Who they are
Helcim’s Canadian terms say Helcim “operates as a Payment Facilitator sponsored by Elavon Canada Company.” Its terms name Elavon as the acquirer: the company “contracted by Helcim to submit sales drafts and transaction information” to the card networks and to pay settlement funds to Helcim. Helcim says it is not an affiliate, subsidiary or member of Elavon.
This page covers Helcim in Canada. Its fee disclosure is labelled Canada and lists prices in Canadian dollars.
How their pricing works
Helcim’s fee disclosure says it “provides all merchants with a billing method known as Interchange Plus pricing.” It says card network fees and interchange “are passed onto the merchant directly”, and Helcim “then adds its processing margin, which includes a (%) rate and a per transaction ($) fee.”
The margin is published, in five tiers by monthly card volume:
| Tier | Monthly card volume | In person | Keyed and online |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0 to $50,000 | 0.40% + 8¢ | 0.50% + 25¢ |
| 2 | $50,001 to $100,000 | 0.35% + 7¢ | 0.45% + 20¢ |
| 3 | $100,001 to $500,000 | 0.25% + 7¢ | 0.35% + 20¢ |
| 4 | $500,001 to $1,000,000 | 0.20% + 6¢ | 0.25% + 15¢ |
| 5 | Over $1,000,000 | 0.15% + 6¢ | 0.15% + 15¢ |
Helcim says merchants are placed in a tier automatically, based on a three-month rolling average of card volume. Its pricing page says merchants above $5 million a month should contact its sales team for custom pricing. That price is not published.
Combined rates are also published. The disclosure lists the total rate (network costs plus margin) for common cards at each tier. At Tier 1, for example:
| Card | In person | Card not present |
|---|---|---|
| Visa Consumer | 1.75% + 8¢ | 2.00% + 25¢ |
| Visa Infinite | 2.07% + 8¢ | 2.25% + 25¢ |
| Visa Privilege | 2.58% + 8¢ | 3.00% + 25¢ |
| Interac debit, chip and PIN | 9.0¢ | n/a |
| Interac debit, tap | 12.5¢ | n/a |
Helcim calls these tables “illustrative” and says they do not cover every card type.
Helcim’s pricing page lists Interac at “9¢, or 12¢ for tap”. The disclosure lists 12.5¢ for tap at Tier 1. See Interac Debit: How It Is Priced.
Cards from other countries carry an added network fee. For Visa and Mastercard the disclosure lists +0.68% in person or online in CAD, and +1.13% for online sales in USD.
Other published fees
| Fee | Amount | Where listed |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly account fee | $0 (“No account monthly fees”) | Pricing page |
| Minimums, software or statement fees | None listed (“No minimums, software fees, or statement fees”) | Pricing page |
| PCI fee | $0, “Annual compliance self assessment” | Pricing page |
| Chargeback | $15 CAD, or $0 if resolved in your favour | Disclosure |
| Recurring payments | 0.4% per recurring transaction | Disclosure |
| Bank payments (EFT/PAD) | 0.5% + 25¢, capped at $6 below $25,000 | Disclosure |
| Mobile data service | $9 CAD a month | Disclosure |
What you will see on the statement
Helcim’s disclosure says account statements are available electronically, without charge, through the Helcim Dashboard. Its pricing page says it offers both gross and net deposits: with gross, sales are deposited in full and fees are taken as a separate line the same day; with net, the deposit is sales minus fees. The pages we read do not show a sample statement.
How interchange plus statements work in general: What Is Interchange Plus Pricing?
Contract length and cancellation
From Helcim’s Canadian terms of service and fee disclosure:
- Term: the agreement starts when you accept it and continues while you use the service, or until Helcim ends it. No fixed term is stated.
- Cancelling: you can close your account at any time. Helcim says “there are no penalties for termination or cancellation fees.” Fees owed for processed sales and related chargebacks still apply.
- Helcim ending it: Helcim may close an account at any time, with notice under its terms.
- Fee changes: Helcim says it will give at least 30 days’ notice of changes to its own (non-pass-through) processing fees.
- Reserve after closing: Helcim may require a reserve to cover amounts from sales made before termination, kept for “a minimum of six (6) months”.
Hardware and what it costs
Helcim’s pricing page says “No contracts, leases”. It sells hardware. The two Helcim pages we read list different prices:
| Item | Pricing page | Fee disclosure (CAD) |
|---|---|---|
| Helcim Smart Terminal | $349 + shipping, or $32 a month for 1 year | $429, or 12 monthly payments of $39, plus taxes |
| Helcim Card Reader | $199 + shipping | $239, plus taxes |
| Mobile (4G) data | $7 a month | $9 a month |
The pricing page does not say which currency it uses. The disclosure says CAD. Helcim’s terms say hardware is sold “at then-current pricing specified at the time of your purchase.” Its pricing page also lists Tap to Pay on iPhone at +10¢ per transaction.
Who they say their pricing is for
Helcim’s pricing page says its pricing has “no contracts or monthly fees”. Its volume tiers run from $0 to over $1,000,000 a month, with custom pricing above $5 million a month. The pages we read do not limit the pricing to any type of business.
Limits and conditions to know about
- Reserve: Helcim’s terms say it may hold a reserve “for any reason related to your use of the Services”, in an amount it decides.
- PCI: Helcim’s terms say merchants must comply with PCI DSS. See PCI Fees and Non-Compliance Fees.
- Pass-through changes: Helcim’s terms say changes to third-party amounts, such as card network fees, take effect “upon notice to you”.
- Refunds: Helcim’s disclosure says no fee is charged on a refund, but the fees on the original sale are not returned.
Where to check their current pricing
- Helcim’s fee disclosure page (legal.helcim.com/ca/fee-disclosures).
- Helcim’s pricing page (helcim.com/pricing).
- Helcim’s Canadian terms of service.
Where to go from here
On interchange plus, with any provider, the margin has its own line on the monthly statement. Processor Markup shows where it sits. For a side-by-side view, see TD Merchant Solutions vs Helcim.
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