Surcharging For Canadian Businesses
Built to help merchants offset rising credit card fees. Compliant surcharging in Canada that keeps your business protected and your customers informed.
Compliant with Canadian Code of Conduct for Credit & Debit Card Payments.
What Is Credit Card Surcharging
Surcharging means adding a small fee when a customer pays by credit card. Instead of your margin shrinking every time someone taps a rewards card, the customer who chooses credit covers the cost. Debit and cash prices stay the same, and your business keeps more of every sale.
- Applies only when customers choose to pay by credit card
- Debit, cash, and Interac remain at your regular price
- The surcharge is clearly displayed and printed on the receipt
- You receive the full sale amount, and the fee covers the processing cost
When accepting a credit card payment
Your Fee
0%
Customer Fee
2.4%
Who surcharging helps most
Businesses that want to keep their margins without raising prices.
Low Margin, High Volume
Businesses where every percent matters. Think quick service restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, grab and go, and convenience stores that see hundreds of small tickets every day.
Card Heavy Customers
Businesses where most customers pay by credit card and love their points. Surcharging lets them keep the rewards while you stop absorbing the fee on every tap.
Service and appointment based
Salons, barbers, auto shops, clinics, and professional services that book in advance and want simple, predictable pricing on every invoice.
Start Surcharging In Canada Today
Stop paying fees. Start investing in growth.
How Surcharging Works
1
Quick check on your business
We confirm you are a good fit for surcharging, review your average ticket size, and check your current processor costs.
2
Set compliant surcharge rates
We configure your terminal or software with a surcharge rate that stays within Canadian card network rules and your comfort level.
3
Transparent customer notices
Your receipts, on screen prompts, and optional signage clearly show when a surcharge will apply so there are no surprises.
4
You receive the full sale amount
The surcharge is added to the customer’s total, and the fee covers your credit card processing cost. Debit and cash stay at your regular price.
5
Ongoing support and reporting
We monitor your statements with you and adjust if needed. If you ever want to pause surcharging, we can switch you back to standard pricing.
Keep more of what you earn
Stop absorbing credit card fees. Start protecting your margins.
Traditional Processing vs Surcharging Program
| Traditional Processing | Surcharging Program | |
| 💳 Who pays credit fees | Your business | Customer choosing credit |
| 💳 Debit transactions | You pay per-transaction fee | Same low cost, no surcharge |
| 🧾 Monthly statement | Fees pulled from your margin | Margin protected on credit card sales |
| 👤 Customer experience | Same price for all methods | Customer sees small fee only when choosing credit |
| ⚙️ Control | Hard to see true cost per sale | Clear reporting, easy to adjust or turn off |
Frequently asked questions
Surcharging on credit cards is allowed in Canada (except in Québec) within card network rules and provincial guidelines. There are caps on how much you can surcharge, and notices must be clear. We set up your program to follow current rules and we always recommend that merchants confirm any specific legal questions with their own advisor.
No. Surcharges apply only to credit card transactions. Interac and debit transactions follow different pricing and cannot be surcharged.
In practice, most customers keep using credit cards because they value their rewards. A small percentage switch to debit or cash, which still reduces your card costs. We can start with a small pilot and review the results with you.
You keep full control. If you decide surcharging is not right for you, we can switch you back to standard pricing and remove the surcharge from your terminals.
Yes. We provide terminals that fully support surcharging. Plus, you get fast, local support whenever you need help.
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada – Code of Conduct
https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/industry/laws-regulations/credit-debit-code-conduct.html
See How Much Credit Card Surcharging Could Save Your Business
Send us a recent statement, and we will show you what your processing costs would look like with surcharging turned on, with clear math and no obligation.