Payment methods by country · Payment methods
How do Canadians pay online?
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Canadians pay online mostly by credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal. Interac Debit, Canada's bank debit service, works online only once the card is added to Apple Pay or Google Pay, according to Interac. Pre-authorized debit pulls money from a Canadian bank account under a signed agreement and takes up to five business days to confirm. For buy now, pay later, Affirm, Afterpay and Klarna all serve Canadian shoppers, each only for stores in Canada.
- Currency
- Canadian dollar (CAD)
- Local debit network
- Interac (online through Apple Pay and Google Pay)
- Cards
- Visa, Mastercard, American Express
- Bank payments
- Pre-authorized debit (PAD), up to 5 business days to confirm
- Buy now, pay later
- Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna
- PlatformDTC offers
- Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Klarna, Afterpay
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC checkout offers Canadian shoppers cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal in Canadian dollars. Stores with a Canadian Stripe account also get Klarna on one-time orders from C$1 to C$17,500 and Afterpay from C$1 to C$2,000. Interac Debit, pre-authorized debit and Affirm are not offered today.
Interac online and on Stripe
Interac describes Interac Debit as a way to pay directly from a bank account. For online and in-app payments, Interac says the shopper first adds the debit card to a digital wallet such as Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Stripe treats Interac as a card brand that needs extra setup and supports it only for in-person payments in Canada, so an online Stripe checkout doesn't process Interac as a separate network.
Bank debits and pay later
Pre-authorized debit runs on Payments Canada's clearing system. The shopper accepts a PAD agreement, can dispute a personal debit for 90 days, and the store can't contest that dispute.
Affirm's Canadian plans run from C$50 for pay in 4 up to C$30,000 for monthly plans. PlatformDTC does not offer Affirm; it offers Klarna and Afterpay on one-time orders for stores based in Canada.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Canadian shoppers pay with Interac on PlatformDTC?
- Not as Interac. PlatformDTC checkout takes cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal; Stripe processes Interac only in person in Canada.
- Does Klarna work for a US store selling to Canada?
- No. Klarna and Afterpay in Canada need the store's Stripe account in Canada and the shopper in Canada, charged in Canadian dollars.
Sources
- Interac Debit — Interac
- Regional considerations for Canada (Interac) — Stripe
- Canadian pre-authorized debit payments — Stripe
- Affirm payments — Stripe
- Payment method support — Stripe
- Cards: supported card brands — Stripe
Related
- United States — Cards and wallets lead; Cash App Pay, ACH bank debits and BNPL such as Affirm and Afterpay follow.
- Mexico — Cards (often in interest-free installments) and OXXO cash vouchers paid at convenience stores.
- Brazil — Pix instant bank payments and Boleto vouchers sit beside cards as everyday ways to pay.
- United Kingdom — Cards and wallets, with open-banking Pay by Bank and BNPL from Clearpay and Klarna.
- Germany — E-payment wallets such as PayPal lead online, alongside Klarna invoices and SEPA Direct Debit.
- France — Bank cards on the Cartes Bancaires network dominate, almost all co-badged with Visa or Mastercard.
- Netherlands — iDEAL bank payments, now becoming Wero, are by far the usual way to pay online.