CRTC still weighing Telus' request to introduce credit card fee

OTTAWA -

Canada's telecom regulator says it needs more time to weigh an application from Telus Corp. to introduce a processing fee for certain customers that pay their bills by credit card.

Starting Monday, most Telus wireless and home service customers who pay their bills by credit card will see a 1.5 per cent credit processing fee, which the company has implemented after a class action settlement cleared the way for merchants to add a surcharge on credit card payments.

However, Telus has asked for clarity from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission around whether it is permitted to add the processing fee to a small subsection of customers in British Columbia and Alberta.

In a letter sent to the telecom giant last Thursday, the CRTC said it may take until Dec. 6 before there is a final decision on the matter which is longer than its initial estimate of 45 business days.

Telus first filed the application on Aug. 8 requesting permission to add a 1.5 per cent processing fee to its terms of service starting this fall.

In the application, Telus said the surcharge is intended “to cover the processing costs that credit card payments incur.”

In a statement to the Canadian Press in August, Telus said the average cost each month will be about $2 per customer, and that it can be avoided by selecting another bill payment option, such as debit payments or one-time bank payments.

The fee does not apply in Quebec or to customers of Telus' Koodo subsidiary.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2022.