Who they are
Stripe sells online and in-person card payments. Its pricing page describes “a complete payments platform with simple, pay-as-you-go pricing.” This page covers Stripe in Canada, using its Canadian pages.
Stripe’s acquirer disclosure says “Stripe Payments Canada, Ltd. is a Payment Facilitator” of Peoples Trust Company and PNC Bank Canada. A payment facilitator signs up businesses under its own agreement with an acquirer, the bank that handles card sales. More: Payment Processor vs Merchant Account.
How their pricing works
Stripe uses flat-rate pricing on its standard plan: one published rate per type of sale. Its pricing page says: “No setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden fees.”
Online (“Cards and wallets”):
| Type of sale | Rate |
|---|---|
| Domestic cards | 2.9% + CA$0.30 |
| Manually entered cards | +0.5% |
| International cards | +0.8% |
| Currency conversion needed | +2% |
| Interac debit online (card-not-present) | 2.9% + CA$0.30 |
The online Interac debit rate comes from Stripe’s Canadian regulatory disclosure, which lists Interac Debit at 2.9% + CA$0.30 card-not-present and CA$0.15 card-present. Interac’s own network interchange on online wallet payments is 0.60%, capped at $1.80; that is a fee the processor pays the customer’s bank, not a merchant price. See Interac Debit Online.
In person (Stripe Terminal):
| Type of sale | Rate |
|---|---|
| Most cards | 2.7% + CA$0.05 |
| Interac debit cards | CA$0.15 per transaction |
| International cards | 3.5% + CA$0.05 |
| Tap to Pay on a phone | +CA$0.15 per authorisation |
| Optional point-to-point encryption | +CA$0.06 per authorisation |
Other payment types: pre-authorised debits from a bank account at 1% + CA$0.40, capped at CA$5.00, with CA$1.00 per instant verification and CA$5.00 for failures and disputes. Klarna starts at 5.99% + CA$0.30.
Custom pricing. Stripe lists a “Custom” plan for “businesses with large payments volume or unique business models”, including “IC+ pricing” (interchange plus) and “Volume discounts”. The rates are not published. More on the models: Flat Rate vs Interchange Plus vs Tiered.
Payouts
Stripe’s own pages word the first payout differently:
| Stripe page | First payout | After that |
|---|---|---|
| Payouts documentation | 7 calendar days settlement timing; first payout “typically” scheduled “within 7–14 days, depending on your industry, country of operation, and risk level” | 3 business days |
| Support article, “Default payout speeds in Europe and Canada” | “a delay of 7 business days on your first payout” | the default speed of the market, “generally 3 business days” |
Settlement timing is how long before money is available. The 3-business-day speed applies to eligible accounts, per Stripe. The support article says “risk criteria might prevent your account from changing to the default payout speed,” and that “more transactions and time might give you access to default market speed.” The documentation says the same about the default settlement timing.
Payouts can be daily, weekly or monthly. Instant Payouts cost 1% of the payout, with a minimum of CA$0.60, according to the pricing page. Standard payouts are free.
Disputes and refunds
| Item | Published fee |
|---|---|
| Dispute received | CA$15.00 for each dispute (“In rare cases, network fees also apply”) |
| Dispute countered (answered manually) | CA$15.00, returned for won disputes |
| Smart Disputes (Stripe prepares the evidence) | 30% of the disputed amount for each dispute won |
| Refunds | “Stripe’s processing fees from the original transaction aren’t returned.” |
Stripe’s disputes documentation says a chargeback “immediately reverses the payment” and that Stripe then debits the merchant’s balance “for the payment amount and dispute fee.” More: Chargebacks.
What you will see on the statement
On flat rate, interchange and network fees are inside the one rate and do not show as separate lines. Stripe’s pricing page says the Dashboard shows “upcoming payouts, expected deposit dates, payout history, and more.”
Contract length and cancellation
- Term: Stripe’s services agreement says it continues “until User or Stripe terminates it”.
- Cancelling: “User may terminate this Agreement at any time by closing its Stripe Account via the Stripe Dashboard.”
- Fee changes: Stripe “will provide User with at least 30 days’ notice of any increase in a Fee or any new Fees for any Service that User is using.”
Hardware and what it costs
Prices from Stripe’s Canadian Terminal page:
| Reader | Price |
|---|---|
| BBPOS WisePad 3 | CA$79 |
| Stripe Reader S700 | CA$419 |
| Stripe Reader S710 | CA$419 |
Stripe also offers Tap to Pay, which takes contactless payments on a compatible iPhone or Android phone “without additional hardware”, at CA$0.15 per authorisation on top of the in-person rate. See Equipment Leases.
Limits and conditions to know about
- International cards add 0.8% online, and are 3.5% + CA$0.05 in person.
- Manually entered cards add 0.5%.
- First payouts take longer than later ones, and the 3-business-day speed is for eligible accounts, per Stripe.
Where to check their current pricing
- Stripe’s Canadian pricing page (stripe.com/en-ca/pricing).
- Stripe’s Terminal page for readers.
- Stripe’s documentation on payouts and disputes.
Side by side: Square vs Stripe and Stripe vs Helcim.
Where to go from here
On flat rate, the number that shows the full cost is the effective rate: total fees divided by total sales. The effective rate calculator works it out. More on Canada: card processing in Canada.
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