Useful information

Here is some information you will find useful when doing business with the SAQ:

Delivery service

The SAQ gives you the option of having your product orders delivered to your establishment. To be eligible for this free service, you must meet the following conditions:

Your establishment must be located in an area served by the SAQ’s Delivery Service.

Regions	Area served	City
Eastern Quebec	Quebec city and surrounding areas	Boischâtel, Cap-Rouge, Charlesbourg, Charny, Château-Richer, Lac-Beauport, Côte-de-Beaupré, Lac Delage, L'Ange-Gardien, Lévis, L'île d'Orléans, Limoilou, Loretteville, Neuville, Pont-Rouge, Québec, Saint-Raymond, Sainte-Anne-De-Beaupré, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Sainte-Catherine-De-La-Jacques-Cartier, Saint-Jean-Chrysostome, Saint-Nicolas, Shannon, Stonham, Valcartier, and Wendake.
	Outlying areas	Baie Saint-Paul, Bécancour, Drummondville, La Malbaie, Louiseville, Pointe-du-Lac, Saint-Alexis-Des-Monts, St-Paulin, Trois-Rivières, and Victoriaville.
	Outlying areas	Ayer's Cliff, Bromont, Hatley, Lac Brome, Magog, North Hatley, Orford, and Sherbrooke (St-Denis-de-Brompton).
Western Quebec	Montreal and surrounding areas	Beloeil, Blainville, Boisbriand, Bois-Des-Filion, Boucherville, Brossard, Candiac, Charlemagne, Dorval, Greenfield Park, Kahnawake, La Prairie, Laval, L’île-Des-Sœurs, L’île-Perrot-Sud, Longueuil, Mascouche, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Montréal, Otterburn Park, Pointe-Claire, Repentigny, Rosemère, Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Saint-Bruno, Saint-Constant, Saint-Eustache, Saint-Hubert, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Saint-Lambert, Sainte-Anne-Des-Plaines, Sainte-Julie, Sainte-Madeleine, Sainte-Thérèse, Terrebonne, Varennes, Vaudreuil-Dorion, and Verchère.
	Outlying areas	Joliette, Mirabel, Mont-Tremblant, Piedmont, Prévost, Saint-Antoine-Sur-Richelieu, Saint-Charles-Sur-Richelieu, Saint-Charles-Borromée, Saint-Jean-De-Matha*, Saint-Jérôme, Saint-Marc-Sur-Richelieu, Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Sauveur-Des-Monts, Sainte-Adèle, Sainte-Agathe-Des-Monts, Sainte-Marguerite-Du-Lac-Masson/Estérel, Val-David, and Val-Morin.
	Gatineau Papineauville	Chelsea, Gatineau, Hull, and Montebello.

*72-hour delivery lead time. To take advantage of the delivery service, certain conditions apply.

You must order a minimum dollar amount and minimum number of cases annually or your single order must meet the eligibility conditions for the service in your area.
Your purchases must be paid for by credit card or using a pre-authorized credit limit. Please note that a waiting period of a few months is required for approval of credit applications from new establishments.

Payment methods
The SAQ offers you several payment methods to make purchasing alcoholic beverages easier:
cash
debit card
credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express)
travellers cheques (American Express, Thomas Cook, Visa, MasterCard)
bank money order
certified cheques.
Frequently asked questions
Can purchases be paid for with a non-certified cheque?
If your establishment has a credit limit, the SAQ will allow you to pay for your purchase with a non-certified cheque. You can obtain a credit limit application form from one of our Centres de relation clientèle – Restauration or at an SAQ outlet.
How do I apply for a credit limit?
If your business is just getting started, up to two months of purchases and credit history may be required for approval. During this period, you will have to pay using one of the accepted payment methods. If you have an established business, you can apply for a credit limit immediately (PDF - 31 KB).
In addition, you can now pay your credit bill with a bank transfer from the following institutions: Bank of Montreal (BMO), National Bank of Canada (NBC), Desjardins and RBC Royal Bank.
How do I pay for purchases in a store?
All purchases made in stores must be paid for in full using one of the accepted payment methods before you leave the outlet with your order. If you have a credit limit, you can pay with a non-certified cheque.
How do I pay for delivered purchases?
You can use one of the following methods:
with a credit card entered beforehand in our system (billed on the shipment date)
with a pre-authorized credit limit (you have a seven-day payment window when dealing with the Centres de relation clientèle – Restauration)
by cheque if you have a pre-authorized credit limit. Please mail the cheque to the following address:
SAQ, Service de la comptabilité – clients
7500 Tellier Street
Montreal, QC H1N 3W5.
Is it possible to receive a statement of account?
A statement of account can be sent to you once a week, on Monday morning, via fax or email, as specified by you. To receive a statement of account, please contact one of our Centres de relation clientèle – Restauration, at 514-254-6000, ext. 6445, option 2.
Montreal: 514 254-8686 or 1 866 554-8686
Quebec City: 418 654-2950 or 1 866 654-2950.
When is an account considered overdue?
An account is considered overdue when the pre-authorized credit limit is exceeded, when the payment deadline is not met or if your cheque is refused by your financial institution.
What are the consequences when an account is considered overdue?
When a payment deadline is not met, interest may be charged to the account.
Duty stamps
As the holder of a bar or restaurant permit issued by the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux, when you buy alcoholic beverages at the SAQ, a duty stamp is affixed to each bottle or container.
For more information, please read the Reminder of principles – Beverage alcohol sales and sample stamp (PDF - 111 KB).
Frequently asked questions
Do all alcoholic beverages intended for use or consumption in an establishment have to have a stamp?
You are forbidden from having in your establishment alcoholic beverage containers – including alcoholic beverages used for food preparation – that do not bear the SAQ duty stamp. In addition, the information printed on the stamps must be legible. Close cooperation between you and the SAQ is essential if you are to avoid any violations that could result in a fine or even the suspension of your permit.
What is the SAQ’s responsibility?
SAQ employees must affix the duty stamp correctly on each bottle and container listed on your invoice. The stamp should be affixed to the back of glass containers (on the glass) or metal containers and on the top of paperboard containers.
What is your responsibility?
When you pick up your order at an outlet or receive a delivery, you are responsible for ensuring (i) that the duty stamp is properly affixed to each container in the order and (ii) that a serial number is printed on it. If the stamp is missing, SAQ employees will immediately correct the situation. We therefore recommend allowing a little extra time for checking your order and the stamps’ condition in order to avoid any problems. If you use the delivery service, the SAQ encourages you to immediately notify SAQ Restauration of the error.
What should I do to ensure that the duty stamp remains legible and in good condition?
The SAQ ensures that the duty stamps meet certain durability standards when used under normal conditions. That being said, duty stamps are not indestructible.
Tips for avoiding damage to duty stamps
If you have to clean your bottles, be careful not to wet or rub the duty stamps.
If you have to chill a bottle in an ice bucket, avoid placing it directly in the water; instead, place it in a large plastic bag.
It is important to follow these recommendations, as the SAQ will not, under any circumstances, affix replacement duty stamps on bottles whose stamps have been damaged.
What can happen in the event of a violation (missing or illegible duty stamp)?
Besides resulting in the possible imposition of a fine as part of a penal action, being found guilty of a violation will lead to a second procedure, which can result in a penalty of an administrative nature, namely suspension of the establishment’s permit by the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux.

Taxes on alcoholic beverages

Example : 1.14 litre container

	Retail customer	Permit holder (prior to August 1, 2014)	Permit holder (Since August 1, 2014)
Sales price (excluding taxes)	$28.41	$28.41	$28.41
Specific tax ($1.40/l x 1.14 litre)	$1.60		$1,60
Specific tax ($2.47/l x 1.14 litre)		$2.82
GST (5 %)	$1.50	$1.56	$1.50
QST (9,975 %)	$2.99	$3.11	$2.99
Sales price (including taxes)	$34.50	$35.90	$34.50
Input tax credit (ITC)*		$(1.56)	$(1.50)
Input tax refund (ITR)*		$(3.11)	$(2.99)
Net cost	$34.50	$31.23	$30.01
Difference (in permit holder's favour)			$4.49

* Retailers are entitled to an input tax refund (ITR) and input tax credit (ITC).

Product returns
Can products in good condition be returned?
You can get a refund free of charge in the event of an error on our part when preparing an order.
You can also get a refund for products that are likely to be resalable and have been purchased in the preceding 12 months. In such cases, a fee of $1.70 a bottle will be charged unless you have a prior arrangement with the manager of the supplying store.
Can defective products be returned?
The SAQ’s refund policy allows you to return a defective product for an exchange or a refund at either your usual outlet or the Centres de relation clientèle – Restauration. The bottle must be three-quarters full and have been purchased less than one year before the return date. Although the same conditions apply to defective spirits, the SAQ’s Quality Management Department may be asked to issue an opinion, as products of this type are, by nature, very stable.
What form do refunds for defective products take?
The reimbursement method depends on the payment method used at the time of purchase.
Can cellared products be returned?
The Centres de relation clientèle – Restauration or your outlet will reimburse you for defective aged products. Note that returns of cellared products may be subject to approval by the relevant SAQ authority.
Is it possible to return leftover products in good condition that were ordered for a special event?
If you plan to return products left over from a special event, you should make a special arrangement with your outlet’s manager or with one of our Centres de relation clientèle – Restauration when purchasing the products. The following conditions apply to all such arrangements:
you can receive a refund free of charge for up to 10% of the total number of bottles in your original order;
a return fee of $1.70 per bottle will be deducted from your credit note for any bottles over the 10%;
no more than 20% of the total number of bottles in the original order can be refunded;
the bottles must be returned in the 90 days after the original date of purchase.
Purchase reports
To help you better manage your alcoholic beverage requirements, the SAQ offers you the possibility of obtaining a detailed report on your purchases during a specified period.
What information is included in the detailed purchase report?
- product name
- format (in litres)
- product category
- product number
- product description
- order number
- billing date
- outlet (where the purchase was made)
- quantity (number of bottles)
- total amount.
When is the detailed purchase report sent?
The detailed purchase report is sent by email either annually or every six months, as specified by you.
Who can request a detailed purchase report?
The authorization form must be filled out and signed by an officer of the establishment (e.g. president, vice-president or owner). This person’s name must be listed in the Quebec Enterprise Register.
Is a fee charged for the report?
Permit holders can receive up to two detailed purchase reports a year free of charge. A $25 fee will be charged for each additional report requested.
How do I sign up to receive purchase reports?
Contact one of our Centres de relation clientèle – Restauration to obtain the detailed purchase report application authorization form. After filling out the form, submit it by email.
To contact us :
Toll-free : 1 866 873-2020
Greater Montreal : 514 254-2020
Closing of an establishment
What should we do with our products if one of our establishments closes for good?
The Seizure Department may authorize the return of bottles that meet certain conditions. Administration fees are charged for these transactions. For more information, please contact us at one of the following numbers:
Montreal area - Telephone: 514 254-8686 option 1 or 1 866 554-8686 option 1
Quebec region - Telephone: 418 654-2950 option 1 or 1 866-654-2950 option 1
Rare products by lottery
Do you wish to receive rare and prestigious product offers? Easy, just send an email to saqrestaurationprestige@saq.qc.ca and provide your SAQ account number be on the mailing list.