Square Adds Amex, JCB Acceptance in Canada

Square Inc. has added American Express and JCB credit card acceptance in Canada, expanding its payment options a year after launching in the country.

"Square is focused on making commerce easy for everyone, starting by enabling anyone, anywhere to accept credit cards. We also believe in starting small and growing," says Khobi Brooklyn, a spokesperson for Square. "When we launched in Canada, making Square available in Canada was the priority … from there, we planned to, and are, continuing to build out the payment solution."

When Square launched in Canada, merchants using Square's mobile card reader could accept only MasterCard and Visa card payments. The merchant rate for Amex and JCB cards will be the same 2.75% per transaction.

Square is processing more than $100 million in credit card payments in Canada. In May, Square announced its growth in Canada was "exceeding expectations," with gross payment volume in its first six months at 90% higher per capita than in the U.S.

Approximately 2.7 billion Canadians are self-employed and there are more than 1 million small businesses in the provinces, reports Square. "We're excited to continue to work with more businesses in Canada and help them run and grow," says Brooklyn.