Practical guide · October 21, 2026
How to review a payment terminal statement before asking for a new quote
A statement review should produce a short list of explainable costs, not just a percentage circled at the bottom of a page. A Canadian merchant comparing terminal services can use this worksheet to separate transaction charges from equipment and account costs, identify questions, and give a prospective provider a consistent starting point. It is a practical review method, not an estimate of PBH pricing or a promise that switching will save money.
Start with a complete statement period
Choose a closed month and save every page of the statement, any separate equipment invoice, and the agreement or current fee schedule. Write down the start and end dates. If your business has a busy season, add a representative busy month and a quiet month rather than presenting one unusual period as your normal trading pattern.
Keep account identifiers in your own working copy. Before sharing documents for a quote, ask which information is necessary and use the provider's approved secure channel. A reviewer generally needs the fee labels and activity totals, not customer payment credentials. Do not include full card numbers, security codes or customer receipts in a general enquiry.
Build a fee map you can explain
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada's merchant rights guide describes the monthly statement information merchants should receive or be able to access. It distinguishes transaction pricing from charges outside that rate for blended or flat-rate plans. Use that distinction as a starting point; ask the processor to explain labels that are unclear.
| Worksheet row | What to record | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Statement activity | Sales amount and transaction count by payment category | Are refunds and adjustments shown separately? |
| Transaction charges | Rate, charge amount and relevant card category | Which sales or transactions were used to calculate this line? |
| Account charges | Label, amount and billing frequency | Is this included in the quote or billed separately? |
| Equipment | Rental, lease or purchase invoice and terminal count | Does this invoice belong to a separate agreement? |
| Adjustments | Credits, corrections and one-off charges | Is this recurring or limited to this statement? |
| Open questions | Exact label, page number and requested explanation | Who will answer, and by what date? |
Do not force every line into a category you do not understand. Mark an unresolved charge as unresolved. A tidy worksheet with guessed classifications is less useful than a clear question attached to the original line.
Calculate a comparison measure without calling it your contract rate
For your own planning, divide the costs you have chosen to include by the corresponding sales volume, then multiply by 100. Label both the numerator and denominator. For example, an invented month with $240 of selected costs and $20,000 of matching sales produces a 1.2% comparison measure. This example is arithmetic only, not a market rate, PBH offer or expected result.
If you include equipment rental in one provider's total, include comparable equipment costs in the other. Avoid comparing a total that includes fixed charges with a headline transaction percentage that excludes them. Keep taxes, credits and unrelated services visible instead of silently mixing them into a number called “processing rate.” Ask your bookkeeper about accounting treatment where needed.
Turn the worksheet into a useful quote request
Send the same trading assumptions to each provider: approximate monthly sales, transaction count, typical sale size, payment channels, number of terminals, and seasonal variation. Record what came from an actual statement and what is a forecast. The Code of Conduct calls for cost-per-transaction and fee disclosures in processing quotes and proposals, including the assumptions behind them. Request the written disclosures rather than reconstructing an offer from a sales conversation.
Ask the provider to identify optional services, promotional end dates and equipment arrangements. Keep the response beside the original worksheet. A lower illustrative total is not enough to decide: check whether the offer actually covers your required terminals and channels, and read the applicable terms before accepting it.
Keep statement review separate from daily reconciliation
A monthly cost review does not prove that every deposit or refund settled correctly. Use the end-of-day reconciliation guide for shift and deposit investigations. Use the quote comparison worksheet when you are ready to compare written offers.
To discuss your operating requirements, contact PBH through the application page. Bring the unresolved questions and the same assumptions you used for every comparison. Confirm available services and current terms directly before making a decision.