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Payzium vs Desjardins

Desjardins refers your card processing to Global Payments. Here is what that referral means for your fees, and the transparent option that exists next to it.

Last updated: July 11, 2026

the Desjardins perks we acknowledge up front

Desjardins is a respected Quebec cooperative, and its perks for merchant members are real. No fee for daily automatic deposits into a Desjardins business account. A Global Payments customer service team dedicated to Desjardins members.

This page is not built to discredit Desjardins. It plainly explains which processor your caisse refers you to, what that processor charges, and what exists next to it.

the real mechanic, plainly

Desjardins does not process card payments itself.

Since the announcement of October 31, 2019, Desjardins has assigned its merchant portfolio (formerly under the Monetico brand) to Global Payments under a strategic partnership with a 10-year exclusive referral agreement. Merchant equipment replacement began in March 2020. In practice, your caisse refers you to Global Payments; Global Payments is who opens your merchant account, who bills you the processing rates, and who produces your monthly statement.

That is why this comparison is about what Global Payments charges, not about what Desjardins asks of you. We cannot honestly attach a processing rate to Desjardins itself: Desjardins does not do the billing.

the math at $40,000/month, 800 transactions

$792 vs $580. Same volume, same transactions, one figure published in writing.

Global Payments (Desjardins-referred program)

  • Processing (credit, effective): ~2.6% × $28,000 = $728/mo
  • Processing (Interac debit): 10¢ × 240 tx = $24/mo
  • Monthly admin (statement, PCI, admin): $40/mo
  • Total: $792/mo

Payzium wholesale-plus

  • Processing (credit): ~1.91% × $28,000 + 5¢ × 560 tx = $563/mo
  • Processing (Interac debit): 5¢ × 240 tx = $12/mo
  • Merchant account: $5/mo
  • Total: $580/mo

Monthly savings with Payzium: about $212. Annual: about $2,544. The Global Payments-side figures above reuse, unchanged, our detailed analysis of that processor.

reuses the verified modeling from our Global Payments analysis: 70/30 credit/debit mix by volume, $50 average ticket, 800 transactions; Global Payments modeled at 2.6% effective credit rate (a typical bank-channel or cooperative-referral SMB plan), 10¢ flat per Interac debit, $40/mo in monthly admin fees; Payzium effective credit rate (~1.91%) = typical Canadian SMB interchange (~1.50%) + assessments (~0.11%) + 0.30% margin, plus 5¢ per credit tx, 5¢ flat per Interac debit tx, $5/month merchant account; varies by actual card mix. Pure processing comparison; terminal hardware not included on either side. Effective rates vary widely across Global Payments merchants. Full substantiation and primary sources on our Global Payments analysis[4].

what your statement will look like

Five signals to look for on your Global Payments statement.

What follows comes from our detailed Global Payments analysis and applies in full to Desjardins-referred accounts, because Global Payments produces the statement. We do not duplicate the teardown here; we give you the five line-item names to look for, and point you at the full analysis.

  • FTNQ (non-qualified transaction fee): the surcharge on rewards and business cards.
  • DATASECFEE: the “data security” fee, billed as a percent of volume plus a per-transaction component.
  • RISK ASMT: the “risk assessment” fee.
  • PCI ADMIN: the admin fee for PCI compliance you complete yourself.
  • Monthly admin fees, statement fee, and PCI evaluation fee, roughly $20 a month before any processing happens.

Substantiation, the amounts observed on a real SMB statement, and primary sources are on our detailed Global Payments analysis.

what leaving Global Payments actually involves

Your Desjardins banking services are not affected. The payment solution is what changes.

Your business account, credit card, and other Desjardins services are independent of who processes your card payments. Closing your Global Payments merchant agreement closes nothing at the caisse. Most Global Payments agreements are 36-month or 60-month contracts with early termination fees in the $500 to $1,500 range. We help you read the agreement before you cancel, and we coordinate the cancellation paperwork.

Pay less or it's free covers up to CA$1,000 of any early termination fee. If yours is over the cap, we cover the first CA$1,000, you cover the gap. And if we have not lowered your processing cost within the first 90 days, we refund our margin in full.

honest filter

Who should switch. Who should stay.

Switch to Payzium if

  • Your statement is from Global Payments (often with “Paiements Globaux Canada SENC” in the header) even if you signed at your caisse
  • You don't know your current effective rate, or you have to look up a statement to find it
  • You see FTNQ, DATASECFEE, RISK ASMT, NETWKACCES, or PCI ADMIN line items on your statement
  • You want pricing math you can verify against published interchange

Stay on the Desjardins-referred program if

  • You have a negotiated effective rate under 1.8% on a plan you've verified
  • You're enterprise with $1M+/month already on a custom contract
  • The daily automatic deposit into your Desjardins account and the dedicated support team assigned to you are, for you, services Payzium does not yet replace
  • Your agreement is bundled with banking services you actively use and aren't paying separately for

what switching looks like

Five steps. Your Desjardins services do not move.

  1. We read your most recent Global Payments statement with you and confirm what you're actually paying, including FTNQ and admin fees.
  2. We prepare the Global Payments cancellation paperwork specific to your Desjardins-referred agreement and walk you through filing it.
  3. We ship the terminal day-of-approval.
  4. You keep your Desjardins business bank account and every other service at the caisse.
  5. We handle the tax-rate setup and recurring-billing migration. You go live on Payzium.

Honest math

Honest math. Decide from there.

Wholesale-plus pricing at interchange + 0.30% + 5¢ Tier 1 margin, backed by Pay less or it's free. No setup fee, no PCI fee, no monthly minimum, no FTNQ surcharge. Your Desjardins banking services are not affected.

Open free accountSee the full rate card →

common questions

Questions merchants ask before leaving the Desjardins-referred program

Does Desjardins actually process my card payments?

No. Since the strategic partnership announced October 31, 2019, Desjardins has assigned its merchant portfolio to Global Payments under a 10-year exclusive referral agreement. Merchant equipment replacement began in March 2020. In practice, the caisse refers you to Global Payments, who opens your merchant account, bills you the processing rates, and produces your monthly statement.

Does switching to Payzium affect my other Desjardins services?

No. Your business account, credit card, line of credit, and other Desjardins services are independent of who processes your card payments. Closing your Global Payments merchant agreement closes nothing at the caisse.

Do I lose daily automatic deposits into my Desjardins account?

At Payzium, funds are deposited into the business bank account of your choice, including your Desjardins account. Daily automatic deposit stays possible; what differ are the precise timing and settlement mechanics, which we describe during account opening.

What is FTNQ on my statement?

FTNQ stands for “Frais de transaction non qualifiée” (non-qualified transaction fee). It's a surcharge Global Payments adds when card types come through that don't qualify for the cheapest interchange bucket. Rewards cards, business cards, and certain card brands all trigger FTNQ. On a typical SMB statement we reviewed, FTNQ added approximately 0.7% to the effective rate, on top of the headline pricing. Full details on our Global Payments analysis.

How long is my Global Payments agreement signed at the caisse?

Most Global Payments agreements run 36 to 60 months with early termination fees. The ETF varies by plan and is often $500 to $1,500. Pay less or it's free covers up to CA$1,000 of any early termination fee. If yours is over the cap, we cover the first CA$1,000, you cover the gap.

Do I lose French-language customer service?

Global Payments offers a support team dedicated to Desjardins members. It's a real perk specific to the Desjardins channel. At Payzium, support is direct and bilingual. The honest question is which of the two better matches your needs; we do not claim to replace a team dedicated to a cooperative channel.

Sources

  1. [1] Desjardins business payment solutions page (en-CA): “Our partner Global Payments offers payment solutions tailored to your needs.” The same page confirms no fee for daily deposits into a Desjardins account (“You won’t be charged for daily direct deposits into a Desjardins account”) and a Global Payments customer service team dedicated to Desjardins Business clients (“Global Payments has a customer service team dedicated to Desjardins Business clients”). https://www.desjardins.com/en/business/solutions-tools/payment.html. Verified 2026-07-11.
  2. [2] Announcement of the strategic partnership between Desjardins Group and Global Payments (October 31, 2019). 10-year exclusive referral agreement, merchant equipment replacement started in March 2020. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/changes-to-desjardins-group-s-merchant-products-and-services-lineup-strategic-partnership-with-global-payments-885283870.html. Verified 2026-07-11.
  3. [3] Payzium detailed Global Payments analysis: substantiation via a real SMB statement (~$35,000/month, 1.40% effective rate, FTNQ surcharge $247), and primary sources. https://www.payzium.com/compare/global-payments. Verified 2026-07-11.
  4. [4] Global Payments Canada interchange and pricing reference. https://go.globalpayments.com/fr-ca/taux_interchange. Verified 2026-05-21.