The short answer
- Cheapest start: Tap to Pay on your phone. Square’s Tap to Pay on iPhone has no reader to buy and $0 in monthly fees. You pay 2.5% per credit card payment or 0.75% + 7¢ per debit payment.
- Want a card reader instead? Square’s Reader and Shopify’s WisePad 3 are both listed at $69. Stripe’s WisePad 3 is CA$79. Helcim’s Card Reader is $239 CAD.
- Want a terminal that sits on the counter? Stripe’s Reader S700 is CA$419, Helcim’s Smart Terminal is $429 CAD and Shopify’s POS Terminal is listed at $459. Square’s handheld Terminal is listed at $399.
- Watch out for rentals and lock-ins. Moneris rents its Go terminal for $34.95 a month and publishes no price to buy it. Clover hardware only works with Clover.
Visit Square or read our Square breakdown first.
Get told when these prices change
Providers change fees with little notice. We email you what changed when a price here does, and nothing else.
The reader is the small cost
You pay for a reader once. You pay the processing fee on every sale, for as long as you take cards.
Say you take $5,000 a month in credit cards at Square’s 2.5%: $125 a month, or $1,500 a year (our estimate, all domestic credit cards in person). The $69 reader is a rounding error next to that. Even a rate 0.25% lower would save $150 a year, more than twice the price of the reader. So pick the provider with the right rate first, then buy whatever reader it sells. The fee calculator runs your own numbers.
We may earn a fee if you sign up with some providers in this table. It never changes the prices we show or what we recommend.
- SquareVisit Square
Flat rate
- In person
- 2.5%
- Online
- 2.8% + 30¢
- Monthly
- $0 · Free plan
- Contract
- Month to month
- StripeVisit Stripe
Flat rate
- In person
- 2.7% + 5¢
- Online
- 2.9% + 30¢
- Monthly
- $0 · Reader bought separately
- Contract
- Not published
- Shopify POSVisit Shopify POS
Flat, by plan
- In person
- 2.6%
- Online
- 2.8% + 30¢
- Monthly
- $49 · Basic plan
- Contract
- Monthly or yearly billing
- MonerisVisit Moneris
Flat or custom
- In person
- 2.65% + 10¢
- Online
- 2.85% + 30¢
- Monthly
- $39.95 · Terminal rental + software fee
- Contract
- 3 years, then 6-month renewals (45 days notice)
- CloverVisit Clover
Quote
- In person
- By quote
- Online
- By quote
- Monthly
- By quote
- Contract
- Set by the reseller; termination fees vary
- HelcimVisit Helcim
Interchange-plus
- In person
- Interchange + 0.4% + 8¢
- Online
- Interchange + 0.5% + 25¢
- Monthly
- Not published
- Contract
- Month to month, no cancellation fee
Prices checked Oct 22, 2026 on each provider's own pricing page (how we check). "Interchange +" means the provider publishes only its markup. You also pay the card networks' interchange fee on top.Order: providers we can price in full come first, lowest first-year cost for a business taking $10,000 a month across 400 in-person payments; the rest follow alphabetically. Payout never affects the order.
We may earn a fee if you sign up with some providers in this table. It never changes the prices we show or what we recommend.
Tap to Pay: take cards on the phone you own
Download the provider’s app, and customers tap their card or phone on yours.
| Provider | App and phones | Cost to start | Rate per payment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Square Point of Sale, iPhone | $0, and $0 a month | 2.5% credit, 0.75% + 7¢ debit | Square’s Canadian Tap to Pay page covers iPhone only. |
| Moneris | Moneris Go, iPhone and Android | Free app | 2.45% + 10¢ credit, 0.70% + 12¢ debit | You must sign a merchant agreement with Moneris. |
| Stripe | Stripe Terminal, iPhone and Android | No hardware cost | 2.7% + CA$0.05, plus CA$0.15 per Tap to Pay payment | The CA$0.15 is on top of the card rate. |
| Shopify | Shopify POS, iPhone | Included with every plan | 2.6% on the Basic plan | Needs a Shopify plan (Basic is $49 a month) and Shopify Payments. |
| Clover | Clover Go app, iPhone XS and later on iOS 17 and up | Not published | Not published | Offered on Clover’s Canadian site, with no fee listed. |
| Helcim | Helcim app | Not available | Not available | Helcim’s page says Tap to Pay is “currently available for US merchants.” |
Sources: Square, Moneris iPhone, Moneris Android, Stripe, Shopify, Clover, Helcim.
A $50 credit card sale by Tap to Pay (our math at published rates): Square $1.25. Shopify (Basic) $1.30, plus the monthly plan. Moneris about $1.33. Stripe $1.55, because of the extra CA$0.15.
Check at Moneris: its main pricing page lists 2.65% + 10¢ for in-person credit cards and 12¢ for Interac debit, not the Tap to Pay rates above. Ask which rates your agreement will use.
Who Tap to Pay is for: market stalls, trades, mobile services and anyone just starting out. Who should skip it: a busy counter, where you’d rather hand customers a device of their own. At Stripe, the extra fee soon costs more than a reader (see the catch below).
Card readers for small business
A mobile card reader pairs with your phone or tablet. It’s the cheapest hardware each provider sells.
| Provider | Reader | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Square Reader (2nd generation) | Listed at $69 | Square’s Canadian store shows ”$” with no currency code. |
| Shopify | WisePad 3 Card Reader | Listed at $69 | Shopify’s Canadian hardware store shows ”$” only. We assume CAD. |
| Stripe | BBPOS WisePad 3 | CA$79 | |
| Helcim | Helcim Card Reader | $239 CAD | Interac debit is 9¢ per payment, or 12¢ for tap. |
| Clover | No mobile reader listed | Not published | Clover’s Canadian site lists no Clover Go reader. Its smallest device is the Flex Pocket handheld, with no price published. |
Sources: Square hardware, Shopify hardware, Stripe, Helcim, Helcim pricing, Clover.
Helcim’s reader costs more up front. If most customers pay by debit, its low Interac price can make up the difference: on a $50 debit sale, about 45¢ at Square versus 12¢ by tap at Helcim, by our math.
Credit card terminals: countertop and handheld
A terminal has its own screen that customers pay on. Countertop models stay by the till. Handhelds go to the table.
| Provider | Terminal | Type | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Square Terminal | Handheld | Listed at $399 | Or $34 a month over 12 months at 0% APR. That’s paying it off, not renting. |
| Square | Square Handheld | Handheld | Listed at $449 | |
| Stripe | Stripe Reader S700 | Countertop | CA$419 | |
| Stripe | Stripe Reader S710 | Countertop | CA$419 | A version of the S700 that can use a cellular connection. |
| Helcim | Helcim Smart Terminal | Countertop | $429 CAD | Or $39 CAD a month for 12 payments. Helcim says it “does not lease our equipment.” |
| Shopify | POS Terminal | Countertop | Listed at $459 | |
| Stripe | Stripe Reader T600 | Countertop | CA$469 | |
| Shopify | Victa Mobile | Handheld | Listed at $499 | |
| Moneris | Moneris Go Terminal | Countertop | Rental only, $34.95 a month | No price to buy it. Needs a Moneris merchant agreement. |
| Clover | Flex, Flex Pocket, Mini, Station Solo, Station Duo, Compact, Kiosk | Countertop and handheld | Not published | Works only with Clover (see the catch below). |
Want a full register? Square lists a Stand for an iPad at $249 (iPad not included) and a Register at $999 on its Canadian pricing page.
Sources: Square hardware, Square pricing, Stripe, Helcim, Shopify hardware, Moneris, Clover.
Rent or buy?
Buy, if the provider lets you. By our math, the Moneris rental adds up to $419.40 a year and $1,258.20 over three years. For about one year of that, you could own a Stripe Reader S700 or a Helcim Smart Terminal. Moneris is advertising “50% off annual POS rental fees” until December 2, 2026. Its offer terms describe a rebate of 50% of the rental for up to 6 months, paid as a credit once you qualify, for net new devices or eligible upgrades only, and only if Moneris approves you and you process at least $5,000 in credit cards in your first 90 days. After that you pay the full $34.95 a month.
The catch: what to check before you buy
- Clover hardware only works with Clover. Clover’s Canadian page says its devices “cannot be used with other payment processors,” even if you buy or lease them from another company. Leave Clover and the hardware stays behind. Clover also says “Fees vary depending on your business type,” and publishes no device prices. Read our Clover breakdown.
- Stripe’s Tap to Pay fee adds up. Stripe charges CA$0.15 extra on every Tap to Pay payment. By our math, after about 527 tap payments you’d have paid more than the CA$79 price of its WisePad 3 reader, which has no extra fee.
- Moneris has more small fees. It lists a $5 Moneris Go software fee but doesn’t say how often it’s billed. Ask whether it applies to the app and the terminal. See our Moneris breakdown.
- Shopify’s Tap to Pay needs Shopify Payments. Shopify says Tap to Pay payments “are processed through Shopify Payments,” so you need a Shopify plan too: Basic is $49 a month, or $37 or $44 a month paid yearly, depending on the price Shopify shows you. See our Shopify breakdown.
- Square’s debit is a percentage, so bigger debit sales cost more. Cards issued outside Canada add 1.5%.
Where to go next
- POS systems compared, if you need software to run your shop as well as take cards.
- What a POS system really costs, with hardware, software and fees added up.
- Credit card processing fees explained, line by line.
- How to lower your fees with the provider you already have.
- Provider breakdowns: Square, Helcim, Stripe, Moneris, Shopify and Clover.
- Some of these companies may pay us if you sign up. It never changes the numbers. Here’s how we make money.
Common questions
What is the cheapest way to take card payments in Canada?
Tap to Pay on your phone, with no reader to buy. Square's Tap to Pay on iPhone has $0 in monthly fees and costs 2.5% per credit card payment, or 0.75% + 7¢ for debit. Moneris's free Moneris Go app lists 2.45% + 10¢ for credit, but you need a Moneris merchant agreement. Stripe adds CA$0.15 to every Tap to Pay payment.
How much does a card reader for a small business cost in Canada?
At each provider's own store: Square's Reader is listed at $69, Shopify's WisePad 3 is listed at $69, Stripe's WisePad 3 is CA$79 and Helcim's Card Reader is $239 CAD. Countertop terminals cost CA$419 to $469 to buy at Stripe, Helcim and Shopify. Clover publishes no Canadian device prices, and Moneris rents its terminal instead.
Should I rent or buy a credit card terminal?
Buy if you can. Moneris rents its Go terminal for $34.95 a month and publishes no purchase price. By our math, that's $419.40 a year, about what it costs to buy a Stripe Reader S700 (CA$419) or a Helcim Smart Terminal ($429 CAD) once. A rental keeps costing you for as long as you use it.
Can I use a Clover terminal with another processor?
No. Clover's Canadian pricing page says that while Clover devices "may be purchased or leased from other entities, they cannot be used with other payment processors." If you leave Clover's processing later, plan on buying new hardware. Clover also publishes no device prices in Canada, so ask for the full cost in writing.
Is a debit machine the same as a credit card terminal?
Yes. In Canada, "debit machine" is the everyday name for a card terminal or reader that takes Interac debit as well as credit cards. Debit is priced differently from credit: Moneris lists 12¢ per Interac debit payment and Stripe CA$0.15, while Square charges 0.75% + 7¢, about 45¢ on a $50 sale by our math. The Tap to Pay and card reader tables on this page list more debit prices.