Credit card processing and merchant services in Saint John, NB
Saint John accommodation operators add a 3.5% levy to the price of a stay, and taxable sales carry 15% HST. A credit card surcharge shown on its own line generally carries no HST.
Saint John, New Brunswick, counted 69,895 residents at the 2021 Census, up 3.4% from 2016. (Looking for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador? It has its own page.) Two payment rules shape a Saint John checkout more than most: a city levy on accommodation, and the way HST treats a credit card surcharge.
The levy comes from the City's Tourism Accommodation Levy by-law, which says operators impose a levy of 3.5% of the purchase price of tourism accommodation in Saint John. The City's website has a page for submitting the monthly levy remittance, so the money you collect on card payments for stays goes back out every month. Give the levy its own line in your booking engine and at the front desk, apart from the room rate and the HST. If you also run a property in Moncton, its levy is 3.5% too, under a separate by-law.
Surcharges are legal in New Brunswick within Visa and Mastercard's rules: credit cards only, no more than 2.4% or your cost of acceptance, 30 days' notice, and disclosure at the entrance, the point of sale and on the receipt. CRA's info sheet GI-200 says a surcharge shown and charged separately is generally consideration for a separate financial service, and no GST or HST applies to financial services. On a $400 sale with an $8.00 surcharge, the HST is $60.00, worked out on the $400 alone.
If you'd rather not surcharge, lower the cost instead. Interac says a debit transaction costs merchants around 10 cents, and on interchange-plus pricing debit isn't billed like credit. Our surcharging program covers setup if you go the other way. Either way, start with a free statement review, and see the New Brunswick page for the provincial rules.
Rules that matter in Saint John
Accommodation levy and monthly remittance
The City of Saint John's Tourism Accommodation Levy by-law sets a levy of 3.5% of the purchase price of tourism accommodation in the city, imposed by operators. The City takes the levy remittance monthly through its website. Show the levy as a separate line on the guest's bill.
Sources: City of Saint John, A By-law relating to a Tourism Accommodation Levy in The City of Saint John (PDF); City of Saint John, Submit monthly levy remittance
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Common questions
What does Saint John's accommodation levy add to a guest's bill?
3.5% of the purchase price of the tourism accommodation, under the City's Tourism Accommodation Levy by-law. Operators collect it and remit it to the City, which takes monthly remittances through its website. Show it as its own line so guests can see what it is, and keep it separate from the 15% HST in your reports.
If I add a surcharge, how is the HST calculated?
On the purchase price alone, as long as the surcharge is shown and charged separately. CRA's info sheet GI-200 treats a separately charged surcharge as consideration for a financial service, which carries no GST or HST. On a $250 sale with a $5.00 surcharge, the HST is $37.50 and the customer pays $292.50.
Can I charge a fee on Interac debit in Saint John?
Not yourself. Interac's fee page says merchants may not apply a surcharge to Interac Debit directly; only the acquirer can apply a surcharge fee, and it's capped at $0.25. Surcharges are never allowed on Visa or Mastercard debit cards. With Interac costing merchants around 10 cents a transaction by Interac's estimate, a debit fee rarely earns its keep.
Should a small Saint John shop surcharge or cut its processing costs?
Run the numbers both ways. A surcharge can recover up to 2.4% or your cost of acceptance on credit card sales, but it needs 30 days' notice, signs at the door and the till, and a line on every receipt. Lower processing costs need none of that. A free statement review shows your effective rate, so you can see what a surcharge would actually recover.
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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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