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Canadian way to pay. Maple Leaf

See the impact you can make with each tap

When you
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with Interac® Debit, more money can stay with the businesses you love.

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What if you could help make your favourite businesses stronger every day?

See what real businesses are saying

“Low transaction fees make a massive difference.
When you’re a business that’s this small, this tight, this efficient, every cent matters.”

— Leandro, Famiglia Baldassarre

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Strong businesses support vibrant neighbourhoods.

88%

of Canadians polled say small businesses are important to their communities.1

“People not only want to support local, they also just enjoy our businesses.”

— Sarah, Russell’s Butcher & Deli

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66 centsof every dollar stays local when you buy local.2

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When small businesses win, everyone wins.

Canadian businesses drive the Canadian economy and create millions of jobs.

Approximately

35%

of Canada's GDP comes from small businesses.3

It’s your money, Canada. Make it matter.

We can all make choices that keep more money in Canada.

Learn how to make Interac Debit your default payment method — and support our communities every day.

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Footnotes

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1 Abacus Data. https://abacusdata.ca/businesses-giving-back-an-important-part-of-building-community/

2 “When a consumer makes a purchase from a small Canadian retail business, 66 cents of every dollar [stays] within the local provincial economy.” CFIB: https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/en/research-economic-analysis/small-retailers-local-contributions

3 Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/sme-research-statistics/en/key-small-business-statistics/key-small-business-statistics-2024

Sarah and Christopher Terpstra

Russell’s Butcher & Deli 

“Our local businesses do a really good job of being unique — not just carrying the same products you’ll find elsewhere,” says Sarah Terpstra, one-half of the wife-and-husband team behind Russell’s Butcher & Deli in Toronto. “That’s part of the draw of living and shopping in the neighbourhood.” 

When the Terpstras opened Russell’s Butcher & Deli in 2021, it was their second business in Roncesvalles Village in Toronto  (their first, Alimentari, sells Italian groceries and meals). By adding a butcher focused on Ontario-raised meats and local products, the Terpstras have built on the neighbourhood’s European vibe, where locals can stroll and buy “what they can carry home,” as Sarah says. It’s a lifestyle the Terpstras have happily adopted themselves.

“People not only want to support local, they also just enjoy local businesses.”

For customers who want to do even more to support local, Sarah says there’s a way to do it when you pay. The Terpstras appreciate how the low fees of Interac Debit help them ensure they have enough money to pay for things like supplies and their employees’ wages. “Next time you go to shop at your local small businesses, think about what card you use,” she says. Think about the effect on the business and their cash flow and their ability to pay their staff more.” 

The business featured got a little thank-you to share its experience.

Leandro Baldassarre

Famiglia Baldassarre

For the majority of small businesses, high transaction fees can impact their growth. What bothers Leandro most is how they eat away at his margins, taking away money that he could otherwise invest back in his business. 

“If I see a decent net at the end of a month, at the end of the year, I start to say, ‘OK, I could afford to upgrade this machine. We could afford a new staff member.’ ”

Famiglia Baldassare is a pasta wholesale supplier on a former industrial street in Toronto that also serves lunch on certain days to a few lucky people. The business may have taken social media by storm, but it’s still small, and every dollar saved is a dollar that Leandro can invest back into its growth. 

A close look at his transaction costs convinced Leandro that he preferred Interac Debit and its low fees, over other, costlier payment methods. He (admittedly) ranted a little about it on social media, and customers got the message. More are now choosing to pay with Interac Debit and Leandro is saving money every month. That’s good because, as an old mentor told him, “Take care of the pennies, and the dollars take care of themselves. And what better example of that is there than Interac?” 

The business featured got a little thank-you to share its experience.

Akim and Abdel Acacia

Piklìz

Akim Acacia thrives on opportunities to share his culture — specifically, the greatness of Haitian cuisine — with as many people as possible. That’s why it’s been such a satisfying journey growing Piklìz, from a small pop-up started by his brother Abdel to a six-seat mini-restaurant inside another café to the current standalone restaurant in Montreal’s hip Saint-Henri neighbourhood (soon to be joined by a larger venue in Mile End).

Akim says the speed and easy setup of Interac Debit fuelled Piklìz’s growth at each step of the way.

“People need things to go fast, and they need easy access — like, tap and go,” Akim says.

When COVID-19 hit, he recalls how offering Interac Debit at the counter helped smooth the business’s pivot to takeout-only service.

“You can reach more people, a bigger crowd” if you offer Interac Debit as opposed to cash-only, Akim says (98 per cent of Canadians have a debit card).1“That’s the whole goal, to share my passion with more people.”

The business featured got a little thank-you to share its experience.

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