Methodology and assumptions
Every tool on this site uses one shared engine. Here is exactly what it computes, the assumptions it starts from and what it leaves out.
Payment cost model
For a monthly volume V, average payment t and cross-border share c, the number of payments is n = V ÷ t. For each rail:
- Fees = V × percentage fee + n × fixed fee + monthly fee.
- FX / conversion = spread × (V × c) for rails that convert only foreign payments, or spread × V for rails that convert every payment (a USD-referenced stablecoin received by a CAD business).
- Network and off-ramp = n × network fee + V × off-ramp %.
- Disputes = n × dispute rate × (dispute fee + t × share lost).
- Domestic-only rails (Interac e-Transfer, EFT) cannot take payers outside Canada; that share of volume is costed on a fallback rail you choose.
Effective rate = cash cost ÷ V. Money in transit = (V ÷ 30) × settlement days in calendar terms (business days × 7 ÷ 5 for bank rails). Float cost = money in transit × annual cost of capital ÷ 12. All-in rate adds float cost to cash cost.
Price exposure (95%) = money awaiting conversion × daily volatility × √days × 1.645. It is an illustrative risk measure, never added to costs, and it assumes a normal distribution that real crypto-asset prices often violate.
Settlement and cash-flow simulation
Each simulated day has sales (weekday or weekend level) split across your payment mix. Each slice settles net of its rail’s cash costs on the day given by the rail’s settlement days: bank rails count business days and start counting on the next business day for weekend sales; on-chain rails count calendar days. Payroll (every 14 days), a weekly supplier run and fixed costs on the 1st are deducted. Statutory holidays are not modelled.
Other calculators
- FX spread = (mid rate − rate received) ÷ mid rate; cost = amount × mid − (amount × rate received − flat fee).
- Chargeback exposure = disputes × (fee + ticket × share lost + minutes ÷ 60 × hourly cost).
- Crypto receipt record: GST/HST/PST by province on the CAD price (rates in effect on or after April 1, 2025, rounded per line to the cent); units due = total ÷ CAD per unit; gain or loss on conversion = proceeds − cost base − fees.
- Readiness quiz: twelve questions scored 0–3 across four dimensions; the band needs both a high total and no weak dimension.
Illustrative default assumptions (reviewed October 30, 2026)
These are planning inputs chosen to make the tools usable, not quotes, averages or any provider’s pricing. Replace them with your own statements.
| Rail | % fee | Fixed | FX / conversion | Network | Off-ramp | Settles | Disputes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card (online) | 2.6% | $0.30 | 2.5% (cross-border) | $0.00 | 0% | 2 business day(s) | 0.5% · $25 · 60% lost |
| Interac e-Transfer for business | 0% | $1.50 | 0% (cross-border) | $0.00 | 0% | 0 calendar day(s) | 0.05% · $0 · 100% lost |
| EFT / pre-authorized debit | 0% | $0.50 | 0% (cross-border) | $0.00 | 0% | 3 business day(s) | 0.5% · $10 · 50% lost |
| Wire transfer | 0% | $17.50 | 2% (cross-border) | $0.00 | 0% | 2 business day(s) | 0% · $0 · 0% lost |
| USD stablecoin (self-hosted wallet) | 0% | $0.00 | 1% (all volume) | $0.05 | 0.5% | 1 business day(s) | 0% · $0 · 0% lost |
| Native crypto-asset via payment processor | 1% | $0.00 | 0% (all volume) | $1.50 | 0.75% | 1 business day(s) | 0% · $0 · 0% lost |
What the models leave out
- Integration, accounting and staff-training costs; provider minimums and contract terms.
- Customer adoption: offering a rail does not mean customers will use it.
- Tax effects beyond sales-tax arithmetic, and the legal analysis of whether any rule applies to you.
- Network congestion spikes, de-pegging events and provider failures, except through the assumptions you enter.
How we check the engine
The engine is covered by automated tests that recompute each cost component by hand, check that mixes reconcile to per-rail costs, that simulated cash is conserved, that tax lines match the CRA rate table, that QR codes decode back to their text, and that webhook signatures verify and reject tampering (including a published HMAC test vector).
Educational information only. Not financial, legal, tax or investment advice. This site does not process payments or hold funds.