Finding the right payment terminal merchant can be a tough thing. There are a lot of options out there, all offering something different.
So how do you know which is the right one to use for your payment? We’ve put together our top credit card payment terminal services in Canada to take the hard work out of looking for you.
What do you need to know before starting?
Before you start exploring the various options there are a few terms and features that we want to highlight so that you fully understand what’s on offer from each company:
Payment Processor – This is the company that any merchant (like yourself) will use to handle all online payment transactions. As well as that they also implement safety and anti-fraud measures that protect both customer and merchant.
Merchant Account – A merchant account is simply a bank account that allows you to receive payments from either debit or credit cards. These accounts, like all banks accounts, are subject to certain regulations set out by law. Most of the payment processing companies below will act as both your merchant account and your payment gateway.
ACH Payments – ACH payments or Automated Clearing House payments are the electronic credit and debit transfers that allow your customers, or anyone from anywhere in the world, to pay for bills such as their mortgage or utility bills directly from their bank account. It is common for payment processing companies to offer ACH payments, especially if they also offer monthly subscription options.
Payment Gateway – The payment gateway is basically the middle person between the merchant and their merchant bank. Payment Gateways securely navigate payment card information from the customer to the merchant and through the payment processor.
PCI Compliance – This is in reference to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and it ensures that the payment gateway and the merchant are adhering to the data security standards to help reduce fraud.
The bottom line is that most of these features will come as standard with your online payment processor and they are there for both your protection and that of your customers.
Best Payment Terminals in Canada
Now, let’s have a look at our list of the best payment terminal providers in Canada.
Helcim – Recommended
Helcim is a Canadian owned processing company. They’ve been in business since 2006. Helcim was founded by Nicolas Beique, and is one of the largest processing companies in Canada. Helcim is trusted by some of the biggest brands in Canada, including Michelin, 1-800-Got-Junk, Mavi Jeans, and even Unicef. Helcim’s wireless payment terminals are widely used around Canada and the U.S.
What do we like about Helcim? Unlike some credit card processing companies, Helcim doesn’t charge a monthly fee! Instead, they charge a percentage on each credit card transaction made. This proves valuable for small to medium-sized businesses.
Helcim currently processes payments for over 7,000 different merchants and works with over 3 billion dollars every year.
Square – Popular
Square is very similar to Stripe and offers many of the same features including great API integration, no monthly fees or setup costs, and their transaction rates are also exactly the same at 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction.
Square also has great integration with popular website companies like wix.com, which is great.
They also have a seamless transition between their online payments and in-person if your company requires both.
Moneris – Popular
Moneris is one of the largest payment processors in Canada and processes approximately 3 billion online payments each year.
They are particularly well suited to SMBs and are great for small businesses that are looking to grow quickly. They also provide a merchant account.
Their partnership with companies like Sage Accounting, RBC, and BMO means they are great for ease of integration into your company’s accounting practices.
They do have a monthly fee of $19.95 and their transaction fees are a very competitive 2.75%.
PayPal is a household name and probably the best well known online payment processor in the world.
PayPal has become the standard payment option for most online companies and you’ll be hard-pressed to find an e-commerce store that doesn’t allow PayPal payments. This is because of their 286 million (and growing) users around the world making them the ideal online payment processor solution for your business.
Not only that they are also favored by small businesses for their security and simplicity.
They don’t have any setup costs or monthly costs and their transaction fee is also 2.9% + 30 cents.
Stripe has a very large following that is continuing to grow quickly. Their robust API makes them an ideal solution for e-commerce sites that are wanting to integrate their payment systems seamlessly, though this does require some website developer experience.
If you don’t have those web developer skills, however, don’t worry, website companies like wix.com have stripe already built into their templates as a payment option.
They accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express, and also act as your merchant account.
They are relatively inexpensive with no setup or monthly fees, only a 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction fee.
For companies with larger payment volumes, they also offer customized packages too for the transaction rate, which is great.
Elavon is one of the top five global online payment processors with over 3 billion transactions every year in over 100 currencies.
They offer a range of features for online stores, everything from simple payment pages to full developer tools for customizable store integration. They are secure and help you achieve and maintain PCI compliance.
Prices start from $79 per month and this includes all processing fees.
Braintree has been growing in popularity in the last few years, particularly in the tech world. They are famously the online payment processor for companies like Airbnb, Uber, and StubHub, for example.
What they offer is great, and brings together several partnered payment platforms all under one roof – PayPal, credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay can all be processed through Braintree.
They are built as a PayPal service and as such give you access to their network of users, making the payment process for your customers straightforward.
They charge no monthly fee or setup fee, and their transactions fees are in line with PayPal at 2.9% + 30 cents.
Dwolla pride themselves on their customizable and flexible solutions that can be tailored to individual company needs.
Their payment processing platform has great API integration meaning you can plug their platform into your website and maintain your branding.
They are bank agnostic which means they work with the merchant bank you already have rather than having you set a new one up with them.
Their pricing structure is slightly different from monthly subscription plans. They are keen to make a personal connection and help you find the best solution for your company by asking you to reach out and talk to one of their team to discuss your needs.
Authorize.net is another huge provider for online payment processing and offers a wide array of features including advanced fraud protection, multiple payment types, accept recurring payments, or have your customers pay in installments, the list goes on.
They are particularly loved for their safety features and anti-fraud meaning both you and your customer can have great peace of mind that all payments are safe and secure.
They can process payments from Discover, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, as well as PayPal Apple Pay, and eCheck.
They offer either just a payment gateway option that has no setup fee, a monthly fee of $25, and a 10 cents transaction fee. Or they also offer a merchant account and payment gateway option that is also $25 per month and comes with a transaction fee of 2.9% + 30 cents.
Wepay is a Chase bank company that offers online payment processing with great API integration into your website.
They don’t have any monthly fees or setup fees, but their transaction fees are on the most expensive side at 3.5% for credit cards.
What they do give you access to is the whole Chase network which includes over 4 million SMBs, which is no small thing.
2checkout is another company that offers a merchant account as well as online payment processing, and they pride themselves on being the best solution for you and your company as you grow.
They do this by giving you the ability to add or remove a feature that you do or don’t need as your business changes.
They are used by start-ups and fortune 500 companies alike and are certainly one of the big players in the online payments market.
Their costs vary depending on what package you put together based on their needs, but they are certainly very competitive and are a company that is there to support you, no matter what size of company you are.
We hope that our list of the best online payment processors in Canada helps you in your journey to finding the payment partner for you.
How do I get a payment terminal?
To get a payment terminal in Canada, all you have to do is apply to your payment merchant of choice and request one. You should know that some merchants only allow you to rent a payment terminal, not buy it outrightly. Another thing you would need to consider is whether or not you have the internet connection to effectively operate a payment terminal.
We recommend getting long-range wireless terminals because they use a cell phone network for communication and are more reliable.
How Much Does a Payment Terminal Cost?
You can expect to pay from $50 to $80 monthly to rent a terminal and $800+ to buy one. You should, however, know that the cost of a payment terminal in Canada widely varies based on your business needs.
