Helcim
Pay the card networks' real cost plus a small published margin, with no monthly fee or contract
Rates verified October 14, 2026See pricingThe Bottom Line
- Markup on card costs
- 0.4% + 8¢ (verified Oct 14, 2026). All rates and fees
Key facts
- No monthly fee or contract. Margin of 0.40% + 8¢ in person under $50K a month, falling with volume.
- The card networks' own cost is added on top, so the total depends on the cards used.
- Card Reader $199, Smart Terminal $349 plus shipping.
Pros
- No monthly fee, no setup or PCI fee, and no contract or cancellation fee
- The margin shrinks automatically as your volume grows
- A chargeback you win costs nothing
- Deposits arrive the next business morning
Cons
- You cannot know the exact total in advance: the card networks' cost is added on top
- Hardware is bought outright: $199 for the reader and $349 for the terminal, plus shipping
- Tap to Pay on iPhone adds 10¢ per transaction
At a glance
Rates verified October 14, 2026- In-person card rate
- Interchange + 0.4% + 8¢ (up to $50K a month)
- Online or invoice rate
- Interchange + 0.5% + 25¢
- Keyed-in rate
- Interchange + 0.5% + 25¢
- Monthly software
- Standard $0 a month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Card reader
- $199 (Helcim Card Reader, plus shipping)
- Terminal
- $349 (Helcim Smart Terminal, plus shipping)
- Payout speed
- Next business morning
- Contract
- No contracts, leases, termination or cancellation fees.
- Best for
- Service businesses, Retail shops
- 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; Chargeback: $0 if won, $15 if lost; Rejected payment: $5; Tap to Pay on iPhone: +10¢ per transaction; Recurring payments: +0.4%
- Countries
- United States and Canada
Source: helcim.com/pricing, read October 14, 2026
Is it worth it?
About $72 a month in the provider's own margin on $10,000 of in-person sales
This provider passes the card networks' real cost straight through and adds a margin on top, so your total depends on the cards your customers use. Counting only the margin (0.4% + 8¢ on 400 sales of $25), that is about $72 a month, before the card networks' share. Hardware is not included. Rates are as of the date above.
Read this before you sign up
- 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 lost chargeback costs $15 and a rejected 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 and volume tiers, fees, hardware prices, contracts, deposits, countries Vendor page (2026-10-14)
What is Helcim?
Helcim is the provider in this list that charges interchange-plus pricing: on every sale it passes through the card networks' wholesale cost and adds a small, fixed margin of its own. For a business taking less than $50,000 a month on cards, that margin is 0.40% + 8¢ in person and 0.50% + 25¢ for keyed-in and online payments. It drops automatically as your volume grows, down to 0.15% + 6¢ in person between $1 million and $5 million a month. Helcim says this puts 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. A chargeback costs $15 if you lose it and nothing if you win. Hardware is bought outright: the Card Reader is $199 and the Smart Terminal, with a built-in printer, is $349 (or $32 a month for a year), plus shipping.
The catch is that you cannot know your exact rate in advance, because the card networks' cost depends on the card used: a premium rewards card costs more to accept than a debit card. That is why our cost example shows Helcim's own margin with a plus sign instead of one total.
Key details
Interchange-plus pricing with automatic volume discountsNo monthly, setup, PCI, statement or cancellation feesNext-business-morning depositsVirtual terminal, invoicing and recurring paymentsSmart Terminal and Card Reader, bought outrightTap to Pay on iPhone
Explore more
Helcim 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. Checked on Helcim's pricing page on October 14, 2026.
Does Helcim have monthly fees or a contract?
No. Helcim says it charges no monthly, setup, PCI, statement or cancellation fees, and has no contracts, leases or termination fees.
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, plus shipping. The Smart Terminal can also be paid at $32 a month for a year. Optional 4G data is $7 a month.
What does a chargeback cost at Helcim?
Nothing if the case is resolved in your favor, and $15 if you lose it. A payment rejected by the customer's bank costs $5.
Where is Helcim available?
Helcim serves businesses in the United States and Canada.
Source: helcim.com