Rogers to add 1.6% surcharge for credit-card bill payments starting January

Rogers Communications announced that, starting Jan. 17, it will impose a 1.6% credit-card processing surcharge on every bill paid with a credit card, covering both recurring auto-pay and single payments. The company says the charge mirrors fees it incurs from credit-card networks and is increasingly standard in many sectors. Exemptions include customers residing in Quebec, those on certain specialized plans, and former Shaw Mobile customers who transferred to Rogers after the 2023 Shaw Communications acquisition.

Payments made via direct debit, online banking, cheques, Rogers gift cards, prepaid cards, Debit Mastercard or Visa Debit remain fee-free. The policy echoes a similar 1.5% fee introduced by Telus in 2022, which was later discontinued after a settlement allowing merchants to pass costs directly to consumers. Rogers’ decision highlights a broader trend of telecom providers shifting processing costs to users.