The Best International Payment Gateways in Canada in 2026
Table of Contents
Author: Artiom Pucinskij
Table of Contents
Stripe gives you subscription billing and custom checkout, while Shopify Payments connects international sales with the store you already run.
Moneris adds a Canadian alternative with ecommerce and retail products, and GoCardless collects invoices from bank accounts rather than cards.
Selling to US customers does not require a US company for ordinary Canadian merchant acceptance, but charging USD and receiving USD need separate support.
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At a glance
Start with Canadian merchant eligibility, then the countries and payment methods your customers use.
A US-issued card can attract an international fee even when the sale is in CAD.
USD checkout does not automatically include USD payouts or a spendable USD balance.
Bank debit can suit recurring invoices, with different collection timing from card checkout.
Compare international payment gateways for Canadian businesses
Stripe for software and subscription billing
Stripe’s hosted Checkout and Payment Links let you begin collecting payments before building a custom checkout through its API.
Billing adds subscription management when customers renew or change plans, with its charges separate from ordinary card processing.
Online payment cost | Canadian fees |
|---|---|
Domestic card | 2.9% + C$0.30 |
International card | Additional 0.8%, making 3.7% + C$0.30 |
Required currency conversion | Additional 2% |
Canadian pre-authorized debit | 1% + C$0.40, capped at C$5 |
Canadian bank debit also has separate verification and failure charges, so its capped processing rate does not cover every collection cost.
Standard Payments has no monthly subscription, making it a useful starting point for a new software business with uncertain sales volume.
Stripe suits a business whose billing or software integration needs justify its tools, especially when most sales can settle without conversion.
- Changing subscriptions and software integrations
- Starting with hosted checkout without a Payments subscription
- Local receiving details for ordinary customer bank transfers
- Frequent conversion without the additional 2% fee
Shopify Payments for Shopify stores serving US customers
Shopify Payments lets customers complete checkout in supported local currencies, with orders and refunds managed in your Shopify store.
For USD payouts, your eligible USD bank account can be at a Canadian or US financial institution, subject to Shopify’s payout requirements.
Shopify Basic cost | Canadian fees |
|---|---|
Store plan, billed annually | C$37 monthly |
Standard online card | 2.8% + C$0.30 |
International online card | 3.5% + C$0.30 |
Currency conversion | Additional 2% |
External gateway | Additional 2% platform transaction fee |
Monthly billing costs C$49, and using an external gateway normally adds Shopify’s platform fee to that gateway’s processing charges.
USD payout availability does not remove every fee, because multi-currency payout and account requirements still depend on your setup.
Shopify POS also accepts in-person payments, including Interac debit, which helps if your online store shares stock with a physical shop.
I think Shopify Payments is the clearest choice when you already use Shopify and want local-currency checkout without another payment integration.
- Shopify stores showing customers local checkout currencies
- Connecting online sales with physical retail
- Payments for a store on another platform
- Checkout without an ecommerce subscription
Moneris for Canadian ecommerce and retail payments
Moneris offers Canadian merchant processing, with Moneris Online combining a Wix store and payments for businesses that want help getting online.
Its Online card processing rate is 2.85% + C$0.30, with a separate store subscription and other applicable fees.
The Core plan costs C$32 on monthly billing, so the processing rate alone does not describe the cost of running the store.
Moneris also offers a gateway and API for other integrations, with the right product depending on your existing website and retail setup.
Optional Multi-Currency Pricing lets customers pay in foreign currencies while settlement and reporting remain in CAD, with activation required.
That can help customers see a familiar checkout currency, but it does not provide foreign-currency balances for paying suppliers.
Moneris suits a business wanting Canadian ecommerce and retail processing, particularly if a supported store package removes the need to build checkout yourself.
- Canadian ecommerce with an integrated store package
- Optional foreign-currency pricing with CAD settlement
- Foreign-currency balances to reuse sales income
GoCardless for recurring invoices paid from bank accounts
GoCardless collects pre-authorized debits from Canadian accounts and supports international bank collection, making it useful for memberships and ongoing services.
Standard domestic collection costs 0.75% + C$0.40, capped at C$3, while international collection costs 1.75% + C$0.40.
Those fees exclude GST or HST where applicable, and international collection includes its Wise-powered currency conversion service.
Supported bank collection covers eight currencies across Canada, the US, the UK, the Eurozone, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Denmark.
Converted international payments take an extra two to four business days to reach your payout account, which affects working capital.
GoCardless fits invoices you can collect by bank debit, with cards handled separately when customers want a conventional online checkout.
- Recurring invoices collected from customer bank accounts
- Converting supported overseas bank collections into CAD
- Card and wallet payments through the same service
- Immediate access to converted overseas collections
Square for a Canadian shop adding online sales
Square suits a shop whose main business is Canadian retail and whose website also takes orders from customers abroad.
Online processing costs 2.8% + C$0.30, plus 1.5% for an overseas-issued card, giving an international online rate of 4.3% + C$0.30.
In-person credit cards cost 2.5%, while Interac debit costs 0.75% + C$0.07, with applicable international card fees added separately.
Your Canadian account charges in CAD, so Square does not give overseas shoppers a choice of checkout currencies.
The free POS app and connected online tools help keep shop and website sales together, although hardware and paid software can add costs.
Square is useful when a shared retail system saves you work, but its foreign-card surcharge makes it less attractive for an export-led online store.
- Canadian retail with occasional international online orders
- Managing POS and online sales in one system
- Local-currency checkout for overseas customers
- Low processing costs on a high proportion of foreign cards
What about Airwallex and PayPal?
Airwallex offers payment acceptance in Canada through early access, so a normal business account does not establish access to card checkout.
Its currency accounts can still serve a separate receiving and spending need, but confirm payment acceptance before planning an integration around it.
PayPal can be added directly when customers want PayPal, with card acceptance also available through its checkout products.
If Shopify Payments is your primary payment service, PayPal transactions avoid Shopify’s third-party transaction fee, although PayPal’s own charges still apply.
What can an international payment gateway do for your business?
Accept an overseas customer’s online order
A checkout gateway authorizes the payment, while the connected processing service collects the funds and settles them into your eligible account.
Payment links also let you collect a card payment against a quote or invoice without creating a complete online shop.
Automate repeat collections
Recurring billing sets when customers are charged, and the collection method determines whether they pay by card or through a bank debit mandate.
A software subscription with changing plans suits Stripe Billing, while repeated service invoices can suit GoCardless bank collection.
Offer USD prices without confusing payouts
Showing a US customer a USD price can make the purchase easier to understand, but the money might still arrive in CAD.
Moneris Multi-Currency Pricing settles in CAD, while Shopify supports eligible USD payout accounts with separate requirements and potential charges.
For invoice customers who pay by transfer, Canadian business multi-currency accounts offer a different way to receive and hold money.
Is Wise Business a payment gateway?
Wise Business can receive bank transfers through supported account details, but card payment requests are unavailable to new business customers.
Some eligible existing customers retain the feature, so a new account should not be treated as a replacement for ecommerce checkout.
How much will you receive after payment fees?
A C$100 online Visa or Mastercard sale produces these processing-only amounts when both the charge and settlement stay in CAD.
Company | Canadian-issued card | US-issued card |
|---|---|---|
Stripe | C$96.80 | C$96.00 |
Shopify Payments Basic | C$96.90 | C$96.20 |
Square | C$96.90 | C$95.40 |
The calculation excludes applicable taxes, account or store subscriptions and other service fees, so it does not establish your final bank payout.
Shopify’s processing saving can be useful within an existing store, but its subscription changes the calculation if you only need occasional payment links.
Currency conversion adds another cost when you charge USD and settle CAD, including Stripe’s additional 2% and Shopify’s 2% conversion fee.
A payout in USD can involve different charges from conversion, and a USD bank account does not automatically remove those fees.
Refunds, disputes and platform add-ons can change the total, while reserves can delay access to income even after a successful sale.
Choose a gateway for your business needs
Cards, wallets and bank debit
A payment method describes how the customer pays, which helps you choose between checkout for purchases and collection against invoices.
Stripe, Shopify Payments, Moneris and Square serve card sales, while GoCardless specialises in bank debit for one-off or repeat collections.
Stripe also supports Canadian pre-authorized debit, so bank collection is not exclusive to a specialist service.
Foreign prices and payout accounts
Charging USD can help US buyers, but you need matching payout support if your goal is keeping USD for expenses.
Shopify supports eligible USD bank accounts, while Moneris’s optional foreign-currency pricing converts the proceeds into CAD.
Square keeps your price list in CAD, which suits a local shop more than a business wanting separate US-dollar checkout.
Your store and development work
An integration connects payments with store orders, while an API gives developers control over how payments work in your software.
Shopify Payments suits an existing Shopify shop, Moneris Online offers a Wix-based store package, and Stripe suits a custom software checkout.
A payment link is simpler when you only need to collect a specific invoice, rather than sell through a catalogue.
Recurring billing and cash flow
GoCardless adds two to four business days to converted international collections, so it fits services that can wait before spending the proceeds.
Stripe Billing handles changing subscription plans, while Canadian pre-authorized debit gives local customers a bank payment option within Stripe.
Selling in a physical shop
Point of sale (POS) connects in-person payment devices with your sales system, which can reduce separate work for website and shop orders.
Square and Shopify both connect online and physical sales, while Moneris offers retail products alongside its ecommerce options.
What do you need to get started?
Business and account representative details
Your application needs information about the business and the people responsible for it, with documents depending on your business structure.
Your products and sales channels
Explain what you sell and where customers pay, because a supported company type does not make every product or industry eligible.
A bank account suited to the payout
For Shopify CAD payouts, use an eligible CAD account, while USD payouts require an eligible USD account at a Canadian or US institution.
Canadian merchant eligibility
A Canadian merchant account can collect overseas customer payments, although opening a foreign merchant account can introduce separate local business requirements.
Once sales have reached your account, international business transfers from Canada can help you pay overseas suppliers or move funds abroad.
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Enter your destination and amount to compare exchange rates and fees for sending business funds overseas from Canada.Our methodology & why trust us
We researched Canadian merchant access, payment methods and local fees using official pricing, support pages and product documentation.
The selection covers software checkout, native ecommerce, Canadian merchant processing, bank debit and retail payments, with limits kept beside the relevant features.
Our C$100 calculations distinguish the card’s issuing country from the charge and settlement currencies, and exclude additional costs explicitly.
We treated Airwallex’s early-access status separately from its ordinary currency account, rather than assuming every account includes a payment gateway.
We have not completed merchant onboarding or tested every checkout, and the page does not claim first-hand use.
Our review methodology explains how we assess companies and distinguish product evidence from opinion.
MoneyTransfers may receive commission through commercial relationships, which do not replace our assessment of suitability.
Sources
Best currency brokers
These companies offer the highest receive amounts in our comparison for C$50,000 transfers from Canada.
Mobile money transfers
The transfer company takes your CAD payment, sets the exchange rate and arranges delivery through its supported bank, cash or wallet partners.
Business money transfers
The right service depends on whether you need an overseas payment, an account for foreign revenue or a workflow your whole finance team can use.
Receiving money from abroad
An overseas sender can use Wise, Remitly or another eligible transfer company to convert money and deposit CAD into your Canadian account.
Best multi-currency business accounts
You can receive foreign revenue, keep it in its original currency and use it for matching expenses before converting the remainder into Canadian dollars.
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