Code of Conduct

for the Credit and Debit Card Industry

On April 16, 2010, the federal government released the new “voluntary” Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry in Canada (the Code). The Code was created to address the concerns of merchants regarding some of the business practices of credit and debit card networks, issuers and acquirers. Enhancements to the Code were announced April 13, 2015.

Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry in Canada

The purpose of the Code is to demonstrate the industry’s commitment to:

1. Ensuring that merchants are fully aware of the costs associated with accepting credit and debit card payments thereby allowing merchants to reasonably forecast their monthly costs related to accepting such payments.
2. Providing merchants with increased pricing flexibility to encourage consumers to choose the lowest-cost payment option.
3. Allowing merchants to freely choose which payment options they will accept.

In Canada, ePayPathway recommends companies which abide by the Code.