As a registered Payment Facilitator in Canada, Payrix must comply with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry in Canada (referred to as the “Code”). As a Partner to Payrix you will be required to help us comply with some of the Code requirements as you are the merchant facing entity that directly communicates with the merchant.

These requirements include:

Providing Monthly Merchant Statements - You will be required to provide a Code Compliant Monthly Merchant Statement that clearly displays the rates and fees associated with each card brand and type accepted by the merchant;

Fee Change/Introduction of New Fee Notice - You will be required to provide merchants with a minimum of 90 days’ notice of any new fees or fee increases related to credit or debit card transactions, or of a reduction in applicable interchange rates; and

Complaints Handling Process - You will be required to establishing a complaints intake process that includes escalation to Payrix for Code related complaints.

Please refer to below for each individual requirement:

Further guidance on how to meet these requirements are outlined below. If you have any issues or questions on how to comply with these requirements, please reach out to support or call (855) 672-9749. See supporting documentation here:

Providing Monthly Merchant Statements

As a part of Partners serving Canadian Merchants, it is also your responsibility to provide each merchant with a monthly statement showing the following information:

  • Card Type* - MasterCard Credit, Visa Credit, MasterCard Debit, Visa Debit, American Express, or Discover

  • Number of Sales*

  • Gross Sales ($)*

  • Service Rate (%)* - Either a flat rate charged or applicable interchange rates for each card type.

  • Rate Fee (Rate * Gross Sale ($))*

  • Per Transaction Fee ($X.XX * Number of Sales ($))*

  • Total Fees (Rate Fee + Transaction Fee ($))

  • Effective Merchant Discount Rate (Total Fees/Gross Sales (%))*

    Required = *

It is recommended that you provide this information in a .CSV format so that your Merchants can easily view the information in Excel.

Please download the example below for a sample of what your Monthly Merchant Statement information should look like:

Example Monthly Merchnt Statement.xlsx - Sheet1.csv

Fee Change/Introduction of New Fee Notice

 Payrix requires all Canadian partners to notify all impacted merchants of your fee increases or when introduce a new fee at least 90-days before the change takes effect.

You must retain these notifications for your records should Payrix request a copy for compliance testing purposes.

As Payrix would only increase fees directly applicable to its Partners, Payrix will provide a minimum of 120 days’ notice of any fee increases, the introduction of a new fee related to any credit or debit card transactions, or a reduction in applicable interchange rates. If Payrix’s Partners decide to make changes to fees due to this notice, Partners must provide their merchants with a minimum of 90 days’ notice of any fee increases, the introduction of a new fee related to any credit or debit card transactions, or a reduction in applicable interchange rates.

Sample Fee Increase Notification Email

Hello,

We are reaching out to notify you that we will be increasing the following fees related to your billing integration service effective (insert date – MUST be at least 90 days out from notification).

(INSERT FEE TABLE THAT SHOWS CURRENT FEE RATE vs. NEW FEE RATE and NATURE OF THE FEE INCREASE)

No action is required on your end if you accept these fee increases, and the changes will be reflected on your (insert billing statement that will reflect the change).

Should you choose not to accept these fee increases, you have the right to opt-out of your agreement with (platform name), by calling (platform name) at (insert platform phone number), via email at (insert platform email) or by visiting (insert platform website).  

If you have any questions regarding this notification, feel free to contact us at (SaaS Partner Contact Info).

Sample Introduction of New Fee Notification Email

Hello,

We are reaching out to notify you that we will be introducing the following fees related to your billing integration service effective (insert date – MUST be at least 90 days out from notification).

(INSERT FEE TABLE THAT SHOWS CURRENT FEE RATE vs. NEW FEE RATE and NATURE OF THE FEE INCREASE)

No action is required on your end if you accept the introduction of new fees, and the changes will be reflected on your (insert billing statement that will reflect the change).

Should you choose not to accept these fee increases, you have the right to opt-out of your agreement with (platform name), by calling (platform name) at (insert platform phone number), via email at (insert platform email) or by visiting (insert platform website).

If you have any questions regarding this notification, feel free to contact us at (SaaS Partner Contact Info).

Complaints Handling Process

As a Payrix Partner servicing merchants in Canada, you are the first point of contact for your merchants should they have any issues or complaints regarding the billing integration services we provide. As such, you are required to establish a complaint intake and handling process.

Partner Complaint Handling Requirements

Step 1: Setting up your Online Complaint Intake Form

An online complaint intake form is required for your merchants/sub-merchants to submit potential Code-Related Complaints with the service or platform.

Create your online intake form for your merchants to submit the information required in Step 2.

As a minimum, the complaint intake form must include the following information:

  • Name of submitter

  • Business Name

  • Contact Info (phone #, email)

  • Box where merchant can type in a summary of the complaint & all helpful details

  • Place to attach copies of any supporting documentation (i.e. agreements, statements, correspondences)

Step 2: Establish Internal Complaint Handling Process

An internal process must be established explaining how the initial complaint review will be handled (including timeframes) to determine if it is a general complaint or Code related complaint.

Process explaining how merchants will be sent an acknowledgment and escalation notice within 5-business days of receipt of the complaint and process explain the escalation of the complaint to Payrix if the complaint is determined to be Code related.

Step 3: Identifying a Code-Related Complaint

What is a Complaint? 

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction with a product, service, policy, or an employee related to the Platform (except those made by cardholders who are also employees of your company).  

General customer service complaints are your responsibility, while Payrix is responsible for managing and resolving Code-Related Complaints.

What is a Code-Related Complaint?

It is important to distinguish between customer communications that you should resolve, versus those that you should forward to Payrix for resolution.

Code-Related Complaints– refer to issues or conduct identified with the platform that merchant believes is contrary to the Code.

If you are ever unsure, please forward the customer inquiry to Payrix Support and Payrix can determine whether the communication constitutes a complaint.

Step 4: Submit Code-Related Complaints to Payrix

When a Code-Related Complaint is identified, it must be submitted to Payrix support to manage any potential Code violations. All required information must be provided so that Payrix can properly investigate the matter.

After submitting the code-related complaint to Payrix, you must send an acknowledgement email within 5 business days to your merchant/sub-merchant notifying them that their complaint has been received and escalated to Payrix Support.

Sample Acknowledgement Email

Dear (Merchant Contact Name),

We are reaching out to let you know that we have received your issue/complaint made on (date complaint made) regarding our billing integration services.  Upon our initial review of your issue/complaint, we have determined that it pertains to our billing integration partner Payrix and qualifies as a Code-related issue/complaint as defined by the Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry in Canada.

As such, we have escalated your issue/complaint to Payrix for investigation and resolution. For additional information on Payrix’s Code Complaints Handling process or if you have questions regarding your issue/complaint, please visit https://payrix.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/5/article/22954442810?src=-2044964234.

Further communication regarding your complaint/issue will come directly from Payrix.

Thank you for contacting us.

Payrix Complaint Handling for Merchants

As a Canadian Merchant you must be provided with access to a clear dispute-resolution process for resolving complaints related to the Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry in Canada.

If you believe that we have acted in a way that is contrary to the Code and would like to file a complaint directly with us regarding our billing integration services, please visit our online complaint intake portal and complete the form.

Please include any information that may help us resolve your concerns to the best of our ability by including:
• A summary of your concerns
• Any details, such as the name(s) of any individuals involved in the issue and/or of any other persons with knowledge of the issue
• The date of the incident or on which the matter began
• Copies of any supporting documentation (i.e., agreements, statements, correspondence)

Upon receipt of your complaint, Payrix will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within five (5) business days.

Upon completion of our investigation, Payrix will provide you with our final decision in writing within ninety (90) days of receiving your complaint, along with:
• a summary of the complaint
• the final result of the investigation
• explanation of the final decision
• information on how to further escalate your complaint in the event of an unsatisfactory outcome

If we cannot provide a response to you within 90 days you will be informed of the delay, the reason for the delay and the expected response time.

If your complaint has not been resolved after following the above process, you have the right to refer your complaint to the following.

Worldpay (Processor)

Peoples Trust Company (Acquirer)

Visa Canada

Mastercard Canada

American Express Canada

Financial Consumer Agency of Canada

  • Email: info@fcac-acfc.gc.ca

  • Phone: 1-866-461-3222

  • Mail: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) 6th Floor, Enterprise Building 427 Laurier Ave. WestOttawa, ON K1R 1B9

Code-Related Complaints

Amendments made in April 2015 to the Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry​, Element 13, now state that payment card network rules require merchants to have access to a clear dispute resolution process.

This provides relevant information for an investigation and a timely response to Code-Related Complaints.

As Payrix Partner serving Canadian merchants, you will be the first point of contact for your merchants/sub-merchants.

Escalate the Code-Related Complaints to Payrix through our online support site.

Payrix will conduct an investigation, remediation if there is an error, and notify the merchant/sub-merchant of our investigation response within the required 90 days' time frame since receipt of a complaint.  

Below is a quick summary of Complaint Element Codes:

Element

Summary

Element 1*

Transparency and Disclosure Element

  • Complaints about Payrix sub-merchant agreement(s) not being clear or failure to disclose all fees in the summary/disclosure boxes.

  • Complaints about issues showing all card fees on monthly billing statements.

Element 2*

Notice of Fee Increase or New Fee Element

  • Complaints about card processing or integrated billing fee increases being implemented without a 90-day notification

Element 3

Contract Cancellation

  • Complaints about account cancellation issues with Payrix due to a fee increase that they wish to decline.

Element 4

No Obligation Acceptance

  • Complaints about Payrix requiring a merchant to accept credit & debit from a card network if they only want to accept debit or vise versa.

Element 5

Payment Method Discount Element

  • Complaints about Payrix restricting a merchant from offering discounts on different payment methods.

Element 10

Negative Option Acceptance

  • Complaints where Payrix automatically enrolls a merchant in a new product or service

Element 11

Contactless Payments

  • N/A for Payrix at this time.

Element 12

Renewal and Cancellation Disclosure

  • Complaints about Payrix contract renewals and cancellations. (Outside of the fee change cancellation)

Element 13*

Complaint Handling Process

  • Complaints about Payrix either:

    • Mishandling a complaint,

    • Lacking punctual and appropriate response timelines,

    • Not offering a website you could refer to, or;

    • Weren’t provided with a path for escalation.

* = Required, Payrix will work with you to resolve this type of complaint.