All guides

What the revised Code of Conduct (in effect since 30 October 2024) gives merchants: disclosures, 30-60 day fee notices, a 70-day penalty-free exit, renewal limits and more.

When a Canadian merchant may add a credit card surcharge, the 2.4% maximum, the cost-of-acceptance limit, notice and signage rules, debit and Quebec exceptions.

How the four card processing pricing models work, a side-by-side worked example in dollars, and how to tell which model is the best fit for your sales mix.

Which merchant processing charges usually carry GST/HST or QST and which are exempt financial services, how to read the tax on your statement, and input tax credits.

How Canadian merchants pay for Interac debit, why it is usually a flat fee per transaction, when that beats credit, and what to check in a quote.

The three layers inside every Canadian credit card fee, what drives interchange up or down, and which part of the fee a merchant can actually negotiate.

How card processing fees are built for Canadian small businesses, from interchange and network fees to markup, Interac debit, terminals and the 2026 rules.

What Visa and Mastercard's interchange reductions from 19 October 2024 mean for eligible Canadian small businesses, the thresholds, and how to see whether you got the saving.

Worked monthly card processing estimates for five kinds of Canadian small businesses, the inputs that move the total, and how to build your own estimate.

A method for comparing card processing quotes on the same month of sales, the documents to request under the Code of Conduct, and the non-price terms that decide fit.

A step-by-step method to find your real card processing cost from a monthly statement, split it into pass-through costs and markup, and spot fees that do not belong.

What Canadian online sellers pay to accept cards: card-not-present rates, gateway fees, fraud tools, cross-border and currency costs, with worked examples.

What a point-of-sale system costs a Canadian small business beyond card fees: software plans, add-ons, hardware, bundled processing and the cost of leaving.

How to work out whether switching card processors pays for itself, which one-time costs to count, how the Code of Conduct exit rights help, and a step-by-step switch plan.

Compare renting, buying and leasing a payment terminal in Canada over its useful life, with payback arithmetic, lease warnings and what the Code of Conduct says.

What a chargeback costs a Canadian merchant beyond the lost sale, how the dispute process works, evidence to keep, and practical ways to reduce disputes.

How Canadian card processing contracts handle term, automatic renewal and early termination fees, the limits set by the Code of Conduct, leases, and Quebec language rules.

The most common costly mistakes with merchant processing in Canada, composite examples, and the regulators and official sources to use: FCAC, Bank of Canada, OPC, CRA.

Why processors charge PCI programme and non-compliance fees, what PCI DSS validation means for a small business, how to stop a non-compliance fee, and PIPEDA links.

What the Retail Payment Activities Act means for merchants, which providers must register with the Bank of Canada, how to check the PSP registry, and what registration does not cover.

When card sales reach your bank account in Canada, why processors hold funds or keep reserves, how fees are deducted, and how to plan cash flow around payouts.