How to avoid the BMO monthly fee in the US
This page is BMO in the United States, BMO Bank N.A. It is not BMO in Canada. Canadian Practical, Plus, and Performance prices are on how to waive a BMO monthly account fee. The US comparison page, opened 17 October 2026, lists three checking accounts. The Relationship waiver rules below come from the Relationship Checking product disclosure linked from that page.
Last updated: October 17, 2026
Last checked: Oct 2026
Three US checking accounts
BMO's US checking comparison, opened 17 October 2026, lists BMO Smart Advantage Checking at a $0 monthly maintenance fee, with no minimum balance. Footnote 1 says accounts with a zero balance may be closed. A $0 monthly fee is not a promise that the account stays open if you leave it empty. The same page lists BMO Smart Money Checking at a $5 monthly maintenance fee, and $0 if you are under age 25. It also prints $0 overdraft fees, with footnote 3: items that overdraw the account are returned, and ATM and everyday debit card transactions are declined. That $0 is the fee for an overdraft the bank does not pay. It is not a promise that a declined purchase will go through.
BMO Relationship Checking is listed at a $25 monthly maintenance fee, or you can waive the fee. The phone number on the comparison page is 1-888-340-2265. These accounts are the US bank. If your statement is in Canadian dollars and the package name is Practical, Plus, or Performance, use how to waive a BMO monthly account fee instead. The words MONTHLY MAINTENANCE FEE on any bank's statement are explained on service charge or monthly maintenance fee. The wider US map is US bank fees.
How the $25 Relationship fee is waived
The BMO Relationship Checking disclosure opened 17 October 2026 (the form footer reads 08/26, BMO Bank N.A., Member FDIC) says the $25 monthly maintenance fee begins in the third calendar month after the account is opened or changed to Relationship Checking. The fee is charged on the last day of the statement period unless you meet any one of the waiver rules for the previous calendar month. The disclosure's example: an account opened or changed in January is not charged in January or February. In March, the bank looks at February.
Any one of these waives that month's fee. A: the minimum daily ledger balance in this account is $10,000 or more for the previous calendar month. B: you met the $25,000 Monthly Combined Balance for the previous calendar month. C: you are a client of the employee benefits program, Best of BMO U.S., and you requested the waiver from your BMO Banker. The pages opened for this guide use the words Monthly Combined Balance. They do not list which other accounts count toward the $25,000. Do not guess that a mortgage, a credit card, or a Canadian BMO account is included. Read the glossary in the Deposit Account Agreement, or ask the banker, before you count on rule B.
The same disclosure says the minimum deposit to open Relationship Checking is $25. That opening amount is not the waiver. Leaving $25 in the account does not waive the $25 monthly fee. Smart Advantage and Smart Money are different products. Their $0 and $5 figures are on the comparison page, not in the Relationship waiver list. A paper statement fee, a wire fee, or a foreign transaction fee can still be a separate line. Those amounts are not restated here. Foreign transaction percents by issuer are on foreign transaction fees by US card issuer.
What to ask, and what Expenvo can list
Use the number on your statement if one is printed. Otherwise the comparison page prints 1-888-340-2265. Have the date, the fee name, and the amount. Ask which account you have: Smart Advantage, Smart Money, or Relationship. If it is Relationship, ask whether the fee month is still inside the first two calendar months, and which waiver, if any, the bank measured for the previous calendar month. Asking them to remove a fee already charged is a request. They can say no. A short script is on how to ask your bank to refund a fee.
Upload the statement on Expenvo. The PDF stays on your device. Expenvo lists bank fee lines it recognizes so you can see the date, the name, and the amount before you call. It does not call the bank, and it does not promise a refund. How to ask is on how to ask your bank to refund a fee.
Questions
- Is this the same fee as BMO in Canada?
- No. This page is BMO Bank N.A. in the United States. Canadian Practical, Plus, and Performance prices are on the Canadian BMO monthly fee guide.
- Does Smart Advantage have a monthly fee?
- The US comparison page opened 17 October 2026 lists Smart Advantage at a $0 monthly maintenance fee and no minimum balance. Footnote 1 says accounts with a zero balance may be closed.
- What balance waives the Relationship fee?
- The disclosure says any one of three paths: a $10,000 minimum daily ledger balance in that account, a $25,000 Monthly Combined Balance, or a Best of BMO U.S. employee benefits waiver you requested from a banker. The pages opened here do not define which accounts make up the combined balance.
Sources
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