Square fees in Canada: what you'll really pay

The bottom line

A month with $10,000 in credit card sales costs about $250 at Square, and a month with no sales costs nothing. Two things push the price up: debit is a percentage, not a flat fee, and cards issued outside Canada add 1.5%.

Get told when Square's fees change

Providers change fees with little notice. We email you what changed when a price here does, and nothing else.

Your emailAlert me

Email me when a price on this page changes. From Honest Fees (SyncSpark Solutions Inc., hello@honestfees.ca). I can unsubscribe any time. Never sold. Privacy.

Square fees at a glance

Visit Square

Pricing model

flat

Contract

Month to month

Payouts

Next business day free, or instantly for a fee

Monthly cost to take cards

$0 (Free plan)

True cost: first year at $10,000/month in card sales (est.)

$3,069 (12 months of processing at 400 payments a month, plus the listed monthly cost, plus the Square Reader (2nd generation) at $69)

Payment type	Rate	Source
In person (card present)	2.5%	squareup.com
Online	2.8% + 30¢	squareup.com
Keyed in	3.3% + 15¢	squareup.com
Interac debit	0.75% + 7¢	squareup.com
American Express	2.5%	squareup.com

Monthly fees and plans

• Free: $0/month
• Plus: $35/month
• Premium: price not published

Checked October 22, 2026 on squareup.com. Prices change, so confirm with Square before you sign.

Who it’s for

• Small and new businesses. The Free plan is $0 a month, so slow months and off-seasons cost you nothing extra.
• Shops with small average sales. A $20 debit sale costs 22¢, close to the flat Interac fees other processors charge.
• Anyone who hates surprises on credit cards. Visa, Mastercard and American Express all cost the same 2.5% in person.
• Owners who want low commitment. Square is month to month, and its reader is listed at $69.

Who should skip it

• Businesses with big debit sales. A $200 debit sale costs $1.57 at Square. Helcim lists 9¢ for the same payment, and Moneris lists 12¢.
• Places that see lots of tourists. Foreign cards turn a 2.5% in-person sale into 4%.
• Larger, steady businesses. Once your volume is high and predictable, an interchange-plus provider may cost less. Run the numbers before you assume flat rate is cheaper.

The catch

Debit is priced like a credit card. Most Canadian processors charge one flat fee per Interac payment. Square charges a percentage plus 7¢, so the bigger the sale, the bigger the gap.

Foreign cards cost 1.5% more on in-person credit, online and keyed-in payments.

Fast cash costs extra. Free transfers take one to two business days, Square says. An instant transfer costs 1.95% of the amount, with a $25 minimum and $5,000 maximum, and new sellers may be limited to one a day of up to $500.

The chargeback fee isn’t listed. Square’s Canadian pricing page doesn’t publish a fee for disputed payments. Ask before you sign up if disputes are common in your line of work.

Online and keyed-in payments cost more. Online is 2.8% + 30¢. Typing in a card number by hand is 3.3% + 15¢.

Afterpay costs much more. If customers pay over time with Afterpay through Square, each of those sales costs 6% + 30¢.

Square can hold your payouts. Square’s payment terms say it may delay payouts or make you keep a reserve, and that it “may require a Reserve for any reason related to your use of the Services.” Most big processors have a clause like this. Keep a cash cushion so one held payout doesn’t stop you paying staff or suppliers.

Phone support keeps office hours. Square’s Canadian help centre lists phone support Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM EST, with 24/7 phone support on some paid plans and with Square Register or Square Terminal. If you trade on weekends, that matters.

Square’s monthly plans

Every plan adds Square’s transaction rates on top.

• Free: $0 a month. Square pitches it to “sell in person, online, over the phone or out in the field.”
• Plus: from $35 a month, depending on whether you pick the restaurant, retail or appointments version. Square says you can “cancel anytime.”
• Premium: custom priced. Square says “custom processing rates may be available pending eligibility.”

Most small sellers can start on Free and upgrade only when they need a feature. Plus costs at least $420 a year, so check the extra tools are worth that to you.

Where Square’s debit fee starts to cost you

One debit sale at each size, at published in-person prices:

Debit sale	Square (0.75% + 7¢)	Helcim	Moneris	Stripe
$10	14.5¢	9¢ (12¢ tap)	12¢	15¢
$20	22¢	9¢ (12¢ tap)	12¢	15¢
$50	44.5¢	9¢ (12¢ tap)	12¢	15¢
$100	82¢	9¢ (12¢ tap)	12¢	15¢
$200	$1.57	9¢ (12¢ tap)	12¢	15¢

By our math, Square’s debit fee is higher than Moneris’s on any sale over about $6.67, and higher than Stripe’s on any sale over about $10.67.

So the question is your average debit sale: last month’s debit sales divided by the number of debit payments. Around $10, Square is close to everyone else. At $50 or more, you’re paying several times what a flat Interac fee would cost.

What it costs at your size

These are estimates on the Free plan, with every card issued in Canada.

Example 1: $10,000 a month in person, 400 payments.

• All credit: 2.5% × $10,000 = $250 a month, an effective rate of 2.5%.
• Half by debit: credit 2.5% × $5,000 = $125. Debit 0.75% × $5,000 = $37.50, plus 200 payments × 7¢ = $14, for $51.50. About $176.50 a month.

Debit is cheaper than credit here because the average sale is only $25. If 10% of the all-credit sales came from cards issued outside Canada, add 1.5% × $1,000 = $15.

Example 2: a small seller, $3,000 a month in person, 120 credit card payments.

• 2.5% × $3,000 = $75 a month, or $900 a year
• Add a $69 Square Reader and the first year comes to $969

This is where Square is strongest. A provider with a $39.95 monthly fee would charge more than half of that before you made a single sale.

Example 3: a busy counter, $40,000 a month in person, 800 payments, half by debit.

• Credit: 2.5% × $20,000 = $500
• Debit: 0.75% × $20,000 = $150, plus 400 × 7¢ = $28, for $178
• Estimated total: $678 a month

Here the average sale is $50, and Square’s debit pricing starts to bite. The same month at Moneris works out to about $657.95, even with its monthly terminal and software fees. See Square vs Moneris, or try your own numbers in the fee calculator.

What the hardware costs

You can start with no hardware: Tap to Pay on iPhone has no monthly fee and uses the same in-person rates. Square’s Canadian site lists:

Device	Price	Or pay over time
Square Reader	$69
Square Stand (iPad not included)	$249	$21 a month over 12 months
Square Terminal	$399	$34 a month over 12 months
Square Handheld	$449	$38 a month for 12 months
Square Register	$999	$84 a month over 12 months

Square shows these with a ”$” sign only, on its Canadian store. The monthly options are financing to buy the device, not a rental.

For Example 1 (all credit), a year with a Square Terminal would be 12 × $250 = $3,000 in card fees, plus $399, for $3,399 (our estimate). Our card terminals page compares readers across providers.

Can you lower or pass on Square’s fees?

You can’t switch Square’s fees off, but you can avoid the extras that cost more than 2.5%:

• Tap or insert, don’t type. On a $100 sale, keyed in costs $3.45, against $2.50 tapped.
• Wait for free transfers. Moving $1,000 instantly costs $19.50. Waiting one to two business days costs nothing.
• Watch foreign cards. You can’t refuse them, but if they’re a big share of your sales, the extra 1.5% belongs in your pricing.

Passing the fee on? Outside Quebec, the federal regulator says you can add a surcharge to credit card sales, within card network rules. Visa and Mastercard cap it at 2.4%, or at your own cost if that’s lower, so a surcharge can’t cover all of Square’s 2.5%.

You can’t add a surcharge to Interac debit yourself, and Quebec doesn’t allow fees for paying by debit or credit at all. Our credit card surcharge guide covers the signs and receipts you’d need. For more ways to cut costs, see how to lower your fees.

When the internet goes down

Square’s offline mode keeps you taking cards without a connection. Square says payments process automatically when you reconnect within 24 hours, and no later than 72 hours. You can set a top amount per offline payment.

The risk is yours: Square says you’re responsible for any expired, declined or disputed payments taken offline. At markets or events with weak signal, set a low offline limit and reconnect as soon as you can.

Compared with

• Helcim: interchange-plus with a published markup of 0.40% + 8¢ in person and 9¢ Interac, no monthly fee. Often worth a look if you take a lot of debit, but your total changes month to month.
• Moneris: a flat 2.65% + 10¢ in person with 12¢ Interac, but you rent the Moneris Go terminal for $34.95 a month and pay a $5 software fee.