What Is Helcim?
Helcim is a Canadian payment processing company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, founded in 2006. It's one of the few payment processors in Canada that offers true interchange-plus pricing to all merchants — not just large enterprise clients. The company processes billions of dollars in payments annually for thousands of Canadian businesses.
Unlike most processors that negotiate rates on a case-by-case basis or hide fees in complex tier structures, Helcim publishes all its pricing publicly and automatically lowers your rate as your volume grows.
Helcim Pricing (2026)
| Volume (Monthly) | Online Rate | In-Person Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $0 – $50,000 | IC + 0.50% + $0.25 | IC + 0.15% + $0.06 |
| $50,001 – $100,000 | IC + 0.40% + $0.20 | IC + 0.12% + $0.05 |
| $100,001 – $500,000 | IC + 0.35% + $0.15 | IC + 0.10% + $0.04 |
| $500,001+ | IC + 0.25% + $0.08 | IC + 0.07% + $0.03 |
IC = interchange rate (set by card networks, typically 1.4–1.8% for Canadian consumer credit cards).
Monthly fee: $0 — Helcim charges no monthly subscription, no PCI compliance fee, no setup fee, and no cancellation fee.
For a typical Canadian small business processing $20,000/month at an average interchange of 1.6%:
- Helcim (in-person): 1.6% + 0.15% + $0.06/txn = ~1.75% effective rate
- Square: flat 2.6% = 2.6% effective rate
- Savings with Helcim: ~$170/month or $2,040/year
Helcim Features
Payment Acceptance
Helcim accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and Interac debit. Online and in-person payments are supported. Apple Pay and Google Pay work with both the Helcim card reader and online checkout.
Helcim Hardware
The Helcim Smart Terminal is a standalone POS device with a built-in printer, touchscreen, and WiFi/LTE connectivity. It costs $329 CAD and has no monthly fee.
There's also a card reader for $129 that connects to iOS or Android devices. Both support tap, chip, and swipe.
Virtual Terminal & Invoicing
Helcim includes a free virtual terminal (for phone orders), invoicing software, recurring billing, and a hosted payment page — all included with no extra charge. Many processors charge $25–$50/month for these features separately.
Helcim Commerce
Helcim offers a basic e-commerce store builder included at no cost. It's not as powerful as Shopify, but for simple online stores it works well. You can also integrate with WooCommerce, Magento, and other platforms.
Developer API
Helcim has a RESTful API for custom integrations. While not as comprehensive as Stripe's, it covers all core payment functions and is well-documented.
✅ Pros
- No monthly fees whatsoever
- Transparent interchange-plus pricing
- Automatic volume discounts
- Canadian company with CAD support
- Interac debit fully supported
- Free invoicing and virtual terminal
- No cancellation fees
- Strong customer service (phone + chat)
❌ Cons
- Not ideal for very low-volume businesses
- E-commerce features less robust than Shopify
- No free hardware (Square offers free reader)
- API less mature than Stripe
- No in-person international processing
- Approval process can take 1–3 days
Helcim vs. Competitors
Helcim vs. Stripe
Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 online. At $20,000/month in online transactions at average interchange of 1.6%, Helcim costs roughly $340/month vs.
Stripe's $580/month — a savings of $240/month. Stripe wins on developer features and global reach; Helcim wins on price for established Canadian businesses.
Helcim vs. Square
Square's flat 2.6% in-person rate compares to Helcim's ~1.75% effective rate for most businesses. Square wins on ease of setup and its free card reader. Helcim wins on price and is better for businesses that prefer Canadian ownership.
Helcim vs. Moneris
Both are Canadian companies. Moneris charges monthly fees ($24.95–$49.95) plus processing rates.
For most small businesses, Helcim ends up cheaper. Moneris has advantages for very large businesses needing enterprise contracts and dedicated account managers.
Who Should Use Helcim?
- Canadian businesses processing $3,000+ per month
- Businesses that want to keep money in Canada (Canadian company)
- Retailers wanting lower in-person rates than Square
- Service businesses that need invoicing + payment in one place
- Businesses tired of paying monthly fees to their processor
Who Shouldn't Use Helcim?
- Businesses processing under $1,000/month (flat rates may be simpler)
- Developers needing complex API integrations (Stripe is better)
- Businesses needing Shopify-native payment processing
- Enterprise businesses needing dedicated account management
🏆 Our Verdict
Helcim earns our top pick for Canadian businesses. The combination of no monthly fees, honest interchange-plus pricing, automatic volume discounts, and Canadian ownership makes it the best choice for the vast majority of Canadian merchants. If you're currently paying flat-rate fees to Square or Stripe, switching to Helcim could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars annually.
How to Sign Up for Helcim
- Visit helcim.com and click "Get Started"
- Enter your business information (Canadian business number, bank details)
- Approval typically takes 1–3 business days
- Order your card reader or smart terminal if needed
- Start accepting payments — no monthly fee, no minimum volume