Helcim

Overview

Helcim is a payment processor that sells interchange-plus pricing to small businesses. Instead of a flat percentage, merchants pay the card network’s interchange cost plus a fixed Helcim margin, and the margin falls automatically as monthly volume rises. Helcim’s own pricing pages blocked automated access during research for this article, so the figures below come from NerdWallet’s review, updated 5 March 2026.^[3]

At up to $50,000 a month in card volume, in-person transactions cost interchange + 0.40% + 8¢ and online or keyed transactions interchange + 0.50% + 25¢. Between $50,000 and $100,000 the margins drop to 0.35% + 7¢ in person and 0.45% + 20¢ online, with further reductions above that. ACH payments cost 0.5% + 25¢, capped at $6 for transactions under $25,000. There is no monthly fee. A card reader costs $199 and a smart terminal with a printer $349.^[3] NerdWallet notes that deposits take up to two business days, that interchange-plus costs are harder to predict, and that Helcim lacks a full countertop POS for restaurants.

Helcim features

• Interchange-plus with published tiers
• Automatic volume discounts
• Card reader and smart terminal
• ACH and invoicing
• Virtual terminal and online payments
• Interchange-plus pricing with automatic volume tiers
• In-person reader and smart terminal
• Online payments and invoicing

Helcim pricing

Interchange + 0.40% + 8¢ in person / + 0.50% + 25¢ online (to $50k/month); + 0.35% + 7¢ / + 0.45% + 20¢ ($50k–$100k). ACH 0.5% + 25¢, $6 cap. $0 monthly. Reader $199; terminal $349.

Helcim strengths and limitations

Appears in

• Best Merchant Services in 2026 #1
• Best Payment Gateways in 2026 #12
• Best Payment Processors for Small Business in 2026 #3

Helcim alternatives and competitors

Alternatives to Helcim: companies ranked in the same lists.

• SSquare
• Stripe Atlas
• Chase Business Complete Banking
• Stax
• Payment Depot
• TToast
• ANAuthorize.net
• Adyen
• Global Payments
• Clover
• PayPal
• NNMI