Can I avoid Shopify's third-party transaction fee in Canada?

Only by taking payments with Shopify Payments. Any other provider on Shopify pays Shopify's 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced) or 0.2% (Plus) on top of its own fees. On a platform without that fee, such as PlatformDTC, your own Stripe or PayPal account pays only its own rate.

What does Shopify Payments charge for international cards in Canada?

3.5% + CA$0.30 on Basic, 3.4% + CA$0.30 on Grow, 3.3% + CA$0.30 on Advanced and 3.15% + CA$0.30 on Plus.

Shopify Payments · Processing fees

What are Shopify Payments fees in Canada?

Checked October 31, 2026

Shopify Payments charges stores in Canada 2.8% + CA$0.30 per online payment with a standard card on the Basic plan, 2.6% + CA$0.30 on Grow, 2.4% + CA$0.30 on Advanced and 2.15% + CA$0.30 on Plus. American Express and international cards cost 3.5% + CA$0.30 on Basic. Using another payment provider adds Shopify's own fee of 2%, 1%, 0.6% or 0.2% by plan. Read from Shopify's Canada pricing page on 31 October 2026.

Domestic card: 2.8% + CA$0.30 (Basic), 2.6% + CA$0.30 (Grow), 2.4% + CA$0.30 (Advanced), 2.15% + CA$0.30 (Plus)
International card: 3.5% + CA$0.30 (Basic) to 3.15% + CA$0.30 (Plus)
Third-party provider fee: 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced), 0.2% (Plus)
Monthly fee: CA$49, CA$132 or CA$517 a month (Basic, Grow, Advanced, paid monthly); Plus from CA$3,400

What PlatformDTC does

Shopify charges its 0.2%–2% extra fee whenever a store in Canada takes cards through another provider. PlatformDTC charges no such fee and no plan fee: connect your own Stripe account or PayPal business account and the sales carry only that provider's rate, which on the CA$50,000 month above saves the CA$1,000.00 Shopify Basic would add.

Every rate

Shopify Payments online rates for stores in Canada, by plan, from the "Compare all features" table on Shopify's Canada pricing page (read on 31 October 2026). In-person and local payment method rates are listed on the same page.

Fee	Basic	Grow	Advanced	Plus
Plan price, paid monthly	CA$49	CA$132	CA$517	from CA$3,400
Online card, standard	2.8% + CA$0.30	2.6% + CA$0.30	2.4% + CA$0.30	2.15% + CA$0.30
Online card, American Express	3.5% + CA$0.30	3.4% + CA$0.30	3.3% + CA$0.30	3.15% + CA$0.30
Online card, international	3.5% + CA$0.30	3.4% + CA$0.30	3.3% + CA$0.30	3.15% + CA$0.30
Extra Shopify fee if you use another payment provider	2%	1%	0.6%	0.2%

Shopify plans and Shopify Payments online rates in Canada

A worked month

Assumptions: plans paid monthly, every sale an online payment with a standard card issued in Canada, an average order of CA$50, no refunds or disputes. Each line is rounded to the cent.

CA$10,000.00 in 200 orders on Basic: 2.8% of CA$10,000.00 = CA$280.00, plus 200 × CA$0.30 = CA$60.00, so card fees are CA$340.00 (3.40% of sales). With the CA$49 plan the month costs CA$389.00.

CA$50,000.00 in 1,000 orders on Basic: 2.8% of CA$50,000.00 = CA$1,400.00, plus 1,000 × CA$0.30 = CA$300.00, so card fees are CA$1,700.00 (3.40% of sales). With the CA$49 plan the month costs CA$1,749.00.

Grow costs CA$83 a month more than Basic and saves 0.2% on every standard card sale, so it pays for itself above CA$41,500.00 of card sales a month.

If the same CA$50,000 month on Basic ran through another payment provider, Shopify would add its 2% fee: CA$1,000.00, on top of that provider's own card fees.

Month	Plan	Plan price	Card fees	Total
CA$10,000 in 200 orders	Basic	CA$49	CA$340.00	CA$389.00
CA$10,000 in 200 orders	Grow	CA$132	CA$320.00	CA$452.00
CA$10,000 in 200 orders	Advanced	CA$517	CA$300.00	CA$817.00
CA$50,000 in 1,000 orders	Basic	CA$49	CA$1,700.00	CA$1,749.00
CA$50,000 in 1,000 orders	Grow	CA$132	CA$1,600.00	CA$1,732.00
CA$50,000 in 1,000 orders	Advanced	CA$517	CA$1,500.00	CA$2,017.00

One month on Shopify in Canada, all standard domestic cards

What raises your fees

The headline is the standard-card rate. These push the real cost up:

American Express: 3.5% + CA$0.30 on Basic instead of 2.8% + CA$0.30.
International cards: 3.5% + CA$0.30 on Basic, 3.15% + CA$0.30 on Plus.
Another payment provider: Shopify's own 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced) or 0.2% (Plus) on every sale, plus that provider's fees.
The plan itself: CA$49 to CA$517 a month paid monthly, which is a large share of a small store's costs.
Small orders: the fixed CA$0.30 weighs more on a small basket. On a CA$10 order, Basic's 2.8% + CA$0.30 is 5.80% of the sale.

Frequently asked questions

Can I avoid Shopify's third-party transaction fee in Canada?: Only by taking payments with Shopify Payments. Any other provider on Shopify pays Shopify's 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced) or 0.2% (Plus) on top of its own fees. On a platform without that fee, such as PlatformDTC, your own Stripe or PayPal account pays only its own rate.
What does Shopify Payments charge for international cards in Canada?: 3.5% + CA$0.30 on Basic, 3.4% + CA$0.30 on Grow, 3.3% + CA$0.30 on Advanced and 3.15% + CA$0.30 on Plus.
Which Shopify plan is cheapest in Canada?: At standard domestic card rates with monthly billing: Grow costs CA$83 a month more than Basic and saves 0.2% on every standard card sale, so it pays for itself above CA$41,500.00 of card sales a month. Below that, Basic costs less.

Sources

Shopify pricing — Canada — Shopify