The card-fee card
A seller's headline rate is a percentage plus a fixed charge, and the fixed charge does not shrink with the ticket. Print this page, pin it where you price, and check the row your product sits in before you decide the margin. Rates are each provider's own published Canadian figure, read 6 November 2026.
What the fee takes at each price point
| Sale | 2.9% + 30¢ Stripe, PayPal CA | 2.8% + 30¢ Square Online, Shopify Basic | 2.5% flat Square, card in person | 3.7% + 30¢ PayPal, US buyer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA$3 | 0.39 · 12.9% | 0.38 · 12.8% | 0.07 · 2.5% | 0.41 · 13.7% |
| CA$5 | 0.44 · 8.9% | 0.44 · 8.8% | 0.12 · 2.5% | 0.48 · 9.7% |
| CA$10 | 0.59 · 5.9% | 0.58 · 5.8% | 0.25 · 2.5% | 0.67 · 6.7% |
| CA$25 | 1.02 · 4.1% | 1.00 · 4.0% | 0.62 · 2.5% | 1.23 · 4.9% |
| CA$50 | 1.75 · 3.5% | 1.70 · 3.4% | 1.25 · 2.5% | 2.15 · 4.3% |
| CA$100 | 3.20 · 3.2% | 3.10 · 3.1% | 2.50 · 2.5% | 4.00 · 4.0% |
| CA$250 | 7.55 · 3.0% | 7.30 · 2.9% | 6.25 · 2.5% | 9.55 · 3.8% |
Fee in CA$, then the effective rate. The shaded rows are the ones where the fixed 30¢ is doing most of the damage.
The four rules this table implies
- Price a cheap item as though the rate were double. At CA$5 the rate behaves like 8.9%, not 2.9%.
- Do not chase a cheaper plan rate on small volume. Shopify Canada Basic → Grow is +CA$62/mo for 0.2 points: it needs about CA$31,000 a month processed online to repay itself. Basic → Advanced is +CA$352/mo for 0.4 points, or about CA$88,000 a month.
- Take the card in person when you can. 2.5% flat against 2.8% + 30¢ online is CA$0.45 saved on a CA$50 sale.
- Know your cross-border share. PayPal Canada adds 0.80% for a US buyer and 1.00% elsewhere on top of 2.90% + CA$0.30 — a CA$50 sale to the US is charged at 4.3%.
Questions
Why do two rates with the same 30¢ look so different on small tickets?
Because the percentage is tiny on a small sale and the fixed charge is not. At CA$3 the 30¢ is a tenth of the ticket by itself, which is what turns 2.9% into 12.9%.
Are these the rates a Canadian business actually pays?
These are the published domestic card rates on each provider's own Canadian pricing page, read 6 November 2026: Stripe 2.9% + CA$0.30, Square Canada 2.5% card present and 2.8% + CA$0.30 online, PayPal Canada 2.90% + fixed CA$0.30 (plus 0.80% US, 1.00% other countries), Shopify Canada 2.8%/2.6%/2.4% + 30¢ on Basic/Grow/Advanced. A specific card, category or negotiated plan can differ.