Credit card processing and merchant services in Alberta
Alberta is the one province without a provincial sales tax, so checkout is simpler here, hotels aside. That leaves the card fees themselves as the cost most worth checking.
Card surcharges
Allowed with limitsAllowed on Visa and Mastercard credit cards only, capped at the lesser of 2.4% or your cost; no Alberta ban found.
Sales tax
5% GST only, no PST
Last checked
October 6, 2026
Alberta is the only province with no provincial sales tax. Most taxable sales here carry the 5% GST and nothing else, which makes a POS setup about as simple as it gets in Canada: one rate and one federal return. If your taxable revenue is $30,000 or less over four consecutive calendar quarters, you're a small supplier and don't have to register for GST at all.
The exception is accommodation. Hotels, motels and other temporary accommodation providers collect Alberta's tourism levy, and the rate went from 4% to 6% on April 1, 2026, for rooms booked after March 31. Bookings made earlier keep the 4% rate even when the stay comes later, so a front desk can run both rates in the same month. Check that your property management system and your terminals charge the levy by booking date, not stay date.
Surcharging follows the national rules. We found no Alberta law against it, so the Visa and Mastercard limits decide: credit cards only, a ceiling of 2.4% or your cost of acceptance (the lower one wins), 30 days' notice, and a sign at your door and your till. Interac works differently: only your acquirer can apply a fee, it's capped at $0.25, and it has to be printed on the transaction record.
ISED counted 137,182 small employer businesses in Alberta as of December 2024, 98.3% of the province's employer businesses. With so little tax to configure, the bigger lever is usually what you pay to take cards, and that's where interchange-plus pricing earns its keep. Our Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Grande Prairie, Airdrie, St. Albert, Strathcona County, Medicine Hat and Fort McMurray pages cover the city rules, which differ more than you'd expect.
What Alberta merchants should know
Credit card surcharges in Alberta
FCAC lists Quebec as the only place in Canada where a credit card surcharge isn't an option, so Alberta merchants work within the Visa and Mastercard rules. You may surcharge their credit cards at the brand or product level, but not both, up to the lesser of 2.4% or your average cost of acceptance. Debit and prepaid cards on those networks are excluded.
Notify your acquirer in writing 30 days ahead (Mastercard also needs notice), disclose the surcharge at the entrance and the point of sale, and print it on the receipt. Visa says convenience fees aren't permitted in Canada, so a surcharge is the main route if you want to recover card costs.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Merchant surcharges, service and convenience fees, and discounts; Visa Canada, Surcharging FAQ for businesses (PDF); Mastercard Canada, What merchant surcharge rules mean to you in Canada
GST is the only sales tax
Alberta has no provincial sales tax. The CRA's rate table shows Alberta at 5% GST with 0% on the provincial side, so taxable sales carry 5% and your returns go to the CRA.
You must register for GST once your taxable revenue goes over $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters. Until then you're a small supplier, and registering is optional.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency, Charge and collect the GST/HST: which rate to charge; Canada Revenue Agency, When to register for and start charging the GST/HST
Tourism levy on accommodation
All temporary accommodation providers in Alberta must collect the tourism levy and remit it to Tax and Revenue Administration (TRA). From April 1, 2026, the levy is 6% of the purchase price for accommodation booked after March 31, 2026. Accommodation booked before April 1, 2026 stays at 4%.
If a guest is charged 6% when 4% applied, they can contact TRA for a refund. Set your booking system to apply the rate by booking date.
Sources: Government of Alberta, Tourism levy; Government of Alberta, Tourism levy: top 10 tips
Cities we cover in Alberta
Payment services we provide
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Common questions
Do I charge PST in Alberta?
No. Alberta has no provincial sales tax, so most taxable sales carry only the 5% GST. The main add-on is the tourism levy that hotels and other temporary accommodation providers collect: 6% of the purchase price for accommodation booked after March 31, 2026.
Can Alberta businesses add a surcharge for credit cards?
Yes. Visa and Mastercard allow a surcharge on credit cards of up to the lesser of 2.4% or your cost of acceptance, after 30 days' notice and with disclosure at the entrance, the till and on the receipt. Their debit and prepaid cards can't be surcharged. Our surcharging program covers compliance, disclosure and setup if you go ahead.
Which tourism levy rate applies to a room booked in March 2026 for a summer stay?
The 4% rate. Alberta applies 4% to accommodation booked before April 1, 2026, even if the stay comes later, and 6% to accommodation booked after March 31, 2026. A guest who was charged 6% by mistake can contact Tax and Revenue Administration to apply for a refund.
Can I charge a fee when customers pay with Interac in Alberta?
Not directly. Interac's rules say merchants may not apply a surcharge to Interac Debit themselves. A fee is possible only if your acquirer applies it, it's capped at $0.25, and it's printed on the transaction record. Visa and Mastercard debit cards can't be surcharged at all.
Does a small Alberta business have to register for GST?
Not until it outgrows the small supplier threshold. The CRA says you're a small supplier if your taxable revenue is $30,000 or less in a single calendar quarter and over the last four consecutive quarters. Past that, you must register and start charging the 5% GST. You can also register voluntarily.
Other provinces and territories we serve besides Alberta
Disclaimer: general information, not professional advice
This page is general educational information, not legal, tax, accounting or financial advice. Rules and rates vary by place and change, so confirm them with the official source and a qualified professional before you act. Full terms are in our Terms of Service.
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