Underwriting for Canadian merchants banks decline — with surcharging rules that differ from the US in ways worth knowing before you price.
Canadian merchants in high-risk categories face the same problem as their US counterparts: mainstream processors exclude whole sectors by policy, and an account can be closed with little warning once the true nature of the business is understood.
Structure Payments underwrites those categories deliberately on both sides of the border. What changes in Canada is not the underwriting — it is the rules around what you may charge the customer for paying by card.
Permitted in every province except Quebec, but tightly bounded.
Since October 2022 Canadian merchants may surcharge credit card transactions, but never more than your actual cost of acceptance and never above 2.4% — whichever is lower.
Quebec provincial consumer protection law prohibits surcharging outright. If you have customers or locations there, those transactions cannot carry a surcharge.
Before starting a surcharge program you must notify Visa and Mastercard in writing, with 30 days' notice. This is a card brand requirement, not optional paperwork.
The surcharge must be communicated before payment and shown as its own line item on the receipt, not folded into the total.
Debit transactions are not eligible for surcharging anywhere in Canada, exactly as in the US.
Surcharging rules and card brand requirements change. Confirm what currently applies to your business and provinces before launching a program — we can walk you through it.
No drawn-out underwriting theatre. A real person, a real timeline, a real approval.
One short form and a quick document upload. Your dedicated rep reviews it the same day — no call-center runaround.
We match you to the right banking relationship and gateway for your industry, chargeback history and volume.
Credentials, gateway and cart integration go live. You're accepting cards — usually within about 48 hours of applying.
Yes, everywhere except Quebec. Since October 2022 Canadian merchants may surcharge credit card transactions up to their actual cost of acceptance, capped at a maximum of 2.4%. Quebec prohibits surcharging under provincial consumer protection law.
2.4%, or your actual cost of acceptance if that is lower. You may never charge customers more than what you pay the card network to accept the card.
Yes. You must notify Visa and Mastercard in writing 30 days before you begin surcharging, and the fee must appear as a separate line item on the customer's receipt.
Yes. Structure Payments underwrites high-risk merchants in Canada as well as the United States, with most accounts approved and processing within about 48 hours.
We do everything possible to get you approved, and most merchants are processing within about 48 hours. No obligation to see your real rate.