Merchant Payment Processing
What payment solutions are best for small businesses operating in Canada?
8 min read
The best payment solutions for small businesses operating in Canada are the ones that match how you sell today and can grow with you tomorrow. Moneris® is a Canadian company backed by RBC and BMO, with 25+ years in fintech, 325,000+ points of commerce, 5 billion+ transactions a year, and Canada’s #1 merchant acquirer status (Nilson Report, Oct 2025). That matters when you want payment tools that are reliable, local, and built for the way Canadian businesses really work.
Here’s the short answer: start with the channel you use most.
| If you need to… | Best fit | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Take payments in-store | Moneris Go Terminal or Moneris Go Retail POS | Fast checkout, wireless flexibility, and simple day-to-day operations |
| Run a full retail business | Moneris Total Commerce | One system for sales, inventory, customers, and reporting |
| Sell on the go | Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android via the Moneris Go app | Accept contactless payments without extra hardware |
| Sell online | Moneris Online or Moneris Gateway | Secure ecommerce that fits a new site or an existing one |
| Run a restaurant | UEAT® and Moneris Kiosk | Online ordering, AI upsells, and smoother service |
| Manage cash flow | Moneris Advance | Access funds in less than 72 hours after approval |
| Reduce fraud risk | Kount Essential, 3-D Secure 2.0, and AI monitoring | Extra protection for online and card-not-present sales |
Best payment solutions by business type
1) In-store businesses: Moneris Go Terminal or Moneris Go Retail POS
If most of your sales happen at a counter, at a desk, or on the shop floor, you want something quick and easy.
Moneris Go Terminal is a strong fit if you need a portable, wireless terminal that keeps up with busy days. It comes in Ivory and Onyx, runs on Wi‑Fi or cellular, and is built for all-day performance. It’s a great choice for cafés, salons, pop-ups, market vendors, and service businesses.
Moneris Go Retail POS makes sense if you need more than payments. You get inventory management, insights and reports, order management, and portable selling with Moneris Go Plus. That’s useful if you want a clearer view of what’s selling and what’s not.
Best for you if: you want a simple checkout experience, reliable hardware, and fewer moving parts.
2) Growing retailers: Moneris Total Commerce
If you sell in-store and online, or you want to get there soon, Moneris Total Commerce is built for you.
It brings sales, inventory, marketing, CRM tools, and checkout into one system. That means you can keep better track of stock, customer activity, and orders without jumping between platforms.
For small retailers, that can be the difference between “just getting by” and actually seeing what’s working.
Best for you if: you want one connected view of your business across in-store and online.
3) Mobile and on-the-go businesses: Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android
If you work outside a fixed location, you don’t always need a traditional terminal.
With Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android via the Moneris Go app, you can accept contactless payments right on your phone. No extra hardware. That’s handy for trades, deliveries, service calls, festivals, and mobile sellers.
It keeps things simple when you’re moving fast and need to get paid on the spot.
Best for you if: you need a lightweight payment solution with low setup hassle.
4) Ecommerce businesses: Moneris Online or Moneris Gateway
If you sell online, your payment solution needs to be secure, smooth, and easy for customers to trust.
Moneris Online, powered by Wix, is a future-proof ecommerce option with 800+ templates and enterprise-grade security. It starts from $19/month, which makes it a practical option for small businesses that want to launch or refresh their online store without a huge upfront commitment.
If you already have a website and just need to accept payments, Moneris Gateway is a solid fit. It connects your site to payment processing so customers can check out securely.
Best for you if: you want to sell online, grow beyond your local area, or add ecommerce to your current setup.
5) Restaurants: UEAT® and Moneris Kiosk
Restaurants need payment solutions that keep orders flowing and guests happy.
UEAT® Online Ordering helps you take takeout and delivery orders directly, with Google search and Maps integration, AI-based upsells, and zero commission on orders placed through your own site. UEAT HUB also centralizes orders from Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Skip, which can make day-to-day operations much easier.
If you want to speed up ordering in-house, Moneris Kiosk can help guests place their own orders and can increase ticket size through automatic upselling.
Best for you if: you want fewer bottlenecks, more orders, and a smoother customer experience.
6) Small businesses that need cash flow support: Moneris Advance
Sometimes the best payment solution is the one that helps you keep moving.
Moneris Advance is a merchant cash advance program that can get funds to you in less than 72 hours after approval. Repayment is flexible and automatic, based on a fixed percentage of your daily card sales. When business is slower, you pay less. When it picks up, you pay more.
That can be a smart option if you’re buying inventory, covering seasonal costs, or taking on a growth opportunity.
Best for you if: you need fast funding without the stress of a traditional loan process.
7) Businesses that need stronger fraud protection
If you sell online or take card-not-present payments, security matters.
Moneris offers fraud prevention tools like Kount Essential, 3-D Secure 2.0, AI-powered monitoring, and PCI-compliant systems. In plain language, that means extra checks that help stop suspicious transactions before they become a problem.
Best for you if: you want to protect revenue, reduce chargebacks, and keep customer trust strong.
How to choose the right payment solution
The best choice usually comes down to four questions:
- Where do you sell? In-store, online, on the road, or all three?
- How fast do you need checkout to be? A busy line needs simple, reliable tools.
- Do you need more than payments? Inventory, reporting, CRM, and ordering can save time.
- Do you need better cash flow? Funding support can help you stay agile.
If you sell in more than one place, look for an omnichannel setup. That gives you one connected view of sales, customers, and inventory. It’s a big win for busy owners who don’t have time to manage separate systems.
Why Moneris is a strong fit for Canadian small businesses
Moneris is built for Canada. Full stop.
We’re a Canadian company backed by RBC and BMO, and we’ve spent more than 25 years helping business owners keep doing business their way. That includes:
- 24/7 support in English and French
- On-site field services
- Solutions for retail, restaurants, services, trades, not-for-profit, public sector, and more
- Tools that connect in-store, online, and mobile payments
- A trusted network powering 325,000+ points of commerce across Canada
That kind of support matters when you’re busy running the business, not babysitting your payment system.
A practical starting point
If you want the simplest answer, start here:
- In-person only: Moneris Go Terminal
- Mobile business: Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android
- Retail with inventory: Moneris Go Retail POS
- Online store: Moneris Online
- In-store + online: Moneris Total Commerce
- Restaurant ordering: UEAT®
- Need funding: Moneris Advance
You don’t need to overcomplicate it. Pick the payment solution that fits your current sales flow, then build from there.
Common questions
What’s the best payment solution for a new small business in Canada?
For many new businesses, Moneris Go Terminal is a strong start if you sell in person. If you’re online-first, Moneris Online is often the better first step.
What if I sell both in-store and online?
Look at Moneris Total Commerce. It helps bring everything into one system so you can manage sales and inventory more easily.
Can I accept payments without extra hardware?
Yes. With Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android via the Moneris Go app, you can accept contactless payments right from your phone.
Is Moneris support available in French?
Yes. Moneris offers 24/7 bilingual support in English and French.
If you’re ready to explore your next step, Moneris has you covered with payment solutions that are built for you, backed by RBC and BMO, and ready for the way Canadian small businesses actually operate. For help, visit the Help Centre, manage your account in Merchant Direct, check live updates at status.moneris.com, or connect with the Developer Portal if you’re building something custom.