How to use your digital BMC membership card
We are introducing a new digital membership card that you can add to your phone wallet (both Google and Apple).
This comes at the same time as rolling out BMC Membership Services Online (MSO) for all members - a digital way for you to manage your membership with ease.
Why has the BMC switched to digital membership cards?
After careful consideration, we have made the decision to turn BMC membership cards digital for:
1. Cost: A paper card alone is approximately £4,700 per month for the whole membership. With savings in this area we will be able to increase efficiencies and put back more money into front line services for members.
2. Sustainability: We want to become a more sustainable organisation, not only in terms of cost controls, but also our impact on the environment. Reducing our impact from less paper, less printing and less transport for postage is another small step for the BMC towards this. Our colleagues at Mountain Training and Mountaineering Scotland have already moved this way.
Access your BMC digital membership card in three easy steps
Once you’re into your account, you can view and save your digital membership card to your Apple or Google Wallet.
To do this:
1. After you’ve received your account activation email, login to MSO
2. Scroll down to ‘Your Membership’
3. Tap ‘Add to Google Wallet’ or ‘Add to Apple Wallet’ and the digital membership card should appear in your wallet
NOTE: Please wait for your activation email. You can contact office@thebmc.co.uk after 22nd July (when the full roll out is complete - if you haven't received yours yet)
NOTE: Once the full membership roll out is complete, there will be a permanent Login button on the top right of the BMC website for you to login at anytime
What is the timeline for the roll out?
Digital cards were rolled out to BMC-Affiliated Club members via email at the end of May and we will email the wider BMC membership (Family, Under 27 and Individual members) their cards in June and July. The systems for onboarding all our members to a digital card take about 4 weeks. Starting from 23rd June, the cards will be rolled out in alphabetical order of surnames:
- W/C 23rd June: If your surname starts with A - G, expect to see an email from us giving you access to your digital card
- W/C 30th June: If your surname starts with H - N, expect to see an email from us giving you access to your digital card
- W/C 7th July: If your surname starts with O - S, expect to see an email from us giving you access to your digital card
- W/C 14th July: If your surname starts with T - Z expect to see an email from us giving you access to your digital card
NOTE: If you need you BMC membership card earlier than these dates, please contact office@thebmc.co.uk
What is MSO?
Membership Services Online is a digital way for you to manage your membership with ease. As a member of the BMC, you now have access to this platform, which will be linked to the BMC website from August 2025, where you can:
- Download your digital BMC membership card
- View and update your membership details
- Access your BMC Travel Insurance documents
- Manage your communication preferences
- Access your BMC discount codes (COMING SOON)
Haven't recieved your BMC digital membership activation email after July 22nd? Submit your email to us here
Reasons you may not have received an email from us could include:
- You are a Club or Family member who has yet registered your email addresses with the BMC
- You no longer use the email associated with your membership and need to update it with us
- You don't have an email address associated with your membership
- Your email address is associated with another member of your family's membership and you don't have your own unique one
BMC Digital Membership Card FAQs
You can login to https://mso.thebmc.co.uk/ at any time to view your membership card. We also recommend screenshotting it for ease.
For any other trouble, you can contact office@thebmc.co.uk
Once the card is in your wallet, you can access this regardless of any internet connection.
If you are climbing on the south side of Cheddar Gorge, you may be asked to show proof of your BMC membership by the Cheddar Warden (to comply with the National Trust's conditions of all climbers carrying civil liability cover of at least £10 million while climbing on their land there.)
If you are redeeming your BMC members 15% discount at Snow+Rock, Cotswold Outdoor, Runners Need or any of the other outdoor retail shops nationwide where you can get discounted items.
You may be asked to show your BMC card or your number at bookings at huts, both nationally and internationally.
When entering BMC competitions you will be asked to supply your BMC number.
When signing up to Mountain Training Qualification, you will be asked to supply your BMC number.
When getting BMC Travel Insurance, you will be asked to supply your BMC number.
If you didn't receive an email from the BMC after 22nd July (see timeline above) please go to https://intouch.thebmc.co.uk/email-address-change to submit your email address to us so we can check and solve this for you.
It also may be that you are part of a membership where your household and/or partner used the same email address. e.g BillAndBenGoClimbing@gmail.com - used by Ben's membership and Bill's membership
This would mean you don't have your own individual login, and also that the system was not able to send either of you your membership card activation email. If this is the case, please submit your details via the same link above and we can resolve this for you by associating your membership profile with it's own email address.
The Reciprocal Rights card gives BMC members access to discounted rates of up to 50% in Alpine huts.
Purchase your Reciprocal Rights card here
In the past, some huts have accepted the BMC membership card with the UIAA affiliated membership logo as proof of discount. The new BMC digital card tech means that only one logo can now be added to the card - the BMC logo.
We are working on adding proof of UIAA membership to the card in other ways - expect to see the UIAA logo on your MSO profile coming soon and a note on the digital wallet version of the card noting UIAA affiliation too.
Only BMC members over the age of 14 get send a card and login. For those under 14, please have your parent/guardian send an email to office@thebmc.co.uk and we can post you out a card.