In addition to your Discount Rate, Per Transaction Fee, Card Brand Fee, any Interchange Adjustments and Non-Qual Surcharge you agreed to in Section D of the Card Acceptance Form, you also agree to pay the following Pass Through Fees regulated by the Payment Card Networks including Visa®, Mastercard®, Discover®, and Interac® whose cards you accept and these fees may change from time to time at the Payment Card Networks discretion.
For detailed descriptions of these pass through fees, refer to the Pass Through Rates and Description Table below.
Interchange Rates
Interchange is the amount that Acquirers such as First Data Canada are required to pay Card Issuers by way of the Payment Card Networks such as Visa, Mastercard, and Discover for each credit or debit card transaction you process. Interchange rates are set and regulated by the Payment Card Networks and can vary by card type and method of acceptance. Interchange rates are also subject to periodic changes as determined by the individual Payment Card Networks. Click here for current and future Interchange rates a published by the Payment Card Networks.
Pass Through Rates and Description Table
Fee | Cost | Fee Description |
Mastercard Acquirer Assessment Fee | 0.0983% | Assessed to all Mastercard transactions. |
Visa Acquirer Assessment Fee | 0.1017% | Assessed to all Visa transactions. |
Discover Acquirer Assessment Fee | 0.0700% | Assessed to all Discover transactions.
|
Amex OptBlue Acquirer Assessment Fee (Network Fee) | 0.1200% | Assessed to all Amex/JCB transactions. |
UnionPay (UPI) Acquirer Assessment Fee | 0.1000% | Assessed to all UPI Credit and Debit card transactions. |
Mastercard Cross Border Assessment Fee - Canadian Currency | 0.6780% | Assessed to all Mastercard transactions when the country codes of the merchant and the cardholder differ and when the transaction currency is in Canadian Dollars. |
Mastercard Cross Border Assessment Fee - Non-Canadian Currency | 1.1300% | Assessed to all Mastercard transactions when the country codes of the merchant and the cardholder differ and when the transaction currency is other than Canadian Dollars. |
Mastercard Utility Fee | USD $0.0226 | Assessed to all Mastercard transactions for merchants with MCC 4900. |
Mastercard Preauthorization Fee | 0.0565% with minimum fee of USD $0.0113 | Assessed to all Mastercard preauthorized transactions. |
Mastercard Connectivity Fee | USD $0.0000089 per byte rounded up to the nearest kilobyte. | Assessed on all Mastercard transactions. |
Mastercard Digital Enablement Fee | 0.0226% (minimum billing of USD $0.0226 and a maximum of USD $0.226 per transaction) | Assessed on all Canada acquired Card-Not-Present approved authorization transaction requests. |
| Mastercard Enterprise - Wholesale Travel | 0.678% - Domestic 0.678% - International | The Mastercard Wholesale Travel Program is designed to allow payments between travel buyers and suppliers, such as travel agents, airlines, and hotels using a virtual card. |
| Mastercard Enterprise - Freight Program | 0.565% - Domestic 0.565% - International | The Mastercard Freight Program is designed to allow participating businesses to make payments linked to the distribution of freight utilizing virtual Mastercard account numbers. |
| Mastercard Authorization Optimizer Service | USD $0.0226 | Applies to card not present decline reason codes associated with the Mastercard Authorization Optimizer Service. |
Mastercard Processing Integrity non-compliance fine – Final Authorization | 0.339%, USD $0.0565 min
Effective Jan 1, 2025: 0.396%, USD $0.0565 min
Effective Jan 1, 2026: 0.452%, USD $0.113 min | Applies to final authorizations that are not fully reversed or cleared within 7 calendar days of the authorization date or when the final authorization amount does not equal the clearing amount or when the final authorization currency code does not match the clearing currency code. |
| Mastercard Processing Integrity non-compliance fine – Pre Authorization | 0.339%, USD $0.0565 min
Effective Jan 1, 2025: 0.396%, USD $0.0565 min
Effective Jan 1, 2026: 0.452%, USD $0.113 min | Applies to pre authorizations that are not fully reversed or cleared within 30 calendar days of the authorization date. |
Mastercard Excessive Authorization Attempts Transaction Processing Excellence Program non-compliance fine |
USD $0.565 |
Applies to all transactions when multiple authorization atttempts are made following declined response. |
Mastercard Nominal Amount Authorization Transaction Processing Excellence Program non-compliance fine | USD $0.113
Effective Jan 1, 2025: USD $0.2825
Effective Jan 1, 2026: USD $0.565 | Applies to all Mastercard transactions identified by Mastercard as a Nominal Amount Authorization transaction which is a transaction for an authorization with one full unit of currency and subsequently reversed in an effort to validate the card status. |
| Mastercard Acquirer License Fee | Effective Nov 1, 2024 0.005% | Applies to all Mastercard transactions. |
| Mastercard Mail Order and Telephone Order (MO/TO) Fee | Effective Nov 1, 2024 0.015% - Domestic 0.015% - Cross Border | Applies to all Mastercard card-not-present transaction where the cardholder orders goods or services and provides their payment card details by telephone, mail or other means of telecommunication. |
Visa Cross Border Assessment Fees (also referred to as the International Service Fee “IASF) – Canadian Currency – Card Present and Card Not Present Transactions | 0.678% | Assessed to all Visa transactions when the country codes of the merchant and the cardholder differ and when the transaction currency is in Canadian Dollars. |
Visa Cross Border Assessment Fees (also referred to as the International Service Fee “IASF”) – Non-Canadian Currency – Card Present Transactions | 1.13% | Assessed to all Visa transactions when the country codes of the merchant and the cardholder differ and when the transaction currency is other than Canadian Dollars. |
Visa Cross Border Assessment Fees (also referred to as the International Service Fee) – Non-Canadian Currency – Card Not Present Transaction |
| Assessed to all Visa transactions when the country codes of the merchant and the cardholder differ and when the transaction currency is other than Canadian Dollars. |
Visa Non-domestic Settlement Fee | 0.113%
| Assessed on all cross border transactions where the settlement currency is other than Canadian Dollars. |
Visa Multi-currency Non-domestic Settlement Fee | 0.113%
| Assessed on all cross border transactions when the settlement currency is other than Canada Dollars. (Note: If multiple currency settlement configuration is set up, the Multi-currency Non-domestic Settlement Fee will apply instead of the Non-Domestic Settlement Fee.) |
| Visa Card Verification Value Service (CVV2) | USD $0.0028 (billed in CAN equivalent) per transaction. | Assessed by Visa on all transactions using CVV2 to confirm both that the cardholder has the card in their possession and that the card is genuine. CVV2 is also used in zero-amount account verification messages to prevent storage of an invalid credential in merchant credential-on-file systems. A positive CVV2 match correlates with higher approval rates, reduced fraud, and fewer disputes. |
| Visa Address Verification Service (AVS) | USD $0.00113 (billed in CAN equivalent) per transaction. | Address verification enables merchants to verify a cardholder’s billing address with their issuing bank for card-not-present transactions. |
| Visa Account Verification | USD $0.0113 (billed in CAN equivalent) for each Canadian issued card account verification message. USD $0.0226 (billed in CAN equivalent) for each non-Canadian issued card account verification message | An Account verification message, an optional transaction type, is used to verify the status of an account prior to an authorization. |
| Visa Estimated and Incremental Authorizations | 0.0226% for Estimated Authorizations 0.0226% for Incremental Authorizations | Visa will assess a fee on all estimated authorization and incremental authorizations. An estimated authorization request, an optional transaction type, also referred to as a preauthorization, allows a merchant to obtain an approval for funds before a cardholder has identified exactly what good or services will be purchased. Within that same transaction journey, if the initial estimated amount is insufficient, a merchant may then submit an incremental authorization to increase the total authorized funds. |
| Visa B2B Service Fee | 0.678% - Domestic 1.752% - International | Designed to enable online travel agencies (OTAs), travel service providers, and other travel payment providers to use virtual accounts to pay their suppliers for inventory. |
| Visa Commercial Solution Fee | 0.0113% - Debit and Prepaid Product 0.0113% - Credit Product | Assessed on all sales volumes from transactions made with Visa Business Solutions products. |
| Visa Non-Chip Terminal Use Compliance Program non-compliance fine | USD $0.1695 per transaction | Visa will assess a non-compliance fine for each transaction processed using a non-EMV enabled terminal. |
| Visa Key Entered Transaction Compliance Program non-compliance fine | USD $0.1695 per transaction | Visa will assess a non-compliance fine for each card not present (manually key entered) transaction improperly flagged. |
| Visa Excessive Transaction Reattempt Compliance Program non-compliance fine | Domestic transaction = USD $0.113 per transaction | Cross Border transaction = USD $0.1695 per transaction | Visa will assess a non-compliance fine for each authorization attempt following a declined transaction. Do not reattempt. |
| Visa Data Consistency Compliance Program non-compliance fine | Domestic transaction = USD $0.113 per transaction | Cross Border transaction = USD $0.1695 per transaction | Visa will assess a non-compliance fine for each transaction with manipulated data in an authorization reattempt. |
| Visa Misuse of Authorization System fee | USD $0.0565 | Visa will assessed a non-compliance fine for each approved and partially approved authorization transactions that cannot be matched to a clearing transaction or authorization reversal. |
| Visa Unmatched Clearing fee | USD $0.0565 | Visa will assess a non-compliance fine for each clearing transactions that cannot be matched to previously approved or partially approved authorization transaction, |
| Discover Cross Border Assessment Fee | 0.4000% | Assessed to all Discover transactions when the country codes of the merchant and the cardholder are different. |
Interac Flash Interchange Fee – Tier 1 |
| Assessed to all Interac Flash transactions for qualifying merchants: Fast Food Restaurants (MCC 5814) Variety Stores (MCC 5331) Movie Theatres (MCC 7832) Convenience Stores (MCC 5499) Bakeries (MCC 5462) Dairy Product Stores (MCC 5451) Limousines and Taxicabs (MCC 4121) News Dealers and Newsstands (MCC 5994) Charitable and Social Services Organizations (MCC 8398) Transportation – Suburban and Local Commuter Passenger (MCC 4111) *Toll Roads/Bridges (MCC 4784) - |
Interac Flash Interchange Fee – Tier 2 |
| Assessed to all Interac Flash transactions for merchants that meet a minimum annual transaction volume threshold of 60 million Interac Debit transactions that are $100 or less. |
Interac Flash Interchange Fee – Tier 3 | $0.0350 | Standard interchange rate applied to all other merchants. |
Interac Flash Interchange Fee – Tier 4 | $0.0550 | Standard interchange rate applied to ALL merchants for transactions above $100. |
Interac Debit and/or Flash Switch Fee | $0.0129
Effective Nov 1, 2024 $0.0145 | Assessed to all Interac transactions. |
| Interac In-App/In-Browser Fee Acquirer Service Fee | $0.0282 | Assessed to all Interac In-App and In-Browser transactions. |
| Interac In-App/In-Browser Interchange Fee | 60 basis points capped at a transaction value of $300. Above transaction value of $300 there is a flat fee of $1.80. | Assessed to all Interac In-App and In-Browser transactions. |