Helcim
$104/mo est.
- In-person rate
- IC + 0.40% + 8c
- Online rate
- IC + 0.50% + 25c
- Monthly fee
- Free
- Terminal cost
- Card Reader $199; Smart Terminal $349 (or $32/mo)
- Contract length
- No contract
- Settlement time
- Next business day
- Est. monthly cost
- $104/mo
Helcim
Transparent interchange-plus processing with no monthly fee and automatic volume discounts.
- In-person rate
- IC + 0.40% + 8c
- Online rate
- IC + 0.50% + 25c
- Monthly fee
- Free
- Contract
- No contract
Best for
Growing US small businesses that want fair, transparent interchange-plus pricing with no monthly fee.
Pricing breakdown
All prices in USDLast verified June 19, 2026Every fee we track, grouped by where it applies.
In-person payments
In-person terminal and tap-to-pay transactions.
- Transaction rate
- IC + 0.40% + 8c
Entry tier ($0-50K/mo) markup above interchange. Steps down to IC + 0.15% + 6c at $1-5M. Numeric is the Helcim markup only (interchange passes at cost), so the computed estimate is the Helcim margin, not the all-in rate.
- Monthly fee
- Free
No monthly, statement, or minimum fees. Confirmed.
- Terminal cost
- Card Reader $199; Smart Terminal $349 (or $32/mo)
- Setup fee
- Free
Online payments
Online checkout and keyed-in card transactions.
- Transaction rate
- IC + 0.50% + 25c
Entry tier online/keyed markup. Steps down to IC + 0.15% + 15c at $1-5M.
- Monthly fee
- Free
No monthly, statement, or minimum fees. Confirmed.
- Setup fee
- Free
Other fees
- Chargeback fee
- $0 won / $15 lost
Confirmed on helcim.com.
- Early termination fee
- None
No lock-in. Confirmed.
- Refund fee
- Free
Original processing fee not returned.
- PCI compliance fee
- Included free
No PCI fee. Confirmed.
Contract terms
- Contract length
- No contract
- Settlement time
- Next business day
- Recurring billing
- Yes
Recurring Payments product (+0.4%/tx).
Accepted payment methods
Cards, wallets, and other methods supported by Helcim for US merchants.
Cards
- Visa
- Mastercard
- AMEX
- discover
Digital wallets
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
Other
- ach
Strengths and trade-offs
Pros
- Transparent interchange-plus pricing, published in full
- No monthly, statement, or minimum fees
- Automatic volume discounts as you grow
- Free chargeback handling when you win the dispute
Cons
- Interchange-plus is less predictable than a flat rate
- Smaller brand and review base than Square or Stripe
- No first-party AI assistant
About Helcim
Helcim is built around transparent interchange-plus pricing: you pay the card networks’ interchange at cost plus a published Helcim markup, with no monthly fee, no statement fee, and no minimums. As your volume grows the markup automatically steps down, so larger merchants pay less without renegotiating.
That model usually undercuts flat-rate processors once you are past low volume, and the pricing is published in full rather than quote-gated. The interface is straightforward, the developer API is open, and recurring payments are supported. It is a strong pick for growing US small businesses that want fair, transparent pricing.
Helcim was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
How Helcim compares
Side-by-side with the closest alternatives by estimated cost.
Assumes $15,000/mo volume, $50 average transaction, 70% in-person and 30% online.
Stax
$129/mo est.
- In-person rate
- 0% markup + 8c
- Online rate
- 0% markup + 15c
- Monthly fee
- $99/mo
- Terminal cost
- Quoted (resells Dejavoo/Verifone/Clover near cost)
- Contract length
- Month-to-month
- Settlement time
- 1-3 business days
- Est. monthly cost
- $129/mo
PayPal
$438/mo est.
- In-person rate
- 2.29% + 9c
- Online rate
- 2.99% + 49c
- Monthly fee
- Free
- Terminal cost
- PayPal Zettle reader ~$29 (first reader); extras ~$79
- Contract length
- Month-to-month
- Settlement time
- 1 business day
- Est. monthly cost
- $438/mo
Chase Payment Solutions
$447/mo est.
- In-person rate
- 2.6% + 10c
- Online rate
- 2.9% + 25c
- Monthly fee
- Free
- Terminal cost
- Card Reader + Base $129, Countertop $399, Wireless $499, Smart Terminal $499
- Contract length
- Month-to-month
- Settlement time
- Same-day (Chase account)
- Est. monthly cost
- $447/mo
Common questions about Helcim
The same questions US merchants ask before signing up.
Helcim uses transparent interchange-plus pricing rather than a flat rate. You pay the card networks' interchange at cost plus a published Helcim markup, which is around IC + 0.40% + 8c in person and IC + 0.50% + 25c online at the entry volume tier. The markup steps down automatically as your volume grows, and the monthly fee is Free.
No. Helcim charges Free a month, with no statement fee and no monthly minimum. You pay only the interchange-plus rate per transaction, which is one of the reasons it often works out cheaper than flat-rate processors once you are past low volume.
For many businesses past low volume, yes. Helcim's interchange-plus markup is small and shrinks automatically as you process more, whereas flat-rate processors charge the same percentage regardless of volume. At very low volume a flat rate can be simpler and comparable, so use the calculator on this page to compare them on your own numbers.
Helcim does not charge a PCI compliance fee, and chargebacks cost nothing if you win the dispute (with a small fee only if you lose). There is also no setup fee and no contract, which keeps the running cost down beyond the headline processing rate.
Helcim settles funds on a Next business day schedule at no extra cost. Combined with no monthly fee and no contract, that makes it a straightforward, transparent option for growing US small businesses that want fair pricing without quote-gating.
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