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Mastercard adopted what is now known as the Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada (the “Code of Conduct”) in 2010. As part of this Code of Conduct, merchants and cardholders can submit inquiries or complaints relating to the elements of the Code of Conduct. To ensure that Canada’s payment system continues to be innovative, secure and reliable for all the payment industry members, we welcome your feedback.

Mastercard supports the recent revisions to the Code of Conduct announced by the Government of Canada. Mastercard believes the revisions will make the payments industry more transparent while maintaining the value and benefit of new payment technologies to merchants. 

Merchants 
If you are a merchant or prospective merchant and your question is related to your contract or statement with your acquirer or payment processor, we ask that you first contact the acquirer or payment processor. Please refer to your statement for contact information.

If after contacting your acquirer or payment processor you feel your inquiry has not been resolved to your satisfaction, we invite you to fill out a Code of Conduct inquiries form.

Mastercard Code of Conduct complaint handling procedure summary for merchants

If you have a complaint pertaining to the Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada, you may file a complaint through a variety of channels:

  • our website 
  • by email, or
  • by mail at Mastercard Canada, 600-121 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3M5 (Attention: Code of Conduct Compliance, Regulatory Affairs).

Please visit the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC)’s website for more information on merchant rights under the Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada.

Following receipt of your complaint, we will:

  • Acknowledge receipt of your complaint within five (5) business days.
  • Keep you notified and informed throughout the process.
  • Provide our final decision in writing within thirty (30) business days of receiving the merchant complaint, along with:
    • A summary of the complaint;
    • The final result of the investigation;
    • The final decision, including an explanation; and
    • Information on how to further escalate your complaint in the event of an unsatisfactory outcome.

If we cannot provide a response to you within 30 business days, we will inform you of the reason for the delay, reason for the delay and the expected response time.

To assist us in reviewing your complaint, please provide the following, where applicable:

  • a summary of your concerns
  • key dates, such as when the concern occurred, and when you contacted the acquirer or payment processor
  • other pertinent details, such as the name of the person at the acquirer or processor with whom you were liaising
  • copies of any supporting documentation (e.g., agreements, statements, correspondence from acquirer/payment card network)

Nothing in the above process restricts you from filing complaints directly with the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (the “FCAC”) at any stage of the complaint process. You can reach the FCAC via:

Phone: 1-866-461-3222
Email: info@fcac-acfc.gc.ca
Mail: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, 6th Floor, Enterprise Building, 427 Laurier Ave. West, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 1B9

Please note that we may share the information you submit with your acquirer, processor or financial institution in order to assist us in answering your concerns.