Accepting payments and understanding pay periods with Shopify Payments in Canada
This article outlines the process of accepting payments with Shopify Payments in Canada. Shopify Payments is a payment solution that allows businesses based in Canada to accept a range of payment methods, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and Diners Club debit cards and Diners Club credit cards. In addition, you can also offer customers Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay payment methods.
Businesses in Canada that use the Shopify POS can also accept Interac debit cards for both contactless tap and chip plus PIN entry methods using a compatible card reader. Accepting Discover automatically allows your customers to pay with UnionPay and accepting American Express automatically allows yours customers to pay with JCB.
Businesses in Canada can also accept payments using Bancontact, and iDEAL.
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Key benefits and features of using Shopify Payments in Canada
Review the following key benefits and features when using Shopify Payments in Canada:
- Accept multiple payment methods: Shopify Payments allows you to accept major credit cards, providing a seamless checkout experience for your customers.
- Automatic setup: When you create your Shopify store with Shopify Payments activated, you store is automatically set up to accept major payment methods such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. You can start accepting payments right away without any additional setup.
- Automatic payouts: Funds from your sales are automatically deposited into your bank account on a regular basis, making it easy to manage your cash flow.
- Flexible card rates: The card rate for your transactions is based on your store's Shopify subscription plan. You have the flexibility to change plans whenever you need, allowing you to choose the pricing structure that best suits your business.
- Integrated with Shopify: As an integrated payment solution, Shopify Payments simplifies the management of your online store by consolidating your payment processing and order management in one platform.
- Secure Transactions: Shopify Payments ensures the security of your customers' payment information through advanced encryption and fraud detection measures, such as 3D secure checkout.
Currency considerations
The currency that your customers use to pay for their orders can be different from the currency of your payouts from Shopify Payments. Your store currency can be different from the currency of your bank account. Learn more about selling and getting paid in different currencies.
Receiving payouts in multiple currencies with Shopify Payments in Canada
If your store is on the Basic Shopify plan, Shopify plan, Advanced Shopify plan, or Shopify Plus plan, then you can choose any payout currency to be your default payout currency. If this currency is your domestic currency - in Canada, the domestic currency is CAD - then you aren't charged Multi-Currency Payout fees on these payouts. If you set up additional bank accounts to receive payouts in, then you're charged a Multi-Currency Payout fee depending on your location and Shopify plan. If an order is placed in a currency other than the currencies you have added to your Shopify Payments account, then it is paid out to your default currency bank account, and a currency exchange fee is applied if the bank account is in a non-domestic currency.
If you choose a non-domestic currency as your default currency - for example, when using Shopify Payments in Canada, you choose USD as your default currency - and an order is placed in a currency you don’t have added to your Shopify Payments payout accounts, then the order is paid out to your default payout account. A currency exchange fee and Multi-Currency Payout fee is applied.
You aren't charged additional fees on orders placed in your domestic currency, and paid out to a bank located in your domestic region, if your domestic currency is not your default payout currency.
If you want to receive payouts in multiple currencies, then you must adhere to certain Shopify subscription, location, and bank account requirements. Learn more about Multi-Currency Payouts.
Supported payout currencies with Shopify Payments in Canada
You can receive payouts in the following currencies when using Multi-Currency Payouts with Shopify Payments in Canada:
| Payout currency | Bank account location | Domestic currency | Multi-Currency Payout fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAD | Canada, United States | Yes | No |
| USD | Canada, United States | No | Yes |
Fees for Shopify Payments in Canada
Shopify Payments fees are location-dependent and can vary. To get the most accurate and detailed information regarding fees, visit the plans and pricing page for Canada. This page provides a breakdown of the rates and fees associated with Shopify Payments based on your selected plan.
View payment rates in your Shopify admin
If you're already a Shopify merchant, then you can access information about the specific rates and fees applicable to your store location and chosen plan. For more details about applicable fees, you can access the Shopify Payments Terms of Service from your Shopify admin.
Steps:
From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Payments.
In the Shopify Payments section, click Manage
View the rates that apply to different payment methods.
Pay periods in Canada
Your pay period refers to the amount of time between the date that a customer's payment is captured and the date that those funds are sent to your bank account. The date and time that a customer's payment is captured is recorded in UTC time. Funds from payments that are captured on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are grouped and sent together as one payment. There is no minimum payout amount for Shopify Payments in Canada.
In Canada, the pay period for transferring funds from your Shopify Payments sales to your bank account is 3 days. The actual timing for when the funds display in your account depends on your bank's processing times. You have the option to customize this pay period to a daily, weekly, or monthly payout schedule. You can't receive payouts on weekends or public holidays.
When you switch from one payout schedule to another, any pending payouts are delayed until the next applicable payout date under your new schedule. For example, if you normally receive payments weekly on Monday and you change your payout schedule to every Friday on the preceding Thursday, then your funds won't be available until Friday of the following week. You should avoid frequent changes to your pay period to prevent delays in receiving your payouts.
Learn more about scheduling your payouts.
Viewing payouts
You can view your payouts from the Finance page of your Shopify admin, or the Shopify app.
View payouts on desktop
- From your Shopify admin, go to Finance > Payouts.
View payouts using the Shopify app
- From the Shopify app, tap …, and then tap Finance.
- In the Finance page, tap Payouts.