Card processing in Canada

The rules and fees that are specific to taking cards in Canada, in plain words, with a source for each one.

This section covers what is specific to taking cards in Canada. It is for Canadian businesses of any size, and for anyone setting Canadian pricing against US pricing.

Three things make Canada different. The Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry sets rules on fee disclosure, notice of fee changes and cancelling. Interac debit, Canada’s own debit network, is priced with flat amounts per sale rather than a percentage. And the card network rules on credit card surcharges have their own Canadian version, with Quebec and debit handled differently.

This page summarizes the Code and links to the Canadian guides. For more depth, The Code of Conduct walks through each part of it, Interac Debit: How It Is Priced explains the per-sale fees, and Surcharging Credit Cards in Canada covers the rules on adding a fee. Canadian pages from the rest of the site, such as provider and industry pages, are listed further down.

The Code of Conduct

Canada has a Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry. Visa's page calls it "voluntary" and says the Minister of Finance introduced it on May 17, 2010. It was amended on April 13, 2015 and on May 24, 2024.

Visa and Interac both say they follow it and require the companies in their networks to follow it. The FCAC says all major card networks in Canada have agreed to it: American Express Canada, Discover, Interac, Mastercard Canada, Visa Canada and UnionPay. Visa describes the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) as "an independent government agency that monitors the commitments made by payment card networks", and says the FCAC "does not, resolve individual complaints."

What it says about fees and notice

What the FCAC's merchant-rights page says the Code requires:

Notice. Acquirers and downstream participants must notify merchants 30 to 60 calendar days before certain fee increases, new fees, and network fee reductions they do not pass on.
Exit without penalty. A merchant can give notice of intent to exit within 70 calendar days after an applicable fee change takes effect.
Renewals. Fixed-term agreements can renew automatically only for 6 months or less, and a merchant can give notice of non-renewal at least 45 calendar days before the end.
Credit or debit. Merchants may accept domestically issued credit or debit cards from a card network without accepting both.

The full list, with disclosures, statements and cancellation: The Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry.

What one processor's contract says, as an example:

Notice of increases. TD's terms say that, "as required by the Code of Conduct", TD gives 30 to 60 calendar days' notice of certain fee increases.
Leaving after an increase. TD's terms say a merchant can end the agreement with no early termination fee within 70 calendar days after certain fee increases take effect.
Choosing networks. TD's terms say a merchant may accept cards from one network without accepting another, and may stop accepting a network at any time without penalty, with written notice.

More: Early Termination Fees: How They Work.

Making a complaint

The FCAC says processors must acknowledge a complaint within 5 business days and investigate and address it within 20 business days; card networks have 30 business days. Visa and Interac both say to go to the processor first, then to the card network. Both say they acknowledge within 5 business days and respond within 30 business days, and that a merchant can contact the FCAC at any stage. The FCAC says it "may examine a complaint to determine if the issues identified reflect a risk of a PCNO's non-compliance".

Interac: how Canadian debit is priced

Interac is Canada's own debit network. Interac's fee page says its only fee on Interac debit is a small flat switch fee paid by banks and processors. Tap sales also carry a small flat interchange, from $0.020 to $0.055 a sale. What you pay is your processor's fee, which can be a flat amount or a percentage plus cents.

Full details: Interac Debit: How It Is Priced.

Surcharging in Canada

Visa's FAQ says its rules have allowed Canadian merchants to add a surcharge to credit card sales since October 6, 2022. Visa's cap is 2.4% or the merchant's own average rate for Visa credit, whichever is lower. Surcharges are not allowed on debit or prepaid cards.

Quebec's consumer protection office says a merchant cannot charge fees for paying by debit or credit card.

Full details: Surcharging Credit Cards in Canada.

Guides that cover Canada and the United States

Canada-specific pages

How Much Does It Cost to Accept Credit Cards in Canada? — What goes into the total cost of taking cards in Canada: interchange, network fees, processor markup, monthly fees and equipment, with published examples.
Card Processing for Restaurants — Credit card processing fees for restaurants in Canada: tips, split bills, small sales, Interac tap and Visa's restaurant rates, from published rate sheets.
The Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry — Canada's Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry: who agreed to it, the statements it requires, fee-change notices, the 70-day exit right and complaints.
Assessment Fees Explained — The small fee card networks charge on every sale, apart from interchange: the amounts TD lists for each network in Canada, and where they show on a statement.
Card Processing for Retail Stores — Card fees for shops in Canada: the retail categories on Visa's and Interac's rate sheets, average sale size, and what Square and Helcim publish for retail.
Interac Fees: How Interac Debit Is Priced — What Interac debit is and how Interac fees work: the per-sale fees Interac sets, the processor fee on top, and a flat fee versus a percentage by sale size.
Square vs Stripe in Canada: Fees and Terms Side by Side — Square vs Stripe in Canada: card rates, debit, online sales, monthly plans, payouts, disputes, hardware and cancellation, side by side from their own pages.
TD Merchant Solutions: How Their Pricing Works — TD Merchant Solutions' pricing, fees, contract term, cancellation and equipment, from its own terms, fee descriptions and statement guides.
Card Processing for Salons and Spas — Card fees for salons, barbers and spas in Canada: tips, deposits and no-show fees, Visa's Everyday Needs rates, and what Square Appointments publishes.
Processor Markup: What It Is and Where to Find It — The markup is the part of your card fees your processor keeps: what it is, where it shows on each pricing model, and how it is worked out from a statement.
Square Fees in Canada: Rates, Plans and Hardware — Square fees in Canada: 2.5% for in-person credit, 0.75% + 7¢ for debit, 2.8% + 30¢ online. Plus monthly plan fees, hardware and cancelling, from Square's pages.
Surcharging Credit Cards in Canada — The card network rules for adding a fee to credit card sales in Canada: the 2.4% cap, notice, signs, receipts, refunds, and why Quebec and debit differ.
How to Switch Processors in Canada — Moving to a new card processor in Canada: contract terms, the Code of Conduct's notice and exit rules, equipment, quotes and the usual order of steps.
Dual Pricing and Cash Discounts in Canada — What Canada's Code of Conduct, Visa's rules, Interac and TD's merchant terms say about cash discounts and two prices, and what none of them cover.
Helcim vs Square — Helcim and Square in Canada side by side: pricing model, published rates, debit, monthly plans, hardware, payouts, disputes and cancellation, with sources.
Helcim: How Their Pricing Works — Helcim's interchange plus pricing, volume tiers, fees, hardware and cancellation in Canada, from its pricing page, fee disclosure and terms of service.
Stripe vs Helcim — Stripe and Helcim in Canada side by side: pricing model, published rates, Interac debit, monthly fees, payouts, disputes, hardware and cancellation.
Stripe: How Its Pricing Works in Canada — Stripe's card fees, payouts, disputes, hardware and cancellation in Canada, from its Canadian pricing, Terminal, legal and documentation pages.
Interac Debit Online: How It Works and What It Costs — How Canadians pay online with Interac, through Apple Pay, Google Pay and Interac Direct, and the fees Interac, Square, Stripe and Helcim publish for it.
PCI Fees and Non-Compliance Fees — What PCI DSS is, what a PCI fee on your statement is, and the card network non-compliance fees that show up on Canadian statements.
Chargeback Fees: What a Chargeback Costs and How It Works — What a chargeback fee is and how much TD, Helcim and Square charge, plus how a card dispute runs, Visa's time limits and the evidence asked for.
TD Merchant Solutions vs Helcim — TD Merchant Solutions and Helcim side by side: pricing model, published rates and fees, contract term, termination, hardware and PCI, from their own documents.
Early Termination Fees: How They Work — What leaving a card processing contract early can cost in Canada, how the fee is worked out, and when published contracts say there is no fee.
Equipment Leases: How They Work and What They Cost — Card terminal costs in Canada to rent, lease or buy: Square lists its Terminal at $399, Helcim its Card Reader at $239. TD shows rentals at $25 and $35 a month.
Amex Merchant Fees in Canada: What Processors Publish — Amex merchant fees in Canada: American Express does not publish its own merchant rates. What TD, Helcim, Square and Stripe publish for Amex, side by side.
Mastercard's New NABU Fee in Canada — NABU is a Mastercard network fee. On October 19, 2026, it replaced Mastercard's acquirer clearing fees in Canada, per TD. TD lists $0.0315 per domestic sale.
Visa's Small Merchant Rates in Canada — Visa Canada's Small Merchant interchange program: who qualifies, the published rates, and the changes TD lists from October 22, 2026, with a higher sales limit.
Foreign Card Fees: What You Pay on Cards From Other Countries — Cards from other countries carry extra network fees. The Visa cross-border fee and Mastercard's, as TD lists them, and what Helcim and Square publish.
When You Get Paid: Deposits, Holds and Reserves — How long card sales take to reach the bank at Square, Stripe, Helcim and TD in Canada, what a reserve is, and why processors say they hold funds.
Getting Approved for a Merchant Account: What Processors Ask For — What Stripe, Square, Helcim and TD ask for when a business signs up in Canada, what they check, and how holds, reserves and first-payout delays fit in.

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Sources

Visa Canada: Code of Conduct (checked October 11, 2026)
FCAC: Merchant rights under the Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada (date modified 2025-10-20). Text supplied by the site owner because canada.ca blocks automated access. (checked October 11, 2026)
FCAC: Complaint-handling under the Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada (date modified 2025-10-20). Text supplied by the site owner because canada.ca blocks automated access. (checked October 11, 2026)
Interac: FCAC Code of Conduct, merchant complaints (checked October 11, 2026)
TD Merchant Solutions: Terms and Conditions, version 0726, in effect from July 10, 2026 (PDF) (checked October 11, 2026)
Interac: Understanding Fees (checked October 11, 2026)
Visa Canada: Surcharging FAQs for businesses (PDF) (checked October 11, 2026)
Office de la protection du consommateur (Quebec): Payment by Debit or Credit Card: Prohibited Fees (checked October 11, 2026)