Average Credit Card Processing Fees in Canada by Industry
About the author
MyEZ Solutions is the author of this guide. The guides are written by the MyEZ Solutions team, covering published Canadian and US processing rates, interchange, and low-risk card processing. For a quote on your business, call 1-877-757-1170 or use Get a Quote.
There is no single average processing fee in Canada — a café and a contractor can pay very different effective rates on the same $30,000 month, because the fee is built from the cards your customers present, not your industry label. Interchange is set by card type; your mix of credit and Interac, in-person and online sales, and basic and premium cards decides the bill. This guide works out what five typical Canadian small businesses pay in 2026, from published rates only.
Run your own mix in the Canada calculator — it shows the MyEZ markup in dollars first, and only adds interchange as a clearly labelled estimate.
What decides your industry’s average
Five things move the number. First, the credit-to-Interac split: Interac debit is a flat 9¢ chip / 12.5¢ tap with MyEZ, not a percentage. Second, in-person versus online: online interchange is higher on every card — a basic Visa Classic costs 0.70% in person and 1.20% online. Third, the premium-card share: an Infinite Privilege costs 1.70% in person against 0.70% for a basic Classic (Visa Canada, October 24, 2026). Fourth, average ticket: a 30¢ online fee is 1.2% of a $25 sale and 0.06% of a $500 one. Fifth, volume: the MyEZ markup falls as volume rises, from +0.40% + 8¢ in person. The interchange categories are the same for every industry — what differs is the mix.
Flat rate ignores all five: Stripe charges 2.7% + 5¢ in person and 2.9% + 30¢ online on every card, and Square 2.5% in person and 2.8% + 30¢ online, with Interac at 0.75% + 7¢. That is why one business can pay under 1.4% on interchange-plus and nearly 3% on flat rate. The full tables are on the Interchange Rates page.
Average fees by industry: five worked months
The table works out five example months from published rates only — worked examples with stated mixes, not a survey: no one publishes an official average by industry. All five use the first MyEZ tier and Interac at the 9¢ chip rate, with interchange at the illustrative 1.60% average used across this site; the balance of each month is Interac, except trades and the gym.
| Industry | Example month | MyEZ (est.) | Stripe | Square |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant | $30,000 · 600 tx · $50 ticket · 60% credit · 90% in-person | $415.62 · 1.39% | $861 · 2.87% | $573.00 · 1.91% |
| Café | $20,000 · 800 tx · $25 ticket · 50% credit · 95% in-person | $270.65 · 1.35% | $592 · 2.96% | $360.50 · 1.80% |
| Retail | $30,000 · 400 tx · $75 ticket · 70% credit · 70% in-person | $466.43 · 1.55% | $878 · 2.93% | $645.00 · 2.15% |
| Trades | $40,000 · 80 tx · $500 ticket · 100% credit · 20% in-person | $830.08 · 2.08% | $1,164 · 2.91% | $1,115.20 · 2.79% |
| Gym | $25,000 · 500 tx · $50 ticket · 100% credit · 100% online | $612.50 · 2.45% | $875 · 3.50% | $850 · 3.40% |
Estimate only — MyEZ totals use an illustrative average interchange of 1.60% (interchange + network fees) on credit volume. Your actual interchange depends on the card type. The retail row is the site’s locked test month, so it matches the Canada calculator exactly.
Why cafés and restaurants pay the least
The cheapest bills belong to the businesses that take the most debit in person. In the café example, half the volume is Interac: 400 debit transactions cost $36 at the 9¢ chip rate, while that same $10,000 of debit volume would cost about $290 priced as credit cards on Stripe’s in-person rate. Small tickets help too: a 30¢ online fee is 1.2% of a $25 sale. If most of your sales are in person and your customers tap debit, your effective rate should sit near the bottom of the table — above 2%, you are almost certainly overpaying.
Why online and invoiced businesses pay the most
The gym and the contractor sit at the top of the table for the same reason: no Interac, and mostly online. Every online sale carries higher interchange, a higher markup (+0.45% + 20¢ against +0.40% + 8¢ in person) and a higher flat-rate fee (30¢ against 5¢). Large tickets blunt the per-transaction fees, but the percentages dominate: at 100% credit and 80% online, even interchange-plus lands at 2.08%, and flat rate at 2.91%. Recurring billing is the same story: 500 memberships at $50, all online and all credit, is the most expensive mix in the table at 2.45%. The fix is not a different card mix — it is a lower markup: the gap between the gym’s MyEZ and Stripe totals is $262.50 a month.
How to find your own average
Do not compare a flat rate to a markup directly — compare effective rates: total fees ÷ total volume, from a real statement, for the same month. Work out your own mix first — Interac share, in-person share, average ticket — then run it in the Canada calculator. Above 2% on a mostly in-person, mostly Interac mix, you are almost certainly overpaying; above 3% on any mix, you are paying flat-rate prices on cards that cost far less. Send a recent statement through Get a Quote and we will price your actual card mix line by line.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average credit card processing fee in Canada?
Which industry pays the lowest processing fees?
Why do online businesses pay more to process cards?
Do premium cards change the average?
How do I check whether my rate is fair?
Sources: Visa Canada interchange (Oct 24, 2026 edition); Mastercard Canada interchange (Aug 1, 2026 edition); Stripe Canada and Square Canada published pricing; MyEZ published pricing, checked November 2026.