Full Breakdown
Rogers to Add 1.6% Credit-Card Surcharge in January 2027
By Drooid · · How we work
New Surcharge Details
Rogers Communications will apply a 1.6 % processing charge on every credit-card payment—including auto-pay and one-time transactions—starting in January 2027. The fee does not apply to customers in Quebec, those on certain specialized plans, or former Shaw Mobile customers who migrated after Rogers’ 2023 acquisition of Shaw Communications. Payments made with debit cards, direct-debit, cheques, Rogers gift cards, prepaid cards, or online-banking methods remain fee-free.
Company Rationale
Rogers says the surcharge mirrors fees it incurs from credit-card issuers. A Rogers spokesperson told CBC News that processing costs have risen by nearly 40 % since 2020, amounting to roughly $150 million in annual fees for the company. The firm frames the charge as a direct pass-through of those costs rather than an internal price increase.
Industry Context
The practice aligns with a broader trend of merchants shifting credit-card costs to buyers. Rival Telus sought Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) permission for a 1.5 % surcharge on landline customers in 2022; the regulator denied the request, but Telus later introduced a 1.5 % fee for mobile and internet customers, which it scrapped in 2023 after a settlement with credit-card companies. Bell currently does not charge a credit-card fee.
Analyst and Consumer Reaction
Retail analyst Bruce Winder expects consumers will “grudgingly” accept the new charge, suggesting Rogers likely tested customer response before implementation. Marvin Ryder, associate professor of marketing at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business, explained that many shoppers are unaware merchants can face transaction fees as high as 3.5 % depending on card benefits, and that companies are increasingly passing those costs on to buyers.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The charge applies every time you pay your Rogers bill with a credit card,” — Some Rogers
- “If you choose to pay your bill by credit card, it's increasingly common across many sectors for a credit card fee to apply,” — Some Rogers
- “Some companies are beginning to discover that those fees that they pay to take credit cards are getting bigger and bigger and bigger.” — Bruce Winder, retail analyst