KONEK™ is currently in its commercial pilot release and is only available to select users if your financial institution sent you an invitation to sign up for KONEK. Stay tuned for more information as to when KONEK is available to all users.

KONEK FAQs

You asked, we answered! Expand an FAQ to learn more about KONEK™

Important: KONEK is currently in its commercial pilot release and is only available to select users if your financial institution sent you an invitation to sign up for KONEK. For this commercial pilot release, KONEK is offered by a small number of merchants until its upcoming commercial release. Learn more from KONEK.ca.

About KONEK

  • KONEK offers online shoppers a brand-new, made-in-Canada, payment solution that allows you to pay using any of your eligible accounts from a participating financial institution, savings, chequing, Visa debit and Visa credit, or Mastercard debit and Mastercard credit*.

    *Availability of payment method varies by merchant and financial institution.

    KONEK is supported by Canada’s leading financial institutions and powered by Interac Corp.

  • KONEK is supported by Canada’s leading financial institutions and powered by Interac Corp.

  • KONEK keeps your information safe, secure, and hidden using secure authentication, fraud prevention measures, payment consent protocols, a process called tokenization, and passkeys (if you’ve enabled passkeys for your device). 

    Secure Authentication:

    • As a guest user, KONEK uses your financial institution’s secure authentication method to ensure you can securely access your data.
    • As a registered user of KONEK on a trusted device, KONEK uses your device’s biometric scanning capabilities amongst other secure authentication methods to ensure you can securely access your data.

    Payment Consent Protocols: When a merchant requests you to make a payment, the payment process to deduct funds from your eligible financial account is only initiated with your explicit consent. 

    Tokenization: This process replaces sensitive data, such as your card and account numbers with randomly generated non-sensitive data which is shared exclusively with the merchant's system.  

    Passkeys: KONEK uses passkeys for enhanced security, if you’ve enabled it. Unlike passwords, passkeys cannot be guessed or stolen. A passkey is unique to a device and website, so your payment methods are secure.

    KONEK is supported by Canada’s leading financial institutions and powered by Interac Corp. 

  • No. Your banking information, such as account and card numbers, is kept hidden and cannot be directly accessed by the merchant. On receiving your explicit consent, your financial institution will share your full name, phone number, and shipping address with the merchant in order to complete a transaction.

  • The KONEK payment gateway protects you from fraud through secure authentication, payment consent protocols, and a process called tokenization. 

    Secure Authentication:

    • As a guest user, KONEK uses your financial institution’s secure authentication method to ensure you can securely access your data.
    • As a registered user of KONEK on a trusted device, KONEK uses your device’s biometric scanning capabilities amongst other secure authentication methods to ensure you can securely access your data.

    Payment Consent Protocols: When a merchant requests you to make a payment, the payment process to deduct funds from your eligible financial account is only initiated with your explicit consent. 

    Tokenization: This process replaces sensitive data, such as your card and account numbers with randomly generated non-sensitive data which is shared exclusively with the merchant's system. 

    There are steps you can also take to help protect against fraud including:

    • Enabling passkeys for your device
    • If you’re not using your device’s passkey, create strong passwords
    • Using antivirus software on all your devices
    • Regularly reviewing your account statements to ensure transactions are processed as expected

  • For this beta release, the following online stores offer KONEK at checkout:

    It is expected that more online stores will offer KONEK with the upcoming commercial launch.

  • The following financial institutions offer KONEK:

    • Bank of Montreal
    • National Bank of Canada
    • Royal Bank of Canada
    • The Bank of Nova Scotia
    • The Toronto-Dominion Bank

  • Yes, passkeys are more secure than passwords because: 

    • Passkeys are resistant to phishing and data breaches, and 
    • Since your passkey never leaves your device, it cannot be stolen or intercepted. 

    If you enable passkey on your device, then a passkey you can securely access your KONEK account without having to enter any credentials. 

KONEK Account

    1. Use the link in the invitation-to-use-KONEK email from your financial institution to request a new code.
    2. Open the KONEK account login page.
    3. If you want to proceed, accept the use of cookies and other technologies notice. 
    4. On the landing page, check I agree that I have read and consent to the Privacy policy. 
    5. Review Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and then select Agree and continue. 
    6. Select Agree and continue. 
    7. Select Continue. 
    8. Select your financial institution from the list of participating financial institutions. 
    9. Select Continue with <name of selected financial institution>. 
    10. Enter your financial account’s username and password. This completes authentication through your financial institution. 
    11. Give your financial institution permission to share account, address and contact information with KONEK. 
    12. On the Save your KONEK account page, the information provided by your financial institution is displayed by default. You can make changes to any of these fields. 
    13. Select your payment method* from the list of eligible accounts. 
      *Note:
      • The default payment method is the financial account from which payments will be debited.
      • The default payment method can be changed at any time.
      • If a merchant does not accept a payment method, then you cannot select that payment method and the following message is displayed underneath, “Not accepted by merchant”.
    14. (optional) Use the edit icon to modify your personal information and shipping address. 
    15. Select Create account.
    16. If you enable passkeys, you can complete that procedure now or select Show me later to complete this at a later time, or even on another preferred device. 
    17. If you enable trusted device, you can complete that procedure now or select Show me later to complete this at a later time, or even on another preferred device. 
    18. You will receive a confirmation message that your KONEK account was successfully created. 

  • As a KONEK account holder you can:

    • Add multiple, eligible, financial accounts from multiple participating financial institutions to KONEK, and easily switch between them at checkout. depending on the payment methods accepted by the participating merchant.
    • List up to five different shipping addresses and select a shipping address from the list at checkout.
    • Set up a default payment method from among eligible accounts and shipping address.
    • If you’ve configured a trusted device and biometric scan, you can experience the ease and speed of the express checkout.

    Note: Only payment methods supported by the merchant may be used for payment at the online store. If the merchant does not accept any of your eligible accounts, you will be warned that you do not have any eligible accounts.

    As a guest:

    For every checkout, you will need to complete authentication with your participating financial institution to use your preferred payment method (and accepted by the merchant). If you want to use a different shipping address or any other personal information, that is different from what your financial institution has provided, you will need to enter the information at the time of checkout.

  • With a KONEK account, you can add multiple, eligible, financial accounts from different participating financial institutions, and these will all be available to you at checkout.

    Follow these steps to add multiple payment methods to your KONEK account:

    1. Sign in to your KONEK account.
    2. Open KONEK account settings > Payment methods.
    3. Select Add Bank.
    4. Select a financial institution from the list of participating financial institutions.
    5. Enter your financial account’s username and password. This completes authentication through your financial institution.
    6. Give your financial institution permission to share account, address and contact information with KONEK.
    7. Select one of your eligible accounts.

    Your selected financial account will be added to your KONEK account as a payment method and is available for selection the next time you checkout. However, if the merchant does not accept that payment method you will see the following error, “Not accepted by merchant”.

    1. Use the link in the invitation-to-use-KONEK email from your financial institution to request a new code.
    2. Open the KONEK account login page.
    3. On the KONEK in pilot page, enter the code provided in the Welcome to the KONEK Pilot email from KONEK.
    4. Select Continue.
    5. Accept the cookies and other technologies notification.
    6. Select Log in.
    7. Enter the email address associated with your KONEK account and select Log in.
    8. Select your financial institution from the list of participating financial institutions.
    9. Enter your financial account’s username and password. This completes authentication through your financial institution.
    10. Give your financial institution permission to share account, address and contact information with KONEK.

  • It’s the combination of our cookies technology, our reliance on your browser’s history, and your KONEK account that allows KONEK to remember you - even after you’ve signed out.

    Your next log in or check out will be much faster when performed from your trusted device and the same browser.

  • With KONEK, you can set your device's biometrics as your authentication method to ensure you alone are making purchases on your device.

    Note: Your device must support web authentication and you must enable it.

  • The express checkout experience relies on you using the trusted device and browser associated with your KONEK account - that is the trusted device and browser you used to create your KONEK account.

    If you are using a different browser and/or device from the ones you used to create your KONEK account, then you will need to complete log in again using the email address associated with your KONEK account and indicate that you are on a trusted device.

    Alternatively, you can either:

    • Follow the steps described under How do I sign in to my KONEK account from a new device and/or browser?, or
    •  Complete checkout as a guest.

  • You can change your default payment method after signing in to your KONEK account.

    Follow these steps to change your default payment method: 

    1. Sign in to your KONEK account. 
    1. Open KONEK account settings > Payment methods. 
    1. Select Add Bank. 
    1. Select a financial institution from the list of participating financial institutions. 
    1. Enter your financial account’s username and password. This completes authentication through your financial institution. 
    1. Give your financial institution permission to share account, address and contact information with KONEK. 
    1. Select one of your eligible accounts. 
    1. Set this as your default payment method. 

    Your selected financial account will be added to your KONEK account as a payment method and is available for selection the next time you checkout. However, if a participating merchant does not accept that payment method you will see the following error, “Not accepted by merchant”.

  • If you have a KONEK account, there are four scenarios to consider. Follow the procedure corresponding to the scenario that applies to you:

    ScenarioDescriptionProcedure
    You’re on the device used to create your KONEK account but without biometric scanning capabilities
    • The device is associated with a KONEK account.
    • Biometric scanning is not supported by, or not enabled on, the device.
    1. On the landing page, select Log in.
    2. Complete authentication through your financial institution.
    3. Complete checkout or access your KONEK account.
    You’re a KONEK account holder who is using another KONEK account holder’s device
    • The device is associated with a KONEK account.
    • Multiple KONEK account holders using the same device associated with a single KONEK account.
    1. On the landing page, select Log in with another account.
    2. Complete authentication through your financial institution.
    3. Complete checkout or access your KONEK account.
    You’re on the device used to create your KONEK account and it has biometric scanning capabilities
    • The device is associated with a KONEK account.
    • Biometric scanning is enabled on the device.
    1. On the landing page, select Log in .
      Note: You may retry Log in , up to three times, after which you will need to reauthenticate with your financial institution to either complete checkout or view your KONEK account.
    2. Complete checkout or access your KONEK account.
    You have a KONEK account and enabled passkey
    • The device is associated with a KONEK account.
    • Passkey is enabled on the device.
    1. On the landing page, log in with your passkey.
    2. Complete checkout or access your KONEK account.

  • Your KONEK account allows you to quickly access one or more of your eligible financial accounts to complete checkout at a participating online store; and manage multiple payment methods and shipping addresses.

    This is the procedure that KONEK and financial institutions follow in order to link an eligible, financial account with your KONEK account.

    1. Verify your ownership of your specified, eligible financial account: From the KONEK application, you’re prompted to confirm you’re the owner of an eligible financial account. This is affirmed when you log in to your financial institution’s application and add an eligible financial account to your KONEK account.
    2. Provide your explicit approval to share your account information: Your financial institution gets your explicit approval to share your account information – name, address, email, phone number and payment options (masked). This is the only information KONEK requires to complete checkout.

Payments, Refunds & Cancellations

  • As with any other transaction, refunds are processed by the merchant and must follow the merchant’s return policies. If a refund is approved by the merchant, then the refund is applied to the same payment method that you used to complete checkout.

  • If your financial institution has approved your payment method and the payment was accepted by the merchant, then the online store displays an order confirmation screen.

    If you still have questions about the completion of your payment, please contact the merchant.

  • As with any other transaction, cancellations are processed by the merchant and must follow the merchant’s cancellation policies. Please contact the merchant directly to cancel your order. Then you can repurchase the same product using KONEK.

  • The following table sets out whom to contact for select issues related to a transaction:

    Point of ContactDescription of Issue
    Merchant (refer to the online store’s contact information)For questions about your online purchase, delivery time, shipping options, product information, etc.
    Your financial institution (see your financial institution’s contact information)
    • For questions about charges to your account that your merchant cannot answer such as, processing times, limits, etc.
    • For technical issues such as payment timing out, error message, etc.

Commercial Pilot

  • You can participate in the KONEK Commercial Pilot testing if:

    1. You have an eligible account with one of the following financial institutions:
      • Bank of Montreal
      • National Bank of Canada
      • Royal Bank of Canada
      • The Bank of Nova Scotia
      • The Toronto Dominion
    2. You received an invitation from your financial institution to participate in the beta test.

    Once the above two conditions are met, you can complete checkout using KONEK when you make a purchase at one of the following online stores:

  • Use the link and the access code provided by your financial institution to initiate registration. Complete the registration process to create your KONEK account. Once you have your KONEK account, you can complete payment using KONEK when you make a purchase at one of the following online stores:

  • Commercial pilot gives a limited number of users the opportunity to experience KONEK, and for service providers to uncover bugs or issues inside a regulated environment before expanding its availability more broadly.

KONEK for Merchants

  • Currently, KONEK does not accept connection requests directly from merchants however, you can reach out to your payment processor (such as, Moneris) and ask how you can offer KONEK from your online store.

  • No. You alone determine and manage your refund policy.

  • For all questions or help with KONEK your acquirer is your first point of contact. For any escalations, your acquirer will reach out to Interac.

  • If KONEK becomes unavailable, contact your acquirer. Maintenance activities and changes resulting from project activities and vendor upgrades are scheduled so as to minimize disruptions to your business.

  • You will be deemed as a high-risk merchant if your fraud losses breach the Fraud Merchant Monitoring Program threshold. If a breach occurs, then Interac’s fraud team may reach out to you.

  • No. Currently, KONEK is only available for payments made in CAD for merchants in Canada.

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