Rogers Communications is set to introduce a new charge for customers who use a credit card to pay their bills in early 2027. The Canadian telecommunications company will implement a 1.6% “credit card processing charge” starting on January 17, affecting both automatic payments and one-time credit card transactions.
According to Rogers, the fee will be applied each time a customer pays their bill with a credit card, reflecting the fees incurred from credit card companies. However, this fee will not be applicable to customers in Quebec, those on specific “specialized plans,” or former Shaw Mobile customers who transitioned to Rogers after the acquisition of Shaw Communications in 2023.
Customers have alternative payment methods available that are not subject to the new fee, including direct debit, online banking payments, checks, Rogers gift cards, prepaid cards, Debit Mastercard, and Visa Debit. Rogers states that it is becoming increasingly common in various industries for credit card fees to be implemented when paying with a credit card.
In a similar move, Telus, a competitor in the telecommunications industry, sought permission from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 2022 to add a 1.5% surcharge to the bills of certain landline phone customers who paid with a credit card. The CRTC rejected this request, but Telus proceeded to introduce a 1.5% credit card fee for mobile and home internet customers without regulatory approval.
Telus later decided to eliminate the fee in 2023 following an agreement between credit card companies and merchants, allowing merchants to transfer the costs directly to customers.