Canada's Small-Business Card Fee Changes: A Restaurant Review Checklist

Payment pricing is consequential, and it changes over time. Restaurants should compare what appears on their own statements with current written terms rather than relying on a vendor comparison published by a software provider.

Start with the official announcement

The Government of Canada announced reduced credit card transaction fees for eligible small businesses under agreements with Visa and Mastercard. Read the eligibility and implementation details in the [Department of Finance announcement](https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2024/10/government-reduces-credit-card-fees-by-27-per-cent-for-small-business-owners.html).

Eligibility, card mix, transaction channel, processor markup, network fees, monthly charges, hardware, and contract terms can all affect a restaurant's actual cost. A headline rate alone is not a total-cost comparison.

A statement-first review

Collect recent merchant statements and record total card volume, total fees, debit and credit mix, online versus in-person transactions, recurring account fees, and any notice of amended terms. Your effective cost for a period is total recorded fees divided by processed volume for the same period.

Request dated written quotes from processors you are eligible to use. Ask each provider to identify transaction pricing, recurring fees, hardware or terminal terms, contract length, renewal rules, cancellation terms, and how changes to underlying network or interchange costs are reflected on your bill.

Separate POS capability from processor pricing

A restaurant POS evaluation should record whether payment-provider choice is available for the proposed setup, which integrations are supported, and what operational features depend on a particular processor. QuickDine describes its own supported workflow on the payments and pricing pages; competing terms should be verified on each vendor's official pages and in a written quote.

Use comparisons responsibly

Model your own volumes and quoted fees instead of treating a sample calculation as a promised saving. A responsible decision file includes source URLs, quote dates, assumptions, and the actual statement period used for comparison.

QuickDine can help a restaurant document its requested workflow and build a scenario from operator-supplied inputs. The restaurant and its payment provider remain responsible for confirming binding commercial terms.