What Is Shopify Payments?
Shopify Payments is Shopify's integrated payment processing solution, powered by Stripe. It was launched in Canada in 2013 and is available to Canadian merchants on all Shopify plans. Shopify Payments is operated by Stripe under the hood — so you get Stripe's infrastructure, fraud tools, and reliability.
Shopify Payments Canada Pricing (2026)
| Shopify Plan | Monthly Cost | Online Rate | In-Person Rate | Transaction Fee (3rd party) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $36 CAD/month | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.7% | 2.0% |
| Shopify | $105 CAD/month | 2.6% + $0.30 | 2.5% | 1.0% |
| Advanced | $399 CAD/month | 2.4% + $0.30 | 2.4% | 0.5% |
| Plus | $2,300+ CAD/month | Negotiated | Negotiated | 0.15–0.2% |
Key: The "Transaction Fee" is the extra fee Shopify charges if you use ANY processor other than Shopify Payments. This is why Shopify Payments is almost always the right choice for Shopify stores.
What Shopify Payments Supports in Canada
- ✅ Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover
- ✅ Interac Online (for online stores)
- ✅ Interac debit (for in-person with Shopify hardware)
- ✅ Apple Pay and Google Pay
- ✅ Shop Pay (Shopify's one-click checkout, 4x higher conversion)
- ✅ Shop Pay Installments (BNPL — buy now pay later)
- ✅ CAD, USD, and 130+ currencies
Shopify Hardware in Canada
Shopify's card readers work with the Shopify POS app for in-person selling:
- Shopify Card Reader: $49 CAD. Bluetooth. Tap, chip, swipe.
- Shopify POS Go: $399 CAD. Standalone mobile POS device. Built-in scanner, battery, screen.
Shopify POS Pro ($89/month) adds features for retail: exchanges, custom payment types, staff roles, and inventory management.
Fraud Protection — Shopify Protect
Shopify Payments includes Shopify Protect — automatic chargeback coverage for orders that Shopify identifies as low-risk. If a covered order is charged back, Shopify covers the dispute and won't issue a chargeback fee. This feature is particularly valuable for Canadian e-commerce businesses dealing with increasing card-not-present fraud rates.
When NOT to Use Shopify Payments
There are a few scenarios where switching away from Shopify Payments (and paying the transaction fee) makes sense:
- You primarily sell internationally and need a processor with better international rates
- You're on Shopify Plus and processing $500,000+/month where even 0.15% matters
- You need specialized features like complex B2B invoicing or cryptocurrency acceptance
- Your business type is restricted by Shopify Payments (high-risk industries)
In these cases, Helcim or Stripe with the Shopify transaction fee may still work out cheaper if your volume is very high.
✅ Pros
- Zero Shopify transaction fees
- Seamless Shopify integration
- Shopify Protect chargeback coverage
- Shop Pay one-click checkout (higher conversion)
- Interac Online support
- Apple/Google Pay included
- Automatic fraud detection
- Shopify HQ in Ottawa — Canadian company
❌ Cons
- Flat-rate (not interchange-plus) pricing
- Requires active Shopify subscription
- Account holds if Shopify flags risk
- Not available for all business types
- Less flexible than standalone processors
🏆 Our Verdict
Shopify Payments earns 8.3/10. For any business running on Shopify, it's the obvious default choice — the eliminated transaction fee alone justifies it for the vast majority of merchants. Flat-rate pricing is the main drawback, but for Shopify merchants the integration benefits and Shopify Protect make it the clear winner.