The Dough Blog

Plain-English payments, written for owners.

No corporate jargon. No filler. Real talk on credit card processing in Canada — surcharging, dual pricing, how to actually read your statement, and why your processor is probably charging you too much.

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Fresh off the press.

What's coming next
Agencies
Why marketing agencies get frozen by Stripe

The pattern behind 90-day account holds, the verticals most at risk, and the agency-friendly stack that prevents it.

Trades
Why HVAC companies should be surcharging right now

The math at $5K+ ticket sizes. Why the surcharge model isn't just for restaurants anymore.

Auto repair
The real cost of processing fees for an auto shop

What 3% of a $3,000 transmission job actually adds up to over a year — and the two pricing models that fix it.

Previously

The rest of the catalogue

Industry · Auto repair

The real cost of processing fees for an auto shop.

The rate you were quoted is the headline. Your effective rate is the truth — usually 3 to 3.5% for auto shops. The real annual number, and the fix.

Zachary
Zachary at Dough · May 18, 2026 · 9 min read
Industry · Trades

Why HVAC companies should be surcharging right now.

At HVAC ticket sizes a 2.5% fee is real money — about $150 on a $6,000 install. The surcharging math, the rules, and whether your customers actually care.

Zachary
Zachary at Dough · May 18, 2026 · 8 min read
Industry · Marketing agencies

Why Stripe freezes marketing agencies (and what to do instead).

Lumpy retainers, volume spikes, and pass-through ad spend all trip Stripe's risk model. Why the freezes keep happening — and the fix that doesn't.

Zachary
Zachary at Dough · May 18, 2026 · 9 min read
Compare · Pricing models

Surcharging vs cash discount vs dual pricing: which one fits your business?

Three different models that all move credit card fees off your bottom line. What each one does, where it's legal in Canada, and which fits your shop.

Zachary
Zachary at Dough · May 18, 2026 · 10 min read
Statement audit · Hidden fees

The hidden fees hiding in every merchant statement.

11 line items most Canadian merchants don't decode — PCI fees, non-qualified surcharges, batch fees, terminal leases, and more. What each one is, what it costs, and whether it's legit or junk.

Zachary
Zachary at Dough · May 18, 2026 · 11 min read
How-to · Switching

How to switch payment processors without disrupting your business.

It sounds like a headache. It isn't. The 2 to 3 day playbook — what stays, what changes, and how to keep money moving while you swap.

Zachary
Zachary at Dough · May 18, 2026 · 8 min read
Explainer · Pricing basics

What is interchange? A plain-English guide for Canadian merchants.

The biggest line item on your processing bill — and the one nobody bothers to explain. Where the fee comes from, who keeps what, and why no two cards cost the same.

Zachary
Zachary at Dough · May 18, 2026 · 9 min read
In the queue

The rest of the drafting table

More posts going live every week. Bookmark this page and check back — or send us your statement and skip the wait.

Agencies

Why Marketing Agencies Get Frozen by Stripe (and What to Do Instead)

The pattern behind 90-day account holds, the verticals most at risk, and the agency-friendly stack that prevents it.

Trades

Why HVAC Companies Should Be Surcharging Right Now

The math at $5K+ ticket sizes. Why the surcharge model isn't just for restaurants anymore.

Auto repair

The Real Cost of Processing Fees for an Auto Shop

What 3% of a $3,000 transmission job actually adds up to over a year — and the two pricing models that fix it.

Risk

Chargebacks 101: How to Win Disputes as a Canadian Merchant

The documentation that wins. The documentation that loses. And why some processors quietly side with the cardholder.

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