Helcim Payments
Pay the card networks' real cost plus a small published margin, with no monthly fee, no PCI fee and no contract
Rates verified October 14, 2026See pricingThe Bottom Line
- In-person markup on card costs
- 0.4% + 8¢ (verified Oct 14, 2026). All rates and fees
Key facts
- No monthly fee or contract. Helcim's own margin is 0.40% + 8¢ in person and 0.50% + 25¢ online under $50K a month, and it falls with volume.
- The card networks' own cost is added on top, so your total depends on the cards your customers use.
- Card Reader $199, Smart Terminal $349 plus shipping. A lost chargeback costs $15.
Pros
- No monthly, setup, statement or PCI fee, and no contract or cancellation fee
- The margin falls automatically as your volume grows, in five published tiers
- A chargeback you win costs nothing, and a lost one is $15
- Next-business-morning deposits at no extra charge
- Bank (ACH) payments are capped at $6 each
Cons
- You cannot know the exact total in advance: the card networks' cost is added on top of Helcim's margin
- A refund does not return the fees on the original sale, unless you void it before the batch closes
- Helcim's terms let it withhold payouts or require a reserve for any reason related to your use of the service
- Hardware is bought outright: $199 for the reader or $349 for the terminal, plus shipping
- Keyed-in and online sales carry a higher margin: 0.50% + 25¢ under $50K a month
At a glance
Rates verified October 14, 2026- Pricing model
- Interchange-plus
- In-person markup
- Interchange + 0.4% + 8¢ (up to $50K a month)
- Online markup
- Interchange + 0.5% + 25¢ (up to $50K a month)
- Keyed-in markup
- Interchange + 0.5% + 25¢ (up to $50K a month)
- Monthly fee
- $0 a month on every tier
- Free plan
- Yes
- Monthly minimum
- None
- PCI fee
- $0 a month. No PCI fee. Helcim lists PCI fees as $0 (annual compliance self assessment) and says it does not charge PCI compliance fees.
- Chargeback fee
- $15
- Bank (ACH) payments
- 0.5% + 25¢, capped at $6
- Refunds
- No added fee for a refund, but the processing fees of the original sale are not returned. Voiding a sale before the batch closes avoids them.
- Payout speed
- Next business morning for credit and debit card sales, at no extra charge (the funding page says next business day if your bank is eligible). Gross or net deposits.
- Contract
- No contracts, leases, termination fees or cancellation fees.
- Early termination
- None: no termination or cancellation fee.
- Holds and reserves
- Helcim's terms say it may withhold funds by suspending or delaying payouts, or require a reserve, for any reason related to your use of the service. It sets the amount and can raise, reduce or remove it at any time. After you close the account it may require an additional reserve for at least six months.
- Card reader
- $199 (Helcim Card Reader)
- Terminal
- $349 (Helcim Smart Terminal)
- Best for
- In-person sellers, Online sellers, Higher card volume
- Other fees to know
- Volume tiers (in person): 0.35% + 7¢ from $50K a month, 0.25% + 7¢ from $100K, 0.20% + 6¢ from $500K, 0.15% + 6¢ from $1M; Volume tiers (keyed-in and online): 0.45% + 20¢ from $50K a month, 0.35% + 20¢ from $100K, 0.25% + 15¢ from $500K, 0.15% + 15¢ from $1M; Chargeback: $0 if resolved in your favor, $15 if lost; Rejected or returned ACH payment: $5; ACH over $25,000: +0.05% on the amount above $25,000; Cards issued outside the US (network fees passed on): Visa +1.45% + 4¢, Mastercard +1.45%, Discover +1.30%, American Express +1.00%; Tap to Pay on iPhone: +10¢ per transaction; Recurring payments: +0.4% per recurring transaction; Level 2/3 interchange optimization (optional): 30% of the savings it generates; 4G data (optional): $7 a month; Over $5M a month: Custom pricing, contact sales
- Countries
- United States and Canada (the pricing page offers a United States / Canada location choice)
Sources: helcim.com/pricing, legal.helcim.com/us/fee-disclosures, read October 14, 2026
Is it worth it?
About $53 in person, or $92 online a month in the provider's own margin on $10,000 of card sales
This provider passes the card networks' real cost straight through and adds its own margin, so your total depends on the cards your customers use. Counting only the margin, a business taking $10,000 a month in card payments, in about 167 sales of $60, would pay about $53 if every sale is in person ($0 to $50K a month tier at 0.4% + 8¢, with no monthly fee), and about $92 if every sale is online ($0 to $50K a month tier at 0.5% + 25¢, with no monthly fee), before the card networks' share. Hardware and other fees are not included. Rates are as of the date above.
Read this before you sign up
- Helcim's terms let it withhold funds by suspending or delaying payouts, or require a reserve, for any reason related to your use of the service. The amount is set by Helcim and can change at any time, and it may keep an additional reserve for at least six months after you close the account.
- Interchange-plus means your total changes with the cards your customers use and with the card networks' own changes, which Helcim says usually happen in April and October.
- Your margin tier comes from the average of your last three months of processing, so a quiet stretch can move you up a tier.
- A refund does not return the processing fees on the original sale.
- A lost chargeback costs $15, a rejected ACH payment $5, Tap to Pay on iPhone adds 10¢ per transaction and recurring payments add 0.4%.
Where these numbers come from
Every rate and price on this page was read from the vendor's own pages on the dates below. Vendors change prices without notice, so check the current figure on their site before you decide.
- Interchange-plus margins by monthly volume tier (in person and keyed or online), no monthly, setup, PCI or cancellation fees, deposits, chargeback, ACH, refunds, hardware, Tap to Pay, recurring, 4G, countries Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Tier table, international card network fees, ACH, chargeback, hardware, optimization fee (second page, last updated February 2, 2026, effective April 1, 2026) Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Margin table repeated Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Next business day deposits for eligible banks Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Reserve and withheld payouts Vendor page (2026-10-14)
What is Helcim Payments?
Helcim is a card processor that charges interchange-plus pricing: on every sale you pay the card networks' wholesale cost at face value, plus a small margin of Helcim's own. For a business taking less than $50,000 a month in cards, that margin is 0.40% + 8¢ for a card tapped, dipped or swiped and 0.50% + 25¢ for keyed-in and online payments. It falls automatically as your volume grows, down to 0.15% + 6¢ in person between $1 million and $5 million a month. Helcim says this keeps most merchants' total in-person cost near or below 2% and online below 2.5%. That is Helcim's own estimate, not ours.
There is no monthly fee, no setup fee, no PCI fee and no contract or cancellation fee. Deposits arrive the next business morning at no extra charge. A chargeback costs $15 if you lose it and nothing if you win, and bank (ACH) payments cost 0.5% + 25¢, capped at $6. Hardware is bought outright: the Card Reader is $199 and the Smart Terminal is $349, plus shipping.
One thing to know: you cannot work out your exact total in advance, because the card networks' cost depends on the card used and refunds do not give back the fees on the original sale. Helcim's terms also let it hold back payouts or set up a reserve for any reason related to your use of the service.
Key details
Interchange-plus pricing with five automatic volume tiersNo monthly, setup, statement, PCI or cancellation feesNext-business-morning deposits, gross or netVirtual terminal, invoicing, payment pages and recurring billingSmart Terminal and Card Reader bought outright, no leasesTap to Pay on iPhoneACH bank payments at 0.5% + 25¢, capped at $6
Explore more
Helcim Payments FAQ
How much does Helcim charge per card sale?
Helcim adds a margin to the card networks' cost (interchange). In person it is 0.40% + 8¢ up to $50,000 a month, 0.35% + 7¢ from $50,000, 0.25% + 7¢ from $100,000, 0.20% + 6¢ from $500,000 and 0.15% + 6¢ from $1 million. Keyed-in and online payments are 0.50% + 25¢ in the first tier, falling to 0.15% + 15¢ from $1 million. Checked on Helcim's pricing page on October 14, 2026.
Does Helcim have monthly fees or a contract?
No. Helcim lists $0 for account monthly fees, signup, PCI and cancellation, and says there are no contracts, leases, termination fees or cancellation fees. Checked on Helcim's pricing page on October 14, 2026.
What does interchange-plus mean?
Each card payment has a wholesale cost set by the card networks. Interchange-plus means the provider passes that cost to you at face value and adds its own margin on top. Flat-rate providers fold both into one percentage.
How much does Helcim hardware cost?
The Card Reader is $199 and the Smart Terminal is $349, each plus shipping. The Smart Terminal can also be paid at $32 a month for one year. Optional 4G data is $7 a month. Checked on Helcim's pricing page on October 14, 2026.
What does a chargeback cost at Helcim?
Nothing if the case is resolved in your favor, and $15 if you lose it. A bank (ACH) payment that is rejected or returned costs $5. Checked on Helcim's pricing page on October 14, 2026.
Does Helcim give back fees on a refund?
Not on a refund. Helcim charges no added fee for refunds, but you still pay the processing fees of the original sale. If you void a sale before closing your batch, you avoid those fees. Checked on Helcim's pricing page on October 14, 2026.
Can Helcim hold my money?
Its terms say it may withhold funds by suspending or delaying payouts, or require a reserve, for any reason related to your use of the service. Helcim sets the amount and can raise, reduce or remove it at any time. Checked in Helcim's Terms of Service on October 14, 2026.
Source: helcim.com