Cards are essential and the rest depends on order value and customer type. Bank transfers suit large invoices where fees would matter, and each added method should be judged on whether it removes a genuine barrier.

The trade being made

Every method has a cost, in fees, in administration, or in settlement delay. Every method also removes a reason somebody cannot pay.

Which means the question for each is whether it unlocks purchases that would not otherwise happen, and the answer differs by order value.

On a small order, convenience dominates and a percentage fee is tolerable. On a large invoice, a percentage becomes a real number and a slower method is worth the saving.

Cards

The baseline, and not optional for anything sold online.

Costs are a percentage plus a fixed amount per transaction, with variation by card type, and premium and business cards costing more than standard ones.

Worth understanding: the fixed component makes small transactions proportionally expensive, which matters for a business selling low-value items.

Also worth knowing: rules govern whether and how surcharges may be applied to card payments in Canada, and the position has changed in recent years, so a business considering passing on fees should confirm current requirements and the disclosure obligations that come with it.

Chargebacks are the other cost. A disputed transaction can be reversed with a fee attached, and the burden of evidence sits with the merchant, which is an argument for keeping records of delivery and of what was agreed.

Bank transfers

Where the arithmetic changes.

For larger invoices, a flat-fee transfer costs a fraction of a percentage-based card fee, and on a substantial job the difference is meaningful.

The trade is administration: matching payments to invoices manually, chasing ones that do not arrive, and reconciling.

For service businesses invoicing larger amounts, offering transfer alongside cards is usually correct, with the card available for customers who prefer it.

Worth noting for transfers with automatic deposit disabled: the security question and answer arrangement is only as good as the answer chosen, and sending both in the same message defeats it entirely.

Digital wallets

Worth enabling and generally costing the same as the underlying card.

The reason is completion rather than cost. A customer on a phone who can pay with a stored method and a fingerprint completes considerably more often than one typing card details.

Since the fee is usually unchanged and the setup is a toggle on most platforms, this is one of the few decisions with no real trade-off.

Instalment options

Requiring more thought.

Buy now pay later arrangements pay the merchant upfront and charge a higher fee than cards, and they can increase order values for discretionary purchases.

What to weigh: the fee against the additional orders, whether your customers want it, and whether it suits what you sell. It fits discretionary retail better than professional services.

There is also a positioning question. Offering instalments on a service can signal that customers struggle to afford it, which is not always the impression intended.

Where instalment or financing arrangements are promoted, cost-of-credit disclosure requirements apply under provincial consumer protection legislation, which is the provider's obligation and also affects how a merchant may advertise it.

Cash and cheques

Still relevant for service businesses and worth handling deliberately.

Cash has no fee and carries handling, security, and record-keeping considerations, and a business accepting it needs to be recording it properly.

Cheques are slow, can be returned after apparently clearing, and are declining in use. For larger amounts the risk is real, and waiting for genuine clearance before releasing work or goods is the protection.

Neither should be the only option offered, since a customer who wants to pay by card and cannot is a customer paying later or not at all.

Deposits and holds

A practical point for service businesses.

Taking a deposit by card at booking reduces no-shows substantially and is straightforward on most platforms.

Storing card details for later charging is a different matter with its own security and consent requirements, and is generally better handled by a payment provider that stores the details rather than the business doing so.

A business should never be storing full card numbers itself, in a system, in a file, or on paper.

Choosing the set

  1. Cards and wallets for anything under a few hundred dollars.
  2. Add bank transfer once invoices are large enough for the fee to matter.
  3. Consider instalments only for discretionary purchases where customers ask.
  4. Keep cash and cheque if your customers use them, alongside rather than instead.
  5. Show accepted methods before the payment step, since discovering the absence at the end is an abandonment.

That last point matters more than the selection. A customer who reaches the final step and finds their method unavailable has been taken all the way through for nothing, which is the discovery problem described in the cart somebody filled and left.

Frequently asked questions

What is the trade with each method?

Each costs something in fees, administration, or settlement delay, and each removes a reason somebody cannot pay. The balance depends on order value.

Why do card fees matter more on small orders?

Because the fee includes a fixed amount per transaction as well as a percentage, which is proportionally expensive on low-value items.

When is a bank transfer worth offering?

On larger invoices, where a flat fee costs a fraction of a percentage-based card fee. The trade is manual matching and reconciliation.

Are digital wallets worth enabling?

Usually yes. They typically cost the same as the underlying card and improve completion on phones, so there is no real trade-off.

What should be weighed on instalment options?

The higher fee against additional orders, whether your customers want it, and the positioning signal, which suits discretionary retail better than professional services.

Should I store card details?

No. A business should never store full card numbers itself. Use a payment provider that stores them if repeat charging is needed.

West Coast Media Solutions Inc. provides web design, web development, hosting, digital marketing, and business consulting to organisations across Canada, drawing on more than twenty-five years in the field.

Customers reaching the payment step and stopping?

We check which methods you offer against what your customers actually carry, and show them before the final step.

Start a Conversation