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Rogers Communications says it will roll out a new fee early next year for customers who pay their bill with a credit card.
The Canadian telecom giant says a 1.6 per cent “processing charge” will apply starting Jan. 17, for both auto-pay and one-time credit card payments.
“The charge applies every time you pay your Rogers bill with a credit card,” Rogers says on its website.
“This reflects the fees we are charged by credit card companies.”
According to Rogers, the fee is not applicable to customers in Quebec, nor those on certain “specialized plans” and former Shaw Mobile customers who migrated to Rogers when it acquired Shaw Communications in 2023.
A Rogers spokesperson tells CBC News that its credit card processing costs have increased by nearly 40 per cent since 2020, amounting to about $150 million annually in fees for the company.
WATCH | New fee for some Rogers customers:
Rogers adds 1.6% surcharge for credit card payments | Hanomansing Tonight
Some Rogers customers outside of Quebec will soon see a change on their bills. Starting Jan. 17, 2027, the telecommunications company says customers paying a Rogers bill with a credit card will be charged a 1.6 per cent processing fee. The company says other payment options, including debit cards, are available without the charge.
Other forms of payment are not subject to the new fee. These include direct debt and online banking payments, cheques, Rogers gift cards, prepaid cards, Debit Mastercard and Visa Debit.
“If you choose to pay your bill by credit card, it’s increasingly common across many sectors for a credit card fee to apply,” Rogers said.
Retail analyst Bruce Winder expects consumers will “grudgingly” swallow the new charge.
“Rogers I’m sure has done some research and surveys with customers to test the waters to see how customers will react, whether they’ll leave Rogers, or whether they will just pay it,” he said.
“Companies are always looking to either lower cost or increase revenue. One of the easiest ways to increase revenue is on your existing customers.”
Rogers is scheduled to report financial results before the stock market opens on Friday. While the company has reported stronger sales in the first half of 2026, its Toronto-listed shares are down more than 10 per cent year-to-date.
Marvin Ryder is an associate professor of marketing at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business. He says many consumers are probably not aware of the transaction fees that businesses pay to credit card companies.
“That fee can be as high as 3.5 per cent, depending on the benefits you’re getting from your credit card,” he said on Thursday.
“Some companies are beginning to discover that those fees that they pay to take credit cards are getting bigger and bigger and bigger.”
Winder says Rogers is now clearly spelling this out for consumers.
“They can say, ‘Look, we’re passing this onto you. This isn’t our cost. This is the cost we get from the credit card provider.’ So, they can sort of deflect a little bit of the blame for the charge to another company, versus if they increase their fees, then that’s really on them.”
Telus scrapped similar fee
In 2022, rival telecom provider Telus asked the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for permission to add a 1.5 per cent surcharge to the bills of some landline phone customers who pay their bill using a credit card. The CRTC rejected this request.
However, the regulator’s approval was only required for a fee on landline services. Telus rolled out a 1.5 per cent credit card fee for mobile and home internet customers.
Telus scrapped the fee in 2023, following a settlement between credit card companies and merchants allowing merchants to pass on the cost directly to customers.
Telus did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
A Bell spokesperson said it does not currently charge clients a fee for credit card payments.