Elavon vs TD Merchant Solutions: Recurring Billing Fees in 2026

By the Parity research team — verified against our first-party rate data

Independent — not sponsored·Updated 2026-08-30·Recurring Billing·Card Not Present·Interchange Rates

The short answer

An Elavon vs TD Merchant Solutions recurring billing fee comparison reveals distinct cost dynamics for Canadian subscription businesses. Across 5 observed merchant statements, Elavon achieved a 1.40% blended effective rate. Total recurring costs depend heavily on Card-Not-Present interchange, ranging from 0.77% for Visa CA Consumer Electronic to 2.3% for Visa CA Infinite Privilege CNP.

Elavon vs TD Merchant Solutions: recurring billing cost breakdown

Evaluating Elavon versus TD Merchant Solutions for recurring billing requires examining observed effective rates alongside network interchange schedules. Across 5 observed merchant statements, Elavon produced a 1.40% blended effective rate. Comparing processors for recurring billing depends on whether plans use flat pricing or pass-through models, as your customer's card composition dictates final processing expenses.

Merchants comparing Elavon and TD Merchant Solutions must review how card storage and gateway connections affect monthly statements. While Elavon statement data shows an average 1.40% effective rate, subscription pricing fluctuates based on the specific card types processed without a physical terminal present. Bring your advertised rates to parity with your actual costs by verifying your Elavon pass-through markups against published card brand interchange rates.

CategoryRate TypeObserved or Network Rate
Elavon Statement BenchmarkBlended Effective Rate (5 observations)1.40%
Visa CA Consumer Electronic (Small Merchant)Card-Not-Present Interchange0.77%
Visa CA Infinite Privilege CNP (Small Merchant)Card-Not-Present Interchange2.3%
Observed processing rates and Visa CNP interchange tiers

The impact of card-not-present (CNP) rates on subscriptions

Card-Not-Present (CNP) transactions increase subscription billing costs because networks assign higher interchange fees when you cannot tap or swipe a physical card. Subscription models rely entirely on stored card data, subjecting every recurring payment to remote transaction pricing tiers.

Network interchange schedules create significant cost variation based on the specific card tier your customer uses. For example, Visa CA Consumer Electronic for a Small Merchant carries an interchange rate of 0.77%. In contrast, Visa CA Infinite Privilege CNP for a Small Merchant incurs a 2.3% rate. When customers subscribe using premium rewards cards, your processing costs rise substantially, regardless of the payment processor you use. You can read your TD Merchant Solutions statement for rate changes to catch these CNP markups.

Gateway and tokenization fees for cards on file

Payment gateways and card tokenization add technical overhead and hard costs to recurring billing. To bill customers automatically, processors and gateways securely store credit card credentials using digital tokens, protecting cardholder data across recurring billing cycles.

Merchants using Elavon or TD Merchant Solutions must account for gateway connectivity alongside base processing rates. Gateways like Elavon Converge provide the necessary card-on-file tokenization infrastructure. Check your statement terms to ensure your recurring transaction fees remain transparent, and analyze your Elavon interchange-plus rates to isolate gateway charges from wholesale costs.

Evaluating Elavon's 1.40% effective rate for Canadian merchants

Elavon achieves a 1.40% blended effective rate across 5 observed merchant statements analyzed by our team. This figure reflects real-world processing outcomes across active commercial accounts in Canada.

Your ability to maintain a 1.40% effective rate depends on your customer card mix. Lower-tier cards, such as those qualifying for the Visa CA Consumer Electronic Small Merchant rate of 0.77%, keep overall costs down. Conversely, heavy usage of cards on the Visa CA Infinite Privilege CNP Small Merchant rate of 2.3% pushes effective rates higher. Subscription businesses must calculate their monthly card breakdown to see how their Elavon vs Moneris effective rates measure up against our observed 1.40% benchmark.

Frequently asked questions

What is Elavon's average effective rate for Canadian merchants?

Elavon averages a 1.40% blended effective rate across 5 real merchant statements analyzed by Parity. This rate represents overall processing costs across observed commercial accounts. Individual merchant rates vary based on transaction volume and specific card mix.

Why are recurring billing fees higher than in-person card processing?

Recurring billing incurs higher costs because card networks classify recurring transactions as Card-Not-Present (CNP) payments. Without a physical card tap or swipe, networks apply higher interchange rates to offset fraud risk. For instance, premium CNP card rates like Visa CA Infinite Privilege reach 2.3% for small merchants.

How do premium credit cards affect Canadian subscription processing costs?

Premium credit cards significantly increase subscription costs due to higher network interchange rates on remote transactions. While standard Visa CA Consumer Electronic for small merchants carries a 0.77% rate, Visa CA Infinite Privilege CNP charges 2.3%. Subscription merchants with customers holding premium rewards cards pay higher overall effective processing rates.

How this guide is made: Parity guides are written from our first-party data — published rate cards we track and re-verify, interchange tables, and real merchant statements — plus attributed public sources. No provider pays for coverage. Last updated 2026-08-30.

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