Guides

Payment-processing guides

91 guides · every fee, named and priced

• Processor comparisons (13)
• Processor deep-dives (18)
• Interchange & wholesale pricing (4)
• Fee types, decoded (16)
• Surcharging & cash discounts (5)
• Switching & negotiation guides (7)
• Terminals & hardware (8)
• Industry guides (15)
• Operations & cash flow (8)

Processor comparisons (13)

• Monthly Minimum Fees: The Threshold That Bills Your Quietest Months — FeeDecoder

  A monthly minimum is a threshold, not a fee: you pay the shortfall in quiet months. Why only the markup counts, the $6,250 break-even example, and the fix procedure.

• Adyen vs Stripe for Canadian Enterprise: the Volume Threshold — FeeDecoder

  Adyen vs Stripe for Canadian enterprise: Interchange++ vs blended pricing with the volume threshold worked in CAD — plus Stripe's enterprise IC+ option.

• Chase vs Moneris Canada: the Bank-Linked Acquirer Question — FeeDecoder

  Chase vs Moneris Canada: the US bank-linked acquirer against Canada's RBC/BMO joint venture. What the banking tie buys, volume floors, and quote questions.

• Chase vs TD Merchant Services in Canada: Published Rates vs Quote-Only — FeeDecoder

  Chase Payment Solutions (via Scotiabank) vs TD Merchant Solutions: Chase's published Canadian rates, TD's quote-only model, and how to compare them fairly.

• Clover vs Square POS Canada: First-Year True Cost & the Reseller Trap — FeeDecoder

  Clover vs Square POS Canada: first-year true cost worked, the reseller channel trap (36-month terms, hidden fees, predatory leases), and the lock-in question.

• Elavon vs Global Payments Canada: the Junk-Fee Audit — FeeDecoder

  Elavon vs Global Payments Canada: neither publishes rates, so compare what their statements reveal — hidden fees, 2026 rate hikes, and the questions that force a real quote.

• Interchange-Plus vs Flat-Rate Processing in Canada: Worked Math — FeeDecoder

  Interchange-plus vs flat-rate credit card processing in Canada: what each model costs, the four parts inside your rate, and worked math for a Toronto retailer at $40,000/month.

• Lightspeed Payments vs Toast Payments Canada — FeeDecoder

  Lightspeed Payments vs Toast Payments Canada: processor freedom against restaurant depth. The BYO-processor math, Toast's plan-tier trap, and the home-field question.

• Moneris vs Global Payments Canada: Published Pricing, Contract Terms, Who Fits Whom — FeeDecoder

  Moneris vs Global Payments in Canada: what each acquirer actually publishes, what stays quote-only, the contract questions that matter, and which merchant profile fits which.

• Nuvei vs Bambora Canada: Global Platform vs Gateway — FeeDecoder

  Nuvei vs Bambora Canada: Montreal's global payment platform against Victoria's gateway-first veteran. Fit, contract terms, and the questions that force a real quote.

• Shopify Payments vs Stripe Canada: the Third-Party Penalty — FeeDecoder

  Shopify Payments vs Stripe Canada: the 0.5–2% third-party gateway penalty is the whole decision on Shopify. Worked CAD break-evens and the multi-channel escape.

• Square vs Helcim Canada: Rates, the Debit-Tax Gap & the $10K Crossover — FeeDecoder

  Square vs Helcim Canada: flat-rate simplicity against interchange-plus transparency. Worked CAD math, the Interac debit gap, and who each processor fits.

• Stripe vs Moneris Canada: Pricing, the Interac Hole & Contracts — FeeDecoder

  Stripe vs Moneris Canada: what Moneris actually publishes, Stripe's missing Interac debit, chargeback fees, and who fits whom. Worked math included.

• TD Merchant Solutions vs Global Payments Canada — FeeDecoder

  TD Merchant Solutions vs Global Payments Canada: published interchange tables and Code of Conduct protections against quote-only scale and 2026's rate hikes.

Processor deep-dives (19)

• Adyen Pricing for Canadian Businesses: Interchange++ and the Minimums — FeeDecoder

  Adyen pricing for Canadian businesses: how Interchange++ works, the Canada fee-disclosure figures, monthly minimums, and whether Adyen onboards small merchants.

• Bambora Pricing Canada: Worldline's SMB Brand, Last Published Rates — FeeDecoder

  Bambora pricing Canada: the last published Canadian rates, the TD Bank month-to-month terms, why partner quotes vary, and worked math for a $20,000/month store.

• Chase Merchant Services Canada: The Published Rate Card, Decoded — FeeDecoder

  Chase Merchant Services Canada (via Scotiabank): the published rate card, the fee waivers, the online-pricing gap, and worked math for a $25,000/month retailer.

• Clover POS Canada Pricing: Hardware, Software Plans, Bundle Math — FeeDecoder

  Clover POS pricing in Canada: published hardware prices, software plan tiers, the 36-month bundle math vs buying outright, and the Fiserv lock-in to understand first.

• Costco Elavon Canada Review: Published Rates, Membership Math, Who It Suits — FeeDecoder

  Elavon's Costco member pricing in Canada: the published tiered rate card, the $10 monthly minimum, Executive vs non-Executive membership math, and the current signup credit.

• Elavon Canada Beyond Costco: Direct Pricing Without the Warehouse — FeeDecoder

  Elavon Canada beyond Costco: direct-channel pricing vs the Costco tiers, the ETF wording trap, and the channel math for a $30,000/month business.

• Worldpay Payment Processing in Canada: Pricing Model, Local Acquiring, Questions to Ask — FeeDecoder

  Worldpay Canada decoded: direct domestic acquiring, the FINTRAC-registered Canadian entity, Platforms in Canada, the Global Payments takeover, and the benchmark math a quote has to beat.

• Airwallex Payment Processing in Canada: Pricing, Early-Access Acceptance, Interac — FeeDecoder

  Airwallex Canada decoded: acceptance is early access, the fee schedule's 2.50%/3.50% card rates, the 0.5% FX markup, and the Interac e-Transfer vs debit distinction.

• Checkout.com Payment Processing in Canada: Pricing Model, Real Costs, Questions to Ask — FeeDecoder

  Checkout.com publishes no rate card: the two pricing structures, the no-fee commitments, minimum-billing and reserve mechanics, and the questions that force a real quote.

• Fiserv Payment Processing in Canada: Pricing Model, Real Costs, Questions to Ask — FeeDecoder

  Fiserv Canada publishes no rate card: the interchange pass-through model, interchange-plus vs tiered vs Clover's published card, the increase record, and the questions that force a real quote.

• Helcim Pricing in Canada: Interchange-Plus, Hardware, and an Honest Fit — FeeDecoder

  Helcim's interchange-plus pricing in Canada: the published 0.40% + 8¢ model, hardware costs, the effective-rate math, and who should (and shouldn't) choose it.

• Lightspeed Payments in Canada: Rates, the POS Lock-In, and Who It's Cheap For — FeeDecoder

  Lightspeed Payments Canada: the published 2.6% + 10¢ rate, plan costs stacked, the POS-tied processing lock-in, and who actually wins on flat-rate pricing.

• Moneris Go Pricing Plans: The Hardware Rental, Decoded — FeeDecoder

  Moneris Go pricing plans: Go Terminal vs Go Retail vs Go Restaurant vs Tap-to-Pay, the $1,258 hardware rental math, and the 36-month total vs buying outright.

• Nuvei Payment Processing Review: Montreal's Giant, Priced for the Big Leagues — FeeDecoder

  Nuvei payment processing review for Canada: the quote-only pricing, what Canadian merchant reviews actually say, and the numbers a Nuvei quote has to beat.

• Paysafe Canada Pricing: Interchange-Plus With a Three-Year Tail — FeeDecoder

  Paysafe Canada pricing: the negotiable interchange-plus markup, the three-year contract and $495+ exit fee, and the three-year total cost worked with real numbers.

• Processor Rate Guide — Published Canadian Rates | FeeDecoder

  Independently researched Canadian processor rates: published flat rates and interchange-plus markups from Moneris, Square, Stripe, TD, and Helcim, plus the quote-only processors. Every figure carries its source and check date.

• Shopify Payments Canada Fees: The Two Layers, Decoded — FeeDecoder

  Shopify Payments Canada fees in 2026: current plan-by-plan rates, the external-gateway surcharge, and the reserve/hold risk — with worked math for a $30,000/month store.

• Square Canada Fees 2026: The Published Canadian Rate Card — FeeDecoder

  Square's Canadian processing rates, channel by channel: in-person, Interac debit, online, invoices, and keyed-in — plus the rate discrepancy to watch and a $40,000/month worked example.

• Stripe Canada Pricing Deep Dive: Domestic, International Cards, Billing Add-Ons — FeeDecoder

  Stripe's Canadian rates: domestic 2.9% + CA$0.30, the international-card surcharge, in-person vs online, and the Billing and Invoicing add-ons that stack on subscription businesses.

• TD Merchant Solutions Fees: What the Bank Won't Publish — FeeDecoder

  TD Merchant Solutions fees: no public rate card exists, but TD's interchange sheets are public. How to read them, the only verifiable numbers, and the quote checklist.

• Toast for Canadian Restaurants: Hardware, Software, Processing — the Full Bundle Math — FeeDecoder

  Toast POS Canada: Starter CA$120, Essentials CA$220, hardware, add-ons, and the processing lock-in — the full bundle math for a Canadian restaurant.

• Worldline Canada Merchant Fees: The Quote-Only Reality — FeeDecoder

  Worldline Canada merchant fees: why no public rate card exists, how the Bambora channel prices, and the five questions that get you a real quote.

Interchange & wholesale pricing (4)

• Interchange Downgrades: Why the Quoted Rate Isn't the Rate You Pay — FeeDecoder

  Interchange downgrades explained: the three reasons transactions miss their quoted rate, a worked settled-vs-quoted example, and how to spot downgrades on your statement.

• Visa & Mastercard Interchange Rates in Canada (2026): The Tables, Decoded — FeeDecoder

  Visa and Mastercard's published Canadian interchange rates translated into dollars per $100 sale — plus the small-merchant discount and what changed in October 2026.

• Level 2 and Level 3 Processing for B2B: The Invoice Math — FeeDecoder

  Level 2 and Level 3 card processing for B2B: what the extra data is worth on a real invoice, the three conditions that must all hold, and the gateway question to ask first.

• Tiered Pricing Explained (Canada): Qualified, Mid-Qualified, Non-Qualified — FeeDecoder

  Tiered pricing in Canada: what qualified, mid-qualified, and non-qualified rates mean, the fee-stacking trap worked with Canadian numbers, and the one-statement test for leaving.

Fee types, decoded (16)

• QR Code Payments in Canada: Fees, Limits, and Where They Fit at Checkout

  In Canada a checkout QR code is usually a link to an online card checkout, priced at card-not-present rates — not a separate payment rail, and not Interac. Square Canada payment-link sales at 2.8% + 30¢ versus 2.5% for an in-person tap, checked October 2026.

• Early Termination Fees in Canada: The Exit Clause, Decoded — FeeDecoder

  Flat, prorated or liquidated damages: how exit fees are calculated, the auto-renewal trap, the separate-lease problem, and the Code of Conduct's 90-day penalty-free cancellation window.

• American Express Acceptance in Canada: The Real Cost — FeeDecoder

  Amex acceptance in Canada: the two pricing paths (direct vs OptBlue), published Canadian wholesale discount rates, and the accept-or-decline math.

• Authorization, Decline & Voice-Auth Fees in Canada: The Cost of Every Attempt — FeeDecoder

  Authorization fees in Canada: what you pay per approved or declined transaction, voice authorization fees ($0.65-$3.50), and Mastercard's hidden integrity fees — with the decline-waste math.

• AVS Fees in Canada: What Address Verification Costs Per Transaction — FeeDecoder

  AVS (address verification) fees in Canada: what Visa and Mastercard actually charge per check, how processors mark it up, and when strict AVS pays for itself.

• Batch Fees and Statement Fees: The Small Charges That Add Up — FeeDecoder

  Batch fees ($0.10–$0.25/day) and statement fees ($5–$15/month): what they are, the 3-year math, a numbered find-it-on-your-statement procedure, and the negotiation script.

• Visa Account Updater & Mastercard ABU Fees: The Cost of Stale Cards — FeeDecoder

  Card updater fees explained: how Visa Account Updater and Mastercard ABU pricing works, the hidden penalty for billing stale credentials, and the worked ROI for subscription businesses.

• Chargeback Alert Fees (Ethoca, Verifi, RDR): Per-Alert Pricing & the VAMP Catch — FeeDecoder

  Chargeback alert fees in Canada: what Ethoca, Verifi CDRN, and Visa RDR cost per alert, the true $211.50 cost of 'preventing' one dispute, and why alerts don't protect your VAMP ratio.

• Chargeback Fees in Canada ($15–$25) and Representment: The Real Cost of a Dispute — FeeDecoder

  The real cost of one Canadian chargeback: the $20 CAD dispute fee, the six-line bill, representment costs, the 2026 VAMP threshold change, and a numbered prevention checklist.

• Cross-Border Card Fees in Canada: The 0.40–1% Nobody Quotes — FeeDecoder

  US cards at Canadian merchants carry cross-border assessment fees of 0.40% to 1.00%. Visa's and Mastercard's tables, when each rate fires, and what it costs on real volume.

• Interac vs Credit in Canada: The Flat-Fee vs Percentage Math — FeeDecoder

  Interac's flat cents versus credit's percentage: the crossover math at your ticket size, Interac's real fee tiers, and what you can (and can't) do to shift the mix.

• Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) Fees in Canada: The Merchant's Side — FeeDecoder

  Dynamic currency conversion from the merchant's side: who sets the DCC rate, who keeps the markup, Mastercard's offer rules, and whether a Canadian business should enable it.

• The Hidden Fees Payment Processors Don't Put on the Rate Sheet — FeeDecoder

  Termination fees, monthly minimums, PCI and statement fees: the charges that never appear on the rate sheet, and the before-you-sign checklist from four processor migrations.

• PCI Compliance Fees Explained: The Annual Fee, the Penalty, and How to Verify Your SAQ — FeeDecoder

  The PCI compliance fee ($79–$120/yr) vs the PCI non-compliance penalty ($19.95–$49.95/mo): what each line item means, who charges it, and the numbered procedure to verify your SAQ status.

• Refund Fee Policies: Which Processors Keep the Fee — FeeDecoder

  Stripe, Square, PayPal and Helcim all keep the original processing fee when you refund. The sourced policy table, the true cost per $100 refunded, and the same-day void that avoids it.

• Tip Adjust on Card Payments: The Fees and the Batching Mistake — FeeDecoder

  How tip adjustments change your effective processing rate, the 20% authorization-tolerance trap, and the nightly tip procedure that avoids the batching mistake.

Surcharging & cash discounts (5)

• Cash Discount Programs in Canada: How They Differ From Surcharging — FeeDecoder

  Cash discount programs vs credit card surcharges in Canada: what the Code of Conduct allows, the receipt math on a $100 sale, and the compliance checklist before you launch.

• Convenience Fees in Canada: Who Can Charge Them & How They Differ from Surcharges — FeeDecoder

  Convenience fees in Canada: the surcharge vs convenience fee vs service fee distinction, who is actually eligible, the choose-one rule, and disclosure duties.

• Dual Pricing vs Surcharging: The Distinction Merchants Get Wrong — FeeDecoder

  Dual pricing vs surcharging explained: two displayed prices versus one price plus a fee — the tripwire that converts one into the other, with Canadian compliance notes.

• Credit Card Surcharging Rules in Canada (2026): The Merchant's Rulebook — FeeDecoder

  Canada's credit-card surcharge rules: the 2.4% cap, the advance-notice requirement, disclosure rules, brand vs product level — the compliance procedure in order.

• Tip vs Surcharge vs Cash Discount: The Decision Framework — FeeDecoder

  Tip vs surcharge vs cash discount: one framework for choosing between the three levers, with worked math on the same sale and the Canadian rules that bind each choice.

Switching & negotiation guides (7)

• Effective Rate Benchmarks for Canadian Retail, Restaurants and Services — FeeDecoder

  What counts as a good effective processing rate in Canada — retail, restaurant, and service-sector benchmarks, and the 60-second calculation that tells you where you stand.

• Example Savings Walkthrough — FeeDecoder

  A fully worked, step-by-step comparison of flat-rate vs interchange-plus pricing on a hypothetical $30,000/month business — with every assumption shown. Illustrative only.

• Negotiating Your Processing Rates: The Call Script — FeeDecoder

  The exact call script for negotiating lower processing rates: what to ask for, the five leverage points in order, and what success sounds like.

• Payment Processor Contract Red Flags: The Before-You-Sign Checklist — FeeDecoder

  Auto-renewal, liquidated damages, exclusivity, equipment leases: the processor-specific contract red flags and the numbered before-you-sign checklist.

• Reading Your Processing Statement — FeeDecoder

  A plain-English map of your card processing statement: line-item anatomy, interchange vs flat-rate vs tiered pricing, and where markups and junk fees hide.

• Switching Processors: The Checklist — FeeDecoder

  What changing card processors actually involves: contract and early-termination check, terminal reprogramming, settlement cutover timing, staff training, and the first-statement review.

• The 30-60-90 Day Processor Switching Plan — FeeDecoder

  Switch payment processors without downtime: the 30-60-90 day plan with overlap, terminal swap, staff training, and the done checklist.

Terminals & hardware (8)

• Mobile Card Readers Compared in Canada: Square, Zettle, Helcim — FeeDecoder

  Square, Zettle, and Helcim mobile readers for Canadian merchants: published CAD hardware prices, rate structures, Zettle's Canadian status, and who each suits by volume.

• Mobile vs Countertop Terminals: Which Fits Your Business — FeeDecoder

  Mobile vs countertop terminals, decided by workflow: the decision matrix for Canadian merchants, the Canadian specifics, and when running both pays for itself.

• POS Terminal Buy vs Lease: The 4-Year TCO Worked With Real Prices — FeeDecoder

  Buy vs lease TCO for one card terminal over four years: the complete buy ledger (terminal + spare + repairs) against the lease ledger, with published prices and the honest uptime case for leasing.

• Tap-to-Pay on Your Phone (SoftPOS) in Canada: Who Offers It and What It Saves — FeeDecoder

  Tap-to-pay on phone in Canada: Square and Moneris SoftPOS compared, published pricing, and the hardware-savings math of skipping the terminal.

• POS Terminal Comparison — Canadian Prices, Sourced | FeeDecoder

  Side-by-side Canadian POS terminal comparison: Moneris Go, Square Terminal, Square Reader, Helcim Smart Terminal, and Square Stand. Prices, lease and financing terms, and key specs — every figure sourced and dated.

• Terminal Connectivity Troubleshooting Guide — FeeDecoder

  Terminal not connecting? The 10-minute diagnostic in likelihood order — power, cable, router, ISP, processor — plus the offline fallback that keeps you selling.

• Terminal Lease Traps: The $40/Month 48-Month Lease vs a $300 Purchase — FeeDecoder

  The true cost of a $40/month 48-month terminal lease ($1,920+), the non-cancellable clause walked through, post-term auto-renewal, and the lease math against published terminal prices.

• Void vs Refund at the Terminal: The Same-Day Habit That Saves Fees — FeeDecoder

  Void vs refund at the terminal: why voiding before the batch saves the percentage fee, the staff SOP for getting it right, and the Interac debit exception.

Industry guides (15)

• Payment Processing for Farmers' Market Vendors in Canada: Connectivity, Readers, and Market-Day Math

  Canadian farmers' market vendors face a connectivity problem before a pricing problem. Square's offline mode, its $100 default per-transaction limit, four conflicting published Square Canada rate quotes reconciled, and per-ticket math on $5, $10 and $20 sales — checked October 2026.

• B2B Wholesale Payment Processing in Canada: Level 2/3, the 2026 CEDP Change, and the $25,000-Invoice Math — FeeDecoder

  B2B wholesale payment processing in Canada: Level 2/3 optimization vs Visa's 2026 CEDP change, worked $25,000-invoice math three ways, and vendor comparison with reviews.

• Ecommerce Fraud Prevention Tools Compared — FeeDecoder

  Ecommerce fraud prevention tools compared for small stores: the free built-in layer, scoring vs chargeback-guarantee models, and when a paid tool earns its keep.

• E-commerce Gateway Fees in Canada: Moneris, Authorize.net, Stripe — FeeDecoder

  Payment gateway fees for Canadian online stores: Moneris Gateway's published schedule vs Authorize.net's $25/month plans vs Stripe's bundled model, worked at three transaction volumes.

• Hotel Pre-Authorizations: How Holds Work and What They Cost You — FeeDecoder

  Hotel credit-card pre-authorizations explained: how holds work, why guests see double charges (and the procedure that prevents it), and where the hospitality flow raises processing costs.

• Marketplace Payment Facilitation in Canada: Connect Pricing, Payout Splits, and FINTRAC — FeeDecoder

  Marketplace payment facilitation in Canada: who pays the fee on split payouts (direct vs destination charges), worked $100-order math, FINTRAC compliance, and refund costs.

• Payment Processing for Auto Repair Shops in Canada: Surcharge Rules and the $600-Ticket Math — FeeDecoder

  Payment processing fees for Canadian auto repair shops: worked math on $600 average tickets, Canadian surcharge rules (cap, Quebec exception), and a dated processor comparison.

• Payment Processing for Contractors and Trades in Canada: Card Fees vs Bank Transfer on Big Invoices — FeeDecoder

  Payment processing for Canadian contractors: what cards cost at $500, $5,000, and $50,000 job sizes, when bank transfer wins, surcharge rules for deposits, and field payment options.

• Payment Processing for Dental Clinics in Canada: Fees, Debit Steering, and the Real Monthly Math — FeeDecoder

  Payment processing fees for Canadian dental clinics: what card-present, online, and Interac payments actually cost, worked monthly math at $60,000, and a dated processor comparison.

• Payment Processing for Pharmacies in Canada: Small Tickets, Debit Steering, and High-Risk Fees — FeeDecoder

  Payment processing for pharmacies in Canada: Helcim, Square and Moneris rates checked 2026-10-18, a $60,000 worked month, debit steering, and the $950/$500 high-risk registration fees.

• Payment Processing for Childcare Centres in Canada: PAD vs Credit Cards for Tuition — FeeDecoder

  Childcare tuition collection in Canada priced 2026-10-18: Rotessa and bank PAD at about $0.50 a payment vs $2,264-$2,344 a month in card fees for 80 families, plus CWELCC and PAD notice rules.

• Payment Processing for Self-Storage Facilities in Canada: Recurring Rent, Software Limits, and Failed Payments — FeeDecoder

  Self-storage payment processing in Canada priced 2026-10-18: a 200-unit month at $743-$930 by card vs $125 by PAD, Storable Easy's Moneris/Authorize.net limit, and failed-payment costs.

• Payment Processing for Veterinary Clinics in Canada: Fees, Deposits, and Worked Cost Math — FeeDecoder

  Payment processing for veterinary clinics in Canada: Helcim, Jane, Square and Moneris rates checked 2026-10-15, debit steering for small balances, and a $40,000-a-month worked example.

• Payment Processing for Physiotherapy Clinics in Canada: Direct Billing, Small Balances, and Worked Cost Math — FeeDecoder

  Payment processing for physiotherapy and health clinics in Canada: Jane Payments, Helcim and Square rates checked 2026-10-15, direct billing's effect on card volume, no-show charges, and a worked $18,000 example.

• Payment Processing for Law Firms in Canada: Trust Accounts, Retainers, and Worked Cost Math — FeeDecoder

  Payment processing for law firms in Canada: trust versus operating routing, who pays the fee on a retainer, Clio's $20 CAD chargeback rule, Helcim/Square/Stripe rates checked 2026-10-15, and a $50,000 worked example.

• Payment Processing for Seasonal Retailers and Holiday Pop-Ups in Canada: Idle-Month Fees and Worked Cost Math — FeeDecoder

  Payment processing for seasonal retailers and holiday pop-ups in Canada: Square, Helcim and Moneris checked 2026-10-15, terminal rentals and idle-month fees, small-business interchange expansion, and a 10-week season worked example.

• Payment Processing for Food Trucks in Canada: Mobile Readers, Offline Mode, and the Rush-Hour Math — FeeDecoder

  Payment processing for Canadian food trucks: mobile reader comparison with Canadian rates, offline-mode decline risk priced, and worked cost math on $12 tickets.

• Payment Processing for Nonprofits and Charities in Canada: Donation Fees and the Real Cost per Dollar Raised — FeeDecoder

  Payment processing for Canadian charities: CanadaHelps vs direct processors vs e-transfer worked per $100 donation, the charity MCC 8398 interchange discount, and donor-covers-fee math.

• Recurring Billing for Gyms & Studios: The Failed-Payment Math — FeeDecoder

  Card-on-file fees for gyms and studios, what one failed $60 dues payment really costs, and a dunning sequence with a stop-loss rule.

• Salon and Spa Processing Fees in Canada: Booking-App Rates, No-Show Deposits, and the Real Monthly Bill — FeeDecoder

  Salon and spa processing fees in Canada: Vagaro vs Booksy vs Square with Canadian-published rates, no-show deposit economics, and a worked 4-chair monthly bill.

• Subscription Billing Fees for Canadian SaaS: the True All-In Cost of Stripe vs Merchant-of-Record — FeeDecoder

  Subscription billing fees for Canadian SaaS: Stripe's true stacked cost (payments + Billing + cross-border + disputes) vs Paddle, worked at $20,000 MRR, plus failed-payment math.

• Vending and Unattended Payments in Canada: Reader Fees, the $2-Vend Problem, and the Cashless Payback — FeeDecoder

  Vending and unattended payments in Canada: the full reader fee stack, the $2-vend unit economics, hidden cash-handling costs, and payback math with 2026 pricing.

Operations & cash flow (8)

• Same-Day & Next-Day Funding Fees: What Faster Deposits Cost — FeeDecoder

  Accelerated funding fees: what same-day, next-day, and instant deposits cost, the cutoff paradox that makes 'slower' funding deliver cash sooner, and the eligibility gates.

• The Chargeback Prevention Playbook for Canadian Merchants — FeeDecoder

  A chargeback prevention playbook for Canadian merchants: the three prevention layers ranked by cost, the tools compared, and the 7-step evidence procedure that works under Visa's 2026 VAMP thresholds.

• Funding Delays and Cash-Flow Timing for Merchants — FeeDecoder

  Where's your money? A merchant's diagnostic for funding delays: batch-cutoff delay vs risk hold vs rolling reserve, dated funding timelines, and the weekly loop that keeps deposits predictable.

• Interac Debit Routing & Costs in Canada: Which Rail Your Tap Uses — FeeDecoder

  Interac debit routing in Canada: which network your customer's tap actually uses, Interac Flash fee tiers in dollars, the Visa Debit hybrid model, and the 2010 rule that ended merchant routing choice.

• Multi-Location Payment Processing Setup — FeeDecoder

  Multi-location payment processing setup for 2–10 stores: one MID or one per location, what to standardize, the volume-consolidation negotiation, and the reporting-to-books handoff.

• PCI Compliance Checklist for Small Business — FeeDecoder

  A PCI compliance checklist for small business: the 9 steps in order, which SAQ applies to you, what PCI DSS 4.0 changed, and the fee math that makes the checklist pay for itself.

• Recurring Billing Setup Without the Fee Traps — FeeDecoder

  Set up recurring billing the right way: map the full fee stack first, wire account updater and dunning on day one, and know the failure-rate numbers that prove it works.

• Rolling Reserves & Holdbacks in Canada: The Cash-Flow Math & Negotiation Playbook — FeeDecoder

  Rolling reserves and holdbacks explained: the three reserve structures, what 10% rolling really locks up, the 35% ceiling, and how Canadian merchants negotiate reserves down.