Payment processor
Helcim fees in 2026: what you actually pay
Updated · Checked against primary sources
The short answer
Helcim charges interchange plus a published margin: at the lowest volume tier, interchange + 0.40% + 8 cents in person and interchange + 0.50% + 25 cents keyed or online, falling to 0.15% plus 6 to 15 cents above $1M. ACH and Canadian EFT are 0.5% + 25 cents capped at $6, and there are no monthly, PCI or cancellation fees.
US and Canadian small businesses that want published interchange-plus pricing without a monthly fee or contract.
Helcim rates
| Payment type | Published rate |
|---|---|
| In person (tap, dip, swipe) | Interchange + 0.4% + 8¢ |
| Online or invoice link | Interchange + 0.5% + 25¢ |
| Keyed in | Interchange + 0.5% + 25¢ |
| Canada Interac debit (12 cents for tap) | Interchange + 0% + 9¢ |
| Recurring payments (added) | Interchange + 0.4% |
| ACH / bank transfer | 0.5% + $0.25, capped at $6 |
What Helcim costs on your volume
Helcim prices on interchange-plus: you pay the card network's interchange, which varies by card type, plus the markup shown. The calculator leaves it out rather than treat the markup as the whole cost.
Fee calculator
Helcim does not publish enough rates to calculate this.
| Same volume on | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal (incl. PayPal Point of Sale) | $924 | $11,088 |
| Clover | $929 | $11,147 |
| Square | $1,053 | $12,640 |
| Moneris | $1,069 | $12,827 |
| Stripe | $1,084 | $13,013 |
Uses each provider's published headline card rate and ACH terms only. Monthly software, hardware and per-feature fees are listed separately below and are not included.
Monthly and other fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Monthly account fee | $0 |
| PCI compliance, setup, cancellation | $0 |
| Chargeback | $15 if lost, $0 if resolved in your favor |
| Returned ACH | $5 per reject |
Helcim fee traps to check
- The margin is not your all-in rate: you also pay interchange, which varies by card type, so premium rewards and business cards cost more than basic cards.
- Keyed and online margins (0.50% + 25 cents at the lowest tier) are well above in-person margins (0.40% + 8 cents).
- Recurring payments add 0.4% per transaction on top of the normal rate.
- ACH payments over $25,000 carry an additional 0.05%, and each returned ACH costs $5.
- A lost chargeback costs $15, though Helcim charges nothing when the case goes your way.
How to lower your Helcim fees
- Move large invoices to ACH or EFT: $6 caps most payments, versus hundreds of dollars on a card for a five-figure job.
- Grow into the next volume tier, where margins step down from 0.40% to 0.35% in person at $50K and to 0.25% at $100K.
- Surcharge credit cards only where legal: Visa requires 30 days' notice to your acquirer, caps the surcharge at the lower of your merchant discount rate or 3%, bans it on debit and prepaid cards, and as of Feb 15, 2024 lists Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Puerto Rico as prohibiting it.
- In Canada, credit card surcharges have been allowed since Oct 6, 2022, capped at the lesser of your cost of acceptance or 2.4%, and Quebec merchants cannot surcharge consumers.
- Because Helcim passes interchange through, Canadian merchants under the Visa ($300,000) or Mastercard ($175,000) thresholds should see the Oct 19, 2024 small-business interchange reduction on their statements; check that it appears.
Can you pass the fee to customers?
Supported. Helcim Fee Saver passes fees on at 2.4% for in-person credit cards and 3.0% online (can vary by card type). Online Fee Saver requires ACH eligibility; in-person Fee Saver is not available in Connecticut, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma or Quebec.
Contract and cancellation
No contracts, $0 cancellation fee, per Helcim's pricing page.
Helcim vs other payment processor options
| Provider | In person | Online | ACH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helcim | Interchange + 0.4% + 8¢ | Interchange + 0.5% + 25¢ | 0.5% + $0.25, capped at $6 |
| Square | 2.6% + 15¢ | 3.3% + 30¢ | 1%, capped at $10 |
| Clover | 2.3% + 10¢ | Not published | Not published |
| Stripe | 2.7% + 5¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 0.8%, capped at $5 |
| PayPal (incl. PayPal Point of Sale) | 2.29% + 9¢ | 2.99% + 49¢ | 1%, capped at $10 |
| Moneris | 2.65% + 10¢ | 2.85% + 30¢ | Not published |
Compare fees
- Payment processorSquare fees2.6% + 15¢ headline rate
- Payment processorClover fees2.3% + 10¢ headline rate
- Payment processorStripe fees2.7% + 5¢ headline rate
- Payment processorPayPal (incl. PayPal Point of Sale) fees2.29% + 9¢ headline rate
- Payment processorMoneris fees2.65% + 10¢ headline rate
Frequently asked questions
- What does Helcim actually charge on a credit card?
- Interchange, which is set by the card networks and varies by card, plus Helcim's margin. At the lowest tier that margin is 0.40% + 8 cents in person and 0.50% + 25 cents keyed or online.
- Does Helcim have monthly fees or contracts?
- No. Helcim lists $0 monthly account fees, $0 PCI compliance, $0 setup and $0 cancellation fees. You pay per transaction and for items such as returned ACH payments and lost chargebacks.
- How much is Helcim's ACH fee?
- 0.5% + 25 cents per transaction, capped at $6, for both US ACH and Canadian EFT or PAD payments. Helcim adds 0.05% on amounts over $25,000, and a returned payment costs $5.
- Can Helcim pass card fees on to my customers?
- Yes, through Helcim Fee Saver: 2.4% on in-person credit cards and 3.0% online in most cases. In-person Fee Saver is not offered in Connecticut, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma or Quebec.
Where Pavado comes in
How Pavado finds the money your business is leaking
Want Helcim's charges checked against your own agreement? Pavado reviews statement and contract exports, then returns a written list of potential overpayments and questions for your provider. No account logins needed.
Send us the statements, contracts and bills you already have. We read the lines nobody reads and come back with a written list of what you are overpaying, what is about to renew and what you are owed.
- Fees you are overpaying. Processor, bank and platform charges checked line by line against what you agreed to.
- Contracts before they renew. Every renewal date and notice window we can see, so you can leave or renegotiate in time.
- Bills worth disputing. Insurance audit bills and lead charges with a dispute or credit window still open.
- Money you are owed. Unpaid invoices and holdback sorted by age and by the deadline that protects them.
- 1.Tell us what you pay for and send exports, not logins.
- 2.A person replies within one business day with what we need.
- 3.You get a written list: each item, what it looks to be worth and who acts on it.
The first conversation and a scoped proposal are free, and we will tell you early if we are not the right fit.
Go deeper
- GuideBest Payment Processing for Contractors: 8 ComparedCompare 8 contractor payment processors on large-invoice fees, ACH caps and workflow. Check the full cost before switching, or request a free fee review.
- GuideShould I Accept Credit Cards as a Contractor?At a 10% net margin, a 3% card fee eats roughly 30% of the profit on the job. Here is the math, the rules in Canada and the US, and when to say no.
- GuideMerchant Processor Holding Funds? What to DoWhy processors like Toast freeze deposits or set reserves, what the contract lets them do, how MATCH works, and how to escape a POS or card-machine lease.
- GuideHow to Collect a Contractor Deposit: 5 RulesMake the deposit due 3 to 5 business days before the start date, size it to your upfront spend, and check state caps: California's is $1,000, not $10,000.
Sources
- Helcim: Pricing
- Helcim: Fee Saver (surcharging and convenience fees)
- Visa: U.S. Merchant Surcharge Q and A (version Feb 15, 2024)
- CFIB: Credit card surcharging in Canada
- Department of Finance Canada: credit card fee reductions for small business (Oct 17, 2024)
Cite this page
Pavado, “Helcim Fees 2026: Rates and Hidden Costs”, https://www.pavadotech.com/fees/helcim, updated 2026-09-24.