The short version
The cost of taking a credit card in Canada is made of parts. Each part goes to someone different.
- Interchange, which goes to the bank that issued your customer’s card.
- Network fees, which go to the card network, such as Visa or Mastercard.
- The processor’s markup, which is what your provider keeps.
- Monthly and account fees, such as statement, PCI or minimum fees.
- Equipment, bought or rented.
Parts 1 to 3 are charged on each sale. Parts 4 and 5 are charged whether you sell or not. This page walks through each part, with published examples, and links to the page that explains it in full.
Your business pays one card fee on each sale to its processor, also called the acquirer. The processor keeps its own markup. It passes interchange on to the customer's bank, called the issuer, and network fees on to the card network, such as Visa or Mastercard.
Part 1: interchange
Interchange is the part of each card fee paid to the customer’s card-issuing bank. Visa and Mastercard set the rates, and every processor pays the same published rate for the same kind of sale.
Visa Canada’s rate sheet shows how much it moves with the card and the way it is taken. Some examples for consumer credit cards:
| Visa Canada program | Classic, Gold, Platinum | Infinite | Infinite Privilege |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic (card tapped or inserted in person) | 1.25% | 1.57% | 2.08% |
| Card not present (online, phone) | 1.40% | 1.65% | 2.40% |
| Small Merchant, card present | 0.77% | 0.99% | 1.80% |
| Standard (sales that fit no other program) | 1.45% | 1.70% | 2.45% |
Source: Visa Canada Interchange Reimbursement Fees, read 2026-10-22. The Small Merchant program is for businesses with up to $300,000 a year in Visa sales, per Visa’s sheet. TD’s Fee Change Summary says the Small Merchant card-present rate for Classic cards went from 0.77% to 0.70% on October 22, 2026, and the sales limit went up to $750,000. Visa’s own sheet still showed the earlier rate and limit when checked on October 22, 2026.
Business and corporate cards have their own, higher rates. Visa Canada’s sheet lists 2.00% for a Visa Business card; TD lists 2.15% from October 22, 2026. See Why Business and Corporate Cards Cost More to Accept.
Part 2: network fees
Network fees are charged by the card networks themselves, on top of interchange. They are usually small percentages or a fraction of a cent.
TD’s fee list gives examples:
| TD fee name | Rate | When it applies, per TD |
|---|---|---|
| Visa Assessment Fee | 0.1017% | All Visa sales |
| Mastercard Assessment Fee | 0.1017% | All Mastercard sales |
| Visa Foreign Assessment Fee (single currency) | 1.1300% | Card from another country, sale not in Canadian dollars |
Part 3: the processor’s markup
The markup is what the provider charges for its own service. How you see it depends on the pricing model.
On interchange plus, the markup is listed on its own. Helcim publishes its markup by monthly card volume. At Tier 1 ($0 to $50,000 a month), it is 0.40% + 8¢ for card-present sales and 0.50% + 25¢ for card-not-present sales.
On a flat rate, the markup is inside one price, together with interchange and network fees:
| Provider (Canada) | In person, credit | Online | In person, debit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | 2.5% | 2.8% + 30¢ | 0.75% + 7¢ |
| Stripe | 2.7% + CA$0.05 | 2.9% + CA$0.30 | CA$0.15 (Interac) |
Sources: Square Canada pricing and Stripe Canada pricing, read 2026-10-22. Square adds 1.5% for cards issued outside Canada. Stripe adds 0.5% for manually entered cards and 0.8% for international cards.
Helcim also shows its prices with everything added together. For a Visa consumer card at Tier 1, it lists 1.75% + 8¢ in person and 2.00% + 25¢ card not present.
- Processor Markup
- Flat Rate vs Interchange Plus vs Tiered
- What Is Interchange Plus Pricing?
- Tiered Pricing Explained
- Per-Transaction Fees: Why Small Sales Cost More
Part 4: monthly and account fees
These fees do not change with each sale. Some providers have none. Others have several.
TD’s fee list includes, for example:
| TD fee | Amount, per TD |
|---|---|
| Application fee | $49 to $99, one time |
| Minimum monthly discount fee | $30 per location |
| Monthly paper statement fee | $5.00, plus taxes |
| PCI security fee | $0 to $29.85 a quarter, per location |
| Chargeback or adjustment fee | $10 to $25 each |
| Early termination fee | $300 per location |
A minimum monthly discount fee is charged when a month’s card fees fall below a set amount. PCI is the card industry’s data security standard.
- Statement and Monthly Fees
- PCI Fees and Non-Compliance Fees
- Chargebacks
- Early Termination Fees
- Gateway Fees and Online Payment Costs
Part 5: equipment
A card terminal can be bought outright or rented. A rental shows up as a monthly line, often for years. See Equipment Leases.
Debit is priced differently
Interac debit is the main debit network in Canada. Its pricing is mostly flat amounts, not percentages.
- Interac lists its switch fee (its own per-sale fee) at $0.013985 for chip and PIN and card contactless, rising to $0.014438 from November 1, 2026.
- Interac says interchange for Interac debit “is currently set at zero”. Contactless sales have their own small interchange amounts, from $0.020 to $0.055 a sale on Interac’s table.
- Interac says merchants also pay their processor a processing fee, which “varies depending on individual contracts”.
See Interac Debit: How It Is Priced and Interac Debit Online.
Adding it up: one illustrative month
That last number, total fees divided by total card sales, is the effective rate. It is the one figure that covers all five parts. The effective rate calculator works it out from a statement.
Other things that change the total
- Surcharges and discounts. Visa’s rules allow a capped surcharge on credit cards in Canada, and the Code of Conduct lets merchants offer discounts for other ways to pay. See Surcharging Credit Cards in Canada and Dual Pricing and Cash Discounts in Canada.
- When the money arrives. Deposit timing, holds and reserves do not change the fee, but they change when you have the money. See Deposits, Holds and Reserves and Getting Approved for a Merchant Account.
- Your rights on fees. Canada’s Code of Conduct sets rules on fee notices and statements. See The Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry and How to Switch Processors in Canada.
- Your type of business. Some industries have their own interchange programs. See the industry guides, such as restaurants and retail.
- The provider. Each provider page lays out one company’s published prices: Helcim, Square, Stripe and TD Merchant Solutions. The comparisons put two side by side.
Unfamiliar words on a statement are in the glossary, and the statement decoder explains common line names.
Where to go from here
Last month’s statement shows which parts apply to you. How to Read Your Merchant Statement walks through where each part sits. Want a partner to review your statement? We will put you in touch. Start the free statement review.