Our Story

Canadian Merchants was founded with one clear mission — to help Canadian entrepreneurs save money, understand their payment processing, and grow their businesses with transparency and trust.

 

The idea for this company started years ago when I was just 19 and opened my first boutique. Like most small business owners, I needed a merchant account to accept payments. What I didn’t expect was how complicated the process would be — hidden fees, unclear terms, and delays that pushed back my store opening. No one explained the fine print, and I quickly realized how difficult it was for a new entrepreneur to get clear answers or fair pricing.

 

That early experience stayed with me. Years later, when the opportunity came to open my own independent sales office for payment processing companies, I knew exactly what I wanted to do differently. I wanted to bring clarity, transparency, and honesty to an industry that often does the opposite.

 

At Canadian Merchants, we explain every cost, every term, and every option — before you sign anything. Instead of offering just a “quote,” we show you a side-by-side cost comparison that breaks down what you’re actually paying now versus what you would pay with us. Most business owners are surprised to see the truth.

 

Here’s a simple example of a conversation we often have:
A merchant tells us, “I pay 1.8% and did $100,000 in sales last month.”
So we ask, “Great — then your total cost should be $1,800, right?”
But when we look at the statement, the total fees are often closer to $3,800.
That’s when the realization hits — the true rate wasn’t 1.8%, and the fine print made all the difference.

 

That’s why we built Canadian Merchants differently.

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• No long-term contracts – cancel anytime, for free.

• Free POS terminal rentals – no equipment costs.

• Transparent pricing and personalized guidance – no surprises, ever.

• Free online exposure – because when you grow, we grow too.

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Our approach has helped hundreds of Canadian businesses take control of their payment processing, reduce their costs, and build lasting relationships based on trust — not tricks.

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We invite you to listen to an interview with Ilan Sabbah, founder of Canadian Merchants, recorded back in 2010 on Money and Business Radio. In this discussion, he shared the challenges Canadian entrepreneurs face when opening a merchant account and how the fintech industry often takes advantage of small business owners with hidden fees. This interview offers insight into how CanadianMerchants.ca was built with an entrepreneurial spirit — to help Canadian business owners save, understand, and grow.