Free tool · surcharging
Should you surcharge?
Surcharging credit cards is legal in Canada — but the rules are strict, the cap is real, and every surcharged customer notices. Run the math, read the rules, and decide with your eyes open.
General information only — not legal advice. Confirm every rule with your acquirer before surcharging.
The math: what you could recover
Canada caps the surcharge at 2.4% or your actual cost of acceptance, whichever is lower. This calculator uses the 2.4% cap — the maximum you'd ever recover.
The rules, as sourced
Canadian credit-card surcharging rules, rendered from our rules file. General information only — not legal advice. Confirm every rule with your acquirer before surcharging.
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Compliance kit
The two things every compliant surcharge program needs: signage that discloses the surcharge before the sale, and a disclosure checklist your staff actually follow. Print this section and keep it at the till. Confirm the wording with your acquirer before it goes live.
Signage wording template
Post at the entrance and at the point of sale. Replace [X]% with the surcharge you set (no higher than 2.4% or your actual cost):
A credit card surcharge of [X]% applies to credit card payments.
Debit and Interac payments have no surcharge.
The surcharge is refunded if your purchase is refunded.
Template only — confirm the final wording with your acquirer. It must be visible before the customer decides to pay.
Disclosure checklist
- Disclose before the sale — signage at entry and point of sale, before the customer commits to paying.
- Itemize it on the receipt — the surcharge appears as its own line, separate from the goods and services.
- Refund the surcharge on refunds — a refunded purchase means a refunded surcharge, every time.
- Credit cards only — never apply it to debit or Interac.
- Stay under the cap — no higher than 2.4% or your actual cost of acceptance, whichever is lower.
- Confirm registration with your acquirer — notice/registration requirements exist and change; get the current mechanics in writing.
Surcharging is a bandage. The audit fixes the wound.
Before you pass costs to your customers, find out what you're actually paying. The audit often finds the savings that make surcharging unnecessary.
Start your free audit