Global Payments raised rates up to 225 basis points. Heartland merchants don't know theirs yet.

Discount rate increases appeared on Global Payments statements for August 2026, which merchants only received in September. The reported range is 100 to 225 basis points. It was not applied evenly: the amount varied account by account.

What landed, and when

• Global Payments. Discount rate increases effective August 2026, showing on the August statement received in September. Reported increases from 100 to 225 basis points, varying by account.
• Heartland, which Global has owned since 2016. A separate notice of processing fee increases effective September 1, 2026. The notice did not state the amount. Those merchants won't see their new rate until the September statement arrives in October.
• A $529 "Annual System Enhancement Fee" on October 2026 statements. That follows a $499 "Infrastructure Upgrade" fee in June.

For scale on the rate change: 225 basis points is 2.25%. On a restaurant running $50,000 a month in card volume, that is $1,125 a month, or $13,500 a year, on top of whatever the rate already was.

The notice that doesn't say anything

The Heartland notice is the part worth dwelling on. A merchant was told fees are going up on September 1. They were not told by how much. They cannot calculate the impact, cannot compare it to an alternative, and cannot decide whether to act, because the number arrives six weeks after the change takes effect.

Canadian merchants have a right here. US merchants mostly don't.

If you're in Canada, the Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry requires 90 days notice of a fee increase, requires the notice to state the previous and the new amount, and gives you 70 calendar days after the change takes effect to leave without penalty. The notice is also required to tell you when that window closes.

A notice that names no amount does not meet that standard. If you received one for a Canadian merchant account, that is worth raising with your provider and, if it goes nowhere, with the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.

In the United States there is no equivalent. Most merchant agreements allow the processor to change its markup on written notice, and continuing to process counts as acceptance.

How to find out what you're actually paying now

Nothing on a statement says "we raised your rate." You have to work it out:

• Take your total fees for July and divide by July's card volume. That's your effective rate before the change.
• Do the same for August, or September if you're on Heartland.
• Compare. Run credit and debit separately, because blending them hides which one moved.

Our ten-minute guide walks through it with the line items named. If the second number is higher and you never agreed to anything, you've found your increase.

What we'd suggest doing

Find the notice first, and check the date the change took effect. If you're Canadian and inside 70 days, you have more room than you think. If you're on Heartland and still waiting on the October statement, call your rep now and ask for the number in writing rather than waiting to be surprised.

Then decide separately whether the rate is worth paying. A processor that raises the markup on an account it already holds is telling you what the relationship is.