What makes this industry different
Grocery and convenience stores have many sales, often small, and a lot of debit. That makes the per-sale cents and the debit rates matter.
A merchant category code (MCC) is a four-digit number that says what kind of store a business is. Card networks use it to set some rates. Grocery stores and supermarkets are MCC 5411. Convenience stores are MCC 5499.
Interchange is the fee the processor pays the customer’s bank. On interchange plus pricing it shows on the statement; on flat-rate pricing it is inside the one rate.
Fees to know about in this industry (Canada)
Visa credit. Visa Canada’s rate sheet lists these in-person consumer rates:
| Visa program | MCCs on Visa’s list | Classic | Infinite | Infinite Privilege |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery and Food Retail | 5411 Grocery, 5422 Meat provisioners, 5441 Candy, 5451 Dairy, 5462 Bakeries | 0.95% | 1.15% (1.05% from Oct 22, 2026, per TD) | 1.95% (1.85% from Oct 22, 2026, per TD) |
| Gas | 5541 Service Stations, 5542 Automated Fuel Dispensers, 5499 Misc Food Stores – Default | 1.07% | 1.34% (1.24% from Oct 22, 2026, per TD) | 1.95% (1.85% from Oct 22, 2026, per TD) |
| Standard in person (“Electronic”) | All others | 1.25% | 1.57% | 2.08% |
The first rates in each cell are from Visa Canada’s sheet as read on October 22, 2026. The October 22 changes are from TD’s Fee Change Summary and TD’s “upcoming (Oct 2026)” rate list. Visa’s own sheet still did not show them when we checked on October 22, 2026.
Visa Debit. Visa Canada lists $0.03 a sale for both the “Industry Program – Grocery” and “Industry Program – Gas,” the same as the standard in-person (“Electronic”) debit rate.
Mastercard debit. TD’s “upcoming (Oct 2026)” rate list shows Mastercard’s Canada domestic debit rates, including Supermarket at 0.15% + $0.05, compared with 0.25% + $0.05 for “Electronic.”
Interac. Interac’s fee page lists flat tap (contactless) interchange by tier:
| Interac tier (tap sales up to $100) | Fee | Who is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1, low-ticket merchants | $0.020 | Listed categories, including Convenience Stores (5499), Bakeries (5462), Dairy Product Stores (5451), and Candy, Nut, Confectionary Stores (5441) |
| Tier 2, high-volume merchants | $0.025 | Merchants with at least 20 million Interac tap transactions in the previous year |
| Tier 3 | $0.035 | Merchants not in Tier 1 or Tier 2 |
Grocery Stores and Supermarkets (5411) are not on the Tier 1 list. From $100.01 to $250, the tap fee is $0.055 for all merchants.
What a store pays for debit is its processor’s price. Published examples: Helcim lists 9.0¢ chip and PIN, 12.5¢ tap and 11.0¢ for “Interac Debit Flash (Quick-Service)” at Tier 1. Square Canada lists 0.75% + 7¢.
United States
Visa’s US sheet (rates effective April 18, 2026) has its own supermarket rows:
| Visa US program | Rate |
|---|---|
| CPS/Supermarket, Debit (exempt card) | $0.30 |
| CPS/Supermarket, Debit (regulated card) | 0.05% + $0.21 |
| Supermarket Credit, Traditional Rewards card | 1.18% + $0.05 (Tier 0) to 1.50% + $0.07 (“All Other”) |
| Supermarket Credit, Visa Infinite spend qualified | 1.65% + $0.05 to 2.00% + $0.07 |
A regulated card is a debit card from a large bank, under the US debit fee cap. See US Debit Fees: Regulation II (Durbin). Visa’s sheet sets out the tier criteria for supermarket rates.
Average ticket and why it matters
Your average ticket is your average sale: card sales divided by the number of card sales. With many small sales, the fixed cents in each fee are a bigger share of each sale. See Per-Transaction Fees.
Contract terms to read closely
- Which MCC the store is set up under, since it decides which program rates apply.
- Surcharges in Canada. See Surcharging Credit Cards in Canada.
- Monthly fees. See Statement and Monthly Fees.
Questions to ask a processor
- Which merchant category code is the store set up under?
- Are Visa’s grocery or gas program rates passed through on the statement?
- What is the price for Interac tap and chip-and-PIN sales?
Where to go from here
Related: Card Processing for Retail Stores, Card Processing for Gas Stations and Interac Debit: How It Is Priced.
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