or country emergency medical insurance: $5,000,000 coverage for the first 21 days of any out-of-province trips for travelers aged 64 or under
- Rental car collision and loss damage insurance: Comprehensive coverage for cars up to $65,000 MSRP
- Trip cancellation insurance: $1,500 per covered person per trip, up to an overall $5,000 maximum
- Trip interruption & trip delay insurance: $2,000 per covered person per trip, up to an overall $10,000 maximum
- Common carrier insurance: $500,000 of accidental death and dismemberment coverage
- Flight delay insurance: $500 per trip for all insured persons combined in the event of a flight delay of more than four hours
- Lost, stolen, or damaged baggage insurance: $500 per person coverage for emergency purchases when your baggage is lost or delayed, up to an overall maximum of $1,000 per trip
- Baggage delay insurance: $500 per person coverage for emergency purchases when your baggage is lost or delayed, up to an overall maximum of $1,000 per trip
- Hotel burglary insurance: $1,000 coverage for stolen items per occurrence
- Purchase security: Coverage for accidental physical damage or theft for 90 days from the date of purchase
- Extended warranty insurance: Extend the manufacturer’s original warranty up to one additional year
Make sure you refer to the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard certificate of insurance for additional details, including terms and conditions for eligibility.
Redeeming VIPorter Points
To redeem your VIPorter points, you simply head to flyporter.com, log in to your account, and search for your desired flight. You will be able to redeem your VIPorter points for Porter Airline flights and with their selected partners.
You will notice that there are 3 options when searching: dollars, points, and dollars & points. In my experience, you can get incredible value on your VIPorter points when making the right redemption.
For example, on one of our flights back to Sault Ste. Marie to visit family, we got 6.6 cents per point of value ($333/5,000 points = $0.0666), which is absolutely bonkers!
However, a hidden gem of the VIPorter program is the dollars & points option, where the cost of the flight gets divided between cash and VIPorter points. There have been times when I have seen great cents per point value when using this redemption option. The key here is to make sure you click on all three tabs when searching for flights to ensure you get the most return on your VIPorter points.
Credit Cards Comparable to the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard
BMO VIPorter Mastercard
The BMO VIPorter Mastercard is the “entry-level” sibling to the World Elite version, making it an excellent choice for those who don’t meet the high $80,000 personal income requirement.
The BMO VIPorter Mastercard offers benefits including VIPorter Passport membership and the opportunity to earn an annual 35% base fare discount voucher through spending.
Earn when you apply through Frugal Flyer.
40,000 VIPorter points
$10,000
$700+
$89 (FYF)
Yes
Oct 31, 2026
While the annual fee is lower at $89 (also waived in the first year), the welcome offer and perks are scaled back to match. Instead of the World Elite’s automatic Venture status, you’ll receive Passport status, which still grants priority boarding but lacks the free checked bag and seat selection benefits.
Interestingly, the companion benefit on this card is structured differently. Rather than a full companion pass, you earn a 35% discount voucher for up to four passengers on a single booking after spending $25,000 in a year. For a family of four, this could actually result in higher total savings on a high-value fare than the World Elite’s single companion pass, making it a surprisingly strong contender for group travel.
WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard
The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard is a direct competitor to the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard. It is a particularly strong choice for those in Western Canada, where WestJet has its hubs and most flights.
The WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard‡ offers a World Elite Companion Voucher on approval (with the ability to earn one each anniversary year through spending), plus a first free checked bag on WestJet flights.
See our WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard Review for an in-depth review of this card.
Earn when you apply through Frugal Flyer.
45,000 WestJet points
$5,000
$510+
$139
Yes
Aug 31, 2026
For a $139 annual fee, it offers an annual round-trip companion voucher upon spending $5,000 every cardholder year. Unlike Porter’s pass, which is “buy one, get the base fare free,” WestJet’s voucher requires a flat fee (starting at $119). While Porter’s pass is technically “cheaper” to use, the WestJet voucher is much more easily attained, as Porter’s requires 10x the amount needed to spend per year after the first year.
Much like other co-branded credit cards in the Canadian market, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard allows for one free checked bag for the cardholder and up to 8 travel companions, allowing you to save on baggage fees. However, compared to the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard, it lacks in perks such as elite status, free seat selection, and priority boarding.
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
We often recommend the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card as one of the first cards a person should get when entering the world of points and miles because of the versatility to combine it with transferable points-earning credit cards (like the American Express Cobalt Card) and the wide reach of the Air Canada Aeroplan program.
The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card offers benefits that include a free first checked bag on Air Canada flights and a $100 NEXUS membership credit.
45,000 Aeroplan points
$12,000
$945+
$139 (FYF)
Yes
–
Aeroplan remains the most valuable frequent flyer currency in Canada due to its massive partner network and Air Canada’s presence in every Canadian city.
However, when compared with the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard, this card severely lacks in the perks and benefits. The only benefits that it provides are a free checked bag for you and up to 8 companions on the same itinerary, and Aeroplan preferred pricing. Other than that, you’ll be boarding dead last like everyone else.
Conclusion
The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard was awarded Frugal Flyer’s Best Airline Co-Branded Credit Card, and for good reason. This is the only credit card that unlocks instant airline elite status that gives us an abundance of perks and the chance of getting upgraded to Porter Reserve. This was a much-needed entry into the Canadian credit card market, and hopefully, it convinces other airlines to put out more competitive credit cards for consumers.
Check out our complete guide on the VIPorter program to learn more about Porter’s loyalty program and how to make the most out of it!
Quentin Tsang
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Would be good if you also included other Airline cards that might be comparable e.g. RBC British Airways VISA or Brim FlyingBlue World Elite?