Canada's fall card fee changes: lower Visa rates, a new 1.8 cent network fee, and higher Interac fees

Canadian merchant statements change this fall in both directions. Visa is lowering several consumer credit interchange rates and widening its small merchant program. At the same time, Visa and Mastercard are adding a new per-transaction network fee, and Interac's per-transaction fees go up on November 1. None of it is dramatic on its own. Together it's a good reason to read your October and November statements line by line.

Visa: lower rates for more small merchants, from October 24

In a notice dated September 4, 2026, Visa Canada said that from October 24, 2026 it will raise the ceiling for its Small Merchant Interchange Program from C$300,000 to C$750,000 in annual Visa volume. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which announced the change on October 14, called it "a big win" and said the newly eligible businesses "will save thousands each year." Visa told Payments Dive it aims for an average interchange rate of 95 basis points for eligible small merchants on in-person consumer credit transactions. Eligibility is assessed each year on volume from October 1 to September 30.

Mastercard is not expanding its own small business program, CFIB says. Its threshold stays at C$175,000.

PayFacto and TD Merchant Solutions list the previous and new Visa rates. A few that matter to restaurants:

One rate goes the other way. Visa's standard business credit interchange rises from 2.00% to 2.15%. If you take a lot of corporate cards at lunch, that line matters. TD says merchants on its non-interchange-plus pricing who qualify may see a reduced Visa credit rate from November 1, 2026, and notes that merchants who surcharge Visa transactions may not qualify for the reduced small business rates.

Visa and Mastercard: a new 1.8 cent fee on every domestic transaction

CFIB also warned that Visa plans to join Mastercard in charging a new 1.8 US cent fee on all domestic transactions. Mastercard began charging it to processors the week of October 19, and Visa intends to charge the same amount from April 2027. The fees are charged to processors first, but CFIB says they are "routinely passed on to small merchants." On the same date, October 19, processors including TD, Moneris and PayFacto list Mastercard's new Acquirer Network Access and Brand Usage (NABU) fee, which replaces its acquirer clearing fees. The per-transaction amount each processor publishes differs, so read the figure on your own statement.

Interac: higher per-transaction fees, from November 1

Interac is raising its assessment (switch) fee on card-present Interac Debit transactions. TD lists its pass-through as $0.0158 to $0.0163 per transaction, and Moneris notes that Interac is also raising its Mobile Service fee for phone and wallet taps. These are fractions of a cent, but they apply to every debit tap, so they add up fastest at high-volume, small-ticket counters.

What we'd suggest checking

• Are the Visa reductions reaching you? On interchange-plus pricing they should flow through. On a blended or flat rate, they usually don't unless your processor chooses to pass them on. Ask.
• Did your notice say where the change came from? The Code of Conduct expects a fee-change notice to say whether it originated with the card network or with your processor, and how much is being passed on to you. TD's notices, for example, mark the Interac increase as network-originated and 100% passed on.
• Look for a cancel-by date. Interchange rates set by the networks don't open the Code's 70 day exit window, as we explain in our record of 2026 rate changes. Other new or increased fees can: TD lists January 10, 2027 as the date to cancel without penalty after the November 1 Interac increase. Check your own notice.

In Canada our program is a discount for cash and Interac debit from one posted price. It is never a surcharge. Our cash discount program page explains how that works under the Code, and our Toronto page covers restaurants across the GTA.