Set by Mastercard
Interchange rates are determined by Mastercard and apply equally to all processors and acquirers. No processor can negotiate a lower interchange rate.
Mastercard Interchange Rates Canada.
Mastercard is one of the most commonly held and accepted credit cards in Canada and around the world. Below is a full breakdown of Mastercard's current Canadian interchange rates — the base cost charged by the cardholder's bank on every transaction. At Helcim, we pass these rates directly to you with our transparent Interchange Plus pricing.
Multiple Tiers
Rates vary by card type (Consumer, Infinite, Corporate), how the card is entered (chip, keyed, online), and the merchant category.
Full Transparency
With Interchange Plus, you see the exact interchange cost on your statement. Helcim only adds a small, transparent margin on top.
Canada
Mastercard Credit Card Interchange Rates
These are the base interchange rates charged by the cardholder's bank on every Mastercard credit transaction. The rate depends on how the card is presented (chip, tap, e-commerce, or keyed) and the card tier (Core, World, World Elite, Muse, or Corporate).
Card Type
Interchange Rate
Card-Present (EMV Chip)
Transactions where the physical card is inserted into an EMV chip reader. These typically have the lowest interchange rates because they carry less fraud risk.
Chip Consumer (Core)
0.720%
Chip Premium (World)
0.950%
Chip Corporate
2.000%
Chip Premium High-Spend (World Elite)
1.220%
Chip Super Premium (Muse)
1.290%
Contactless (NFC / Tap & Pay)
Transactions where the card or device is tapped against a contactless-enabled terminal. These carry the same rates as chip-insert for Mastercard in Canada.
Consumer (Core)
0.720%
Premium (World)
0.950%
Corporate
2.000%
Premium High-Spend (World Elite)
1.220%
Super Premium (Muse)
1.290%
E-Commerce
Online transactions processed through a payment gateway. These carry higher rates than card-present due to increased fraud risk in card-not-present environments.
E-Commerce Consumer (Core)
1.570%
E-Commerce Premium (World)
1.800%
E-Commerce Corporate
2.030%
E-Commerce Premium High-Spend (World Elite)
2.030%
E-Commerce Super Premium (Muse)
2.150%
Keyed (Virtual Terminal)
The card number is manually keyed into a terminal or virtual terminal. These carry the highest rates for domestic transactions due to increased fraud risk.
Keyed Consumer (Core)
1.960%
Keyed Premium (World)
2.190%
Keyed Corporate
2.000%
Keyed Premium High-Spend (World Elite)
2.420%
Keyed Super Premium (Muse)
2.540%
Mastercard Debit Card Interchange Rates
Mastercard Debit cards have a separate, generally lower interchange schedule than credit cards. These rates apply to Mastercard-branded debit transactions processed over the Mastercard network (not Interac).
Card Type
Interchange Rate
Card-Present
Debit transactions where the physical card is present at the terminal.
Debit Retail
0.250% + 5¢
Debit Grocery
0.150% + 5¢
Debit Gas Station
0.150% + 5¢
Keyed
Debit transactions where the card number is entered manually or online.
Debit Keyed
1.150%
Debit Utilities
0.000% + 10¢
Recurring Payments
Debit cards used for recurring or subscription billing.
Debit Recurring
0.600%
International Rates
Applied when the cardholder's bank is in a different country than the merchant. International transactions always carry higher rates due to cross-border processing and currency conversion risk.
Card Type
Interchange Rate
MC International
1.100%
MC International Keyed
1.650%
MC International Premium
1.900%
MC International Super Premium
2.030%
MC International Corporate
2.000%
Assessments & Association Fees
In addition to interchange, Mastercard charges network-level fees (assessments) on every transaction. These fees are set by Mastercard and apply uniformly to all payment processors. They cover the cost of operating the Mastercard network, fraud prevention programs, and cross-border settlement.
Fee Name
Amount
Mastercard Card-Brand
0.1017%
Mastercard Digital Enablement Fee
0.0226% (min $0.0226, max $0.226)
Mastercard MOTO Fee
0.0150%
Acquirer Licence Fee
0.0140%
Fixed Acquirer Access Fee
$0.0103
Clearing Access Fee
$0.0057 (< $25.01) / $0.0220 (≥ $25.01)
Account Status Inquiry ($0 transaction)
$0.0283
Address Verification Service (AVS)
$0.0113
Security Code Verification (CVC)
$0.0028
Mastercard International Cross-Border (CAD)
0.6780%
Mastercard International Cross-Border (USD)
1.1300%
Non-Local Currency Fee
0.113%
Notes
1 HST is charged to the acquirer/processor on network card-brand, association and cross-border fees. Mastercard's listed card-brand fee is 0.0800%. Because this is an absorbed cost by the acquirer who are not allowed to claim ITCs in Canada, the HST on the card-brand fee cannot be used as an ITC by the merchant. Does not apply to interchange, per-transaction, or cost+ fees.
Transparent pricing. Always.
With Interchange Plus pricing, you see exactly what goes to the card network and what goes to Helcim. No hidden markups, no bundled rates, no surprises on your statement.
No hidden fees
Interchange Plus Pricing
No contracts
The Helcim promise