A merchant cannot charge fees when you use a debit or credit card to pay for a purchase. Such fees cannot be added to the price of a product or a service at the time of purchase.
All-inclusive advertised price
The advertised price of a product or service must represent the full amount you have to pay to purchase it.
At the time of purchase, a merchant cannot charge a higher than advertised price. Only amounts that must be collected from consumers, by virtue of a law or regulation, to be remitted to a public authority can be added. Sales tax (QST and GST) are examples of such amounts.
For more information, refer to our page about all-inclusive advertised prices.
A notice is not enough
A merchant is not abiding by the law even if you are informed at the cash register that an additional amount will be charged because of the method of payment you have chosen. Notifying you verbally or displaying a sign to that effect does not entitle the merchant to charge such fees.
Recourse options in case of a problem
If ever merchants charge you a fee because you are paying with a debit or credit card, you should inform them that this is prohibited by law. If they still want to charge you a fee, you can contact the Office de la protection du consommateur to report them.
A particular case: taxi drivers
Taxi drivers cannot charge you fees in addition to the fare if you pay by debit or credit card.
If you have experienced this situation with a taxi driver working outside the island of Montreal, contact the Commission des transports du Québec.
If the incident happened on the island of Montreal, you can file a complaint with the Ville de Montreal’s Bureau du taxi et du remorquage (in French only).
Last update : October 17, 2022
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The information contained on this page is presented in simple terms to make it easier to understand. It does not replace the texts of the laws and regulations.
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