Dough vs Moneris: A Canadian Merchant's Honest Comparison

TL;DR

The 30-second answer

Moneris isn't a bad processor — it's a big, expensive one. If you're a Canadian business processing more than $10K/month and tired of statements that look like tax returns, Dough is built for you.

Moneris

Stick with Moneris if…

You're inside a long-term contract with high early termination fees
You bank with RBC or BMO and want everything bundled with your bank
You don't mind the bundled-fee statement format
You don't want anything back from your processor beyond the transaction service

Dough

Switch to Dough if…

You're processing $10K+/month and want real transparency
You want a choice between surcharging, IC+, or flat rate pricing
You want a free website and monthly social content as part of the deal
You'd rather work with a real Canadian operator than a 1-800 menu tree

Side-by-side

The honest comparison

Moneris's pricing is negotiable but rarely transparent. Their public rates are tiered and bundled. Dough's pricing is plain English. Here's how they stack up.

	Dough	Moneris
In-person credit card rate	$0 (surcharge) / IC+ 0.20% / 2.75% flat	Tiered & bundled — varies by negotiation
Debit transactions	$0.04 per transaction	Bundled into tiered rates
Pricing model choice	Surcharge, IC+, Flat, or Dual Pricing	Bundled tiered pricing only
Statement readability	Plain language, line-by-line	Notoriously dense — bundled fees, multiple line items per transaction
Hidden / surprise fees	None — every line itemized	PCI, monthly minimum, batch, statement, network access fees layered in
Contract length	Month-to-month or 4-year (your choice)	Typically multi-year with early termination fees
Free website + social with processing	Yes — Boost program	No
Free custom AI tool	Yes — Boost program	No
Support	Real Canadian humans, founder-led	Tier-gated phone support, long hold times
Terminals	Clover Flex / Mini / Station Duo / Newland / Ingenico	Mostly older PAX / Ingenico, locked to Moneris
Setup time	2–3 days from statement to live	Variable — banks-style underwriting timelines
Owner / parent company	Independent Canadian operator	Jointly owned by RBC and BMO

Honest take

Where each one actually wins

Moneris isn't garbage — it's just expensive and built for a different era. Here's where it still earns its keep, and where Dough leaves it behind.

Where Moneris wins

Brand recognition. Big-bank backing makes some merchants feel safer, especially older businesses or banking-conservative owners.
If you're already a heavy RBC or BMO customer, bundling can occasionally make sense for accounting simplicity.
National scale and infrastructure — they're not going anywhere.
For very high-volume enterprise merchants ($500K+/month), Moneris will negotiate down close to interchange. Most small businesses never see that rate.

Where Dough wins

Lower overhead means lower rates. Moneris has thousands of employees and two banks to pay shareholders for. Dough doesn't.
Three pricing models to pick from — surcharge, IC+, flat — plus dual pricing for the right verticals. Moneris bundles you into one tiered structure.
Plain-English statements. Every fee itemized. No "tier 3 mid-qualified" mystery line items.
The Boost program — free website, free monthly social content, custom AI, Google review cards. Moneris gives nothing back.
Modern Clover hardware vs Moneris's older PAX and Ingenico fleet.
You talk to a real Canadian who runs the business, not a tier-1 support rep reading a script.

Decision matrix

How to choose in 60 seconds

Run yourself through this list. No fluff.

Choose Moneris if…

You're processing over $500K/month and have the leverage to negotiate down to near-interchange.
You're locked in a contract that's too expensive to break right now.
You bank exclusively with RBC or BMO and need the convenience of bundled billing.
You don't care about the Boost perks or pricing flexibility.

Choose Dough if…

You process $10K/month or more and want to actually save money.
You want to surcharge and pay $0 in processing fees.
You want a free website and monthly social media content with your processing.
You're tired of statements you can't decode.
You want a real human on the phone the first time you call.

Real switch story

What happens when you actually move

A typical $50K/month auto repair shop on Moneris — what the numbers look like after switching to Dough.

Our Moneris statement was 6 pages of bundled fees nobody could explain. Switched to Dough, started surcharging, and our processing bill basically went to zero. Plus the website they built for us has already sent us new transmission jobs.

— Ron, Ron's Transmission (auto repair, ~$50K/mo volume)

The numbers

Previous processorMoneris

Monthly card volume~$50,000

Old Moneris fees~$1,500/mo

Dough fees~$700/mo

Boost perk earnedFree 5-page site

Monthly savings~$800/mo

FAQ

Switching from Moneris — the questions we hear most

Is Dough cheaper than Moneris?

For most Canadian merchants, yes. Moneris is owned by RBC and BMO — two of the country's biggest banks — with the corporate overhead and pricing tiers to match. Their statements are notoriously hard to read and full of bundled fees that add up. Dough's pricing models are all transparent: surcharge ($0 in credit card processing fees), Interchange Plus (interchange + 0.20%), or flat rate at 2.75% + $0.15. Typical Dough merchants save 30–60% versus a Moneris statement.

Why is Moneris so expensive?

Moneris is jointly owned by RBC and BMO. Two huge banks with thousands of employees, massive infrastructure, and shareholder margin expectations all baked into every transaction you process. Dough doesn't carry that overhead — we're a lean Canadian operation, so we can offer better pricing AND reinvest our margin into your business through the Boost program.

Am I locked into a long-term contract with Moneris?

Most Moneris merchants are on multi-year terms with early termination fees. Read your agreement carefully — getting out can be expensive. Dough offers flexible contract options: month-to-month with no early termination fees, or a 4-year term if you want a free or subsidized terminal. You choose the structure that fits how you want to pay for your terminal.

Does Moneris give back the way Dough's Boost program does?

No. Moneris is a transactional processor — you pay your fees, they take their margin, that's the whole relationship. Dough's Boost program reinvests our margin back into your business: free websites, free monthly social media content, custom AI tools, and Google review cards. Tier scales with monthly volume. No other Canadian processor offers anything close to this.

Can I keep my Moneris terminal if I switch to Dough?

No. Moneris terminals are programmed to work only with the Moneris processing network. When you switch to Dough you'll move to a Clover Flex, Clover Mini, Clover Station Duo, or a Newland N910 — all of which run more powerful POS apps than the older PAX/Ingenico units Moneris typically deploys.

How long does it take to switch from Moneris to Dough?

2 to 3 days from start to installed. Send your last Moneris statement, we'll quote you, you sign the application, we ship and program your new terminal, and you're live. Your bank account doesn't change. Your bookkeeping doesn't change. The only thing changing is who's actually processing the cards.

What if my Moneris contract isn't up yet?

Send us your Moneris agreement along with your statement. We'll do the math on what you're paying versus what you'd save with Dough — including any early termination fee. In most cases the savings in the first 6–12 months more than cover any cancellation cost. We'll tell you straight if it doesn't pencil out.

Two of Canada's biggest banks own Moneris. You're paying for it.

Send us your Moneris statement