A payment gateway does one job: securely move card data from your checkout to your processor. But it's billed as a separate line item by some providers and bundled invisibly by others — which makes it the easiest fee to miscompare. For a Canadian online store, the three realistic options are Moneris Gateway, Authorize.net, and Stripe's bundled model.
What a payment gateway actually bills you for
Strip away the branding and a gateway bills two things: a monthly access fee for the connection itself, and a per-transaction fee for each authorization that passes through it. Processing fees (interchange, processor markup) are separate and sit on top. Comparing gateways means comparing just these two lines — not the processing rate, which is a different decision.
The three options and their published schedules
| Moneris Gateway | Authorize.net (Gateway Only) | Stripe | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $25.00 (card-not-present) | $25/month | $0 (bundled) |
| Per transaction | $0.05 | 10¢ (+ 10¢ daily batch) | $0 (bundled into 2.9% + 30¢) |
| Setup | $50.00 | $0 | $0 |
Schedules checked 2026-10-11: Moneris's published rate sheets, Authorize.net's published pricing. Moneris also lists a $10/month card-present fee and a $6.95 monthly account service fee on the same rate sheet — those belong to in-person accounts, not a pure online gateway setup, so they stay out of the comparison below.
Worked math: the monthly gateway bill
Gateway fees only (processing separate):
| Transactions/month | Moneris Gateway | Authorize.net Gateway Only | Stripe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | $30.00 | $35.00 | $0 |
| 500 | $50.00 | $75.00 | $0 |
| 2,000 | $125.00 | $225.00 | $0 |
Moneris: $25 + transactions × $0.05. Authorize.net gateway-only: $25 + transactions × $0.10. Stripe charges no separate gateway fee — the gateway function is bundled into its 2.9% + 30¢ per-transaction rate. One more line to check on any gateway quote: the setup and batch fees. Authorize.net's gateway-only plan carries a 10¢ daily batch fee on top of the 10¢ per-transaction fee — trivial at volume, but exactly the kind of line item that shows why you read the schedule, not the headline. Moneris's $50 one-time gateway setup amortizes to about $4.17/month over the first year: noise, but worth knowing it exists before the first invoice lands.
The bundled alternative: Stripe's model
Stripe's $0 gateway line looks like a win — and on the gateway line alone, it is. The catch is that you're comparing a line item against a bundle: Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction absorbs the gateway cost into a higher processing rate. At 2,000 transactions of $50 each, Stripe's processing costs about $3,500 a month against Moneris's $125 gateway line plus whatever your Moneris processing rate is. The gateway comparison tells you the toll; the processing rate tells you the road. Price both.
When each wins
- Already processing with Moneris in person: Moneris Gateway keeps everything on one statement and one support line — the $25/month is usually the cheapest path to adding online.
- Need a standalone gateway with a separate processor: Authorize.net's gateway-only plan is the classic choice, with recurring billing and fraud tools included in the $25.
- Starting from zero online: Stripe — no setup fee, no monthly fee, no separate gateway line. Just know the gateway savings are funded by the 2.9% + 30¢ processing rate.
Note: this is a fee explainer, not a procedure guide — no steps here, just the gateway math to run at your transaction volume.
FAQ
Do I need a separate gateway if I use Stripe?
No. Stripe bundles the gateway function into its per-transaction rate — there is no separate monthly gateway fee or per-transaction gateway line.
What's the difference between Authorize.net's two $25 plans?
All-in-One ($25/month) includes processing at 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Gateway Only ($25/month) is just the gateway at 10¢ per transaction — you pair it with your own processor account.
Does Moneris Gateway work with any processor?
Moneris Gateway connects to Moneris processing. If you want a different processor, that's what the Authorize.net gateway-only model is for.