Rogers Communications has announced that starting January 17, it will introduce a new credit card processing charge of 1.6 per cent for customers who use this payment method. This fee will be applicable to both auto-pay and one-time credit card transactions. The company explains that the charge will be incurred each time a customer pays their Rogers bill with a credit card, attributing it to the fees imposed by credit card companies.
The fee will not affect customers in Quebec or those on specific “specialized plans,” including former Shaw Mobile customers who transitioned to Rogers after Shaw Communications was acquired in 2023. Other payment options such as direct debit, online banking payments, cheques, Rogers gift cards, prepaid cards, Debit Mastercard, and Visa Debit will remain unaffected by the new fee.
Rogers notes that it is becoming increasingly common across various industries to impose credit card fees for payments made through this method. However, it highlights that customers have alternative payment options that do not incur additional charges.
In a related development, in 2022, Telus sought permission from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to implement a 1.5 per cent surcharge on credit card payments for certain landline phone customers. Although the CRTC declined this request for regulated home telephone services, Telus went ahead to introduce a 1.5 per cent credit card fee for mobile and home internet customers. Telus later eliminated this fee in 2023 following an agreement between credit card companies and merchants enabling merchants to transfer the cost directly to customers.
