Helcim is one of the best merchant services providers out there for both Canadian merchants and US-based businesses.
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Last updated onUpdated
REVIEWED BY
Expert Contributor
| Total Rating | 4.9 |
|---|---|
| Fees & Rates5.0 | |
| Products & Services4.4 | |
| Contract5.0 | |
| Sales & Advertising Transparency5.0 | |
| Customer Service4.8 | |
| User Reviews4.5 | |
Table of Contents
Helcim is a full-service merchant account provider that works with small businesses in Canada and the United States. The company offers very flexible contract terms, transparent interchange-plus pricing, and a minimum of additional fees. Helcim provides all of the basic merchant services a business would need.
In addition to basic credit and debit card processing, Helcim features a variety of proprietary services, including two credit card readers and an integrated payments platform that can process both in-person and online transactions. Helcim also supports most of the common alternative payment methods in use today, including ACH transfers, payment links, QR code payments, and online invoicing.
Overall, Helcim rates as one of the best credit card processors for small businesses, and we strongly recommend it for most merchants.
| Products & Services4.4 |
|---|
| Software & Services 4.7 |
| Hardware & Equipment 4.0 |
Helcim provides a full range of merchant services to enable mobile, in-person, and eCommerce payments with its robust and comprehensive features, including:
Of course, you’ll need to provide the hardware for this setup to work. You may or may not also need to invest in the optional cash drawer or barcode scanner.
| Fees & Rates5.0 |
|---|
| Pricing 5.0 |
| Affordability 5.0 |
One of the best things about Helcim’s rates for credit card processing is that every merchant — regardless of processing volume or history — is set up with an interchange-plus pricing plan. Many providers don’t offer interchange-plus at all, while others simply don’t advertise it. Discounted rates are also available for high-volume businesses.
| Monthly Card Processing Volume | In-Person Payments | Keyed & Online |
|---|---|---|
| $0-$50,000 | INT + 0.40% + $0.08 | INT + 0.50% + $0.25 |
| $50,001-$100,000 | INT + 0.35% + $0.07 | INT + 0.45% + $0.20 |
| $100,001-$500,000 | INT + 0.25% + $0.07 | INT + 0.35% + $0.20 |
| $500,001-$1,000,000 | INT + 0.20% + $0.06 | INT + 0.25% + $0.15 |
| $1,000,001+ | INT + 0.15% + $0.06 | INT + 0.15% + $0.15 |
Keep in mind that while interchange-plus pricing clearly separates the interchange rate that you’ll pay to the credit card associations and issuing banks from the markup you’ll pay to your provider, you’ll usually see a lot of variability in the interchange rates themselves, depending on the transaction type and card brand.
As with most providers, Helcim offers lower rates to businesses with a higher monthly processing volume. This feature can save you a significant amount of money on your processing costs as your business grows.
Check out our merchant account and credit card processing fees guide to understand payment processing costs.
| Sales & Advertising Transparency5.0 |
|---|
| Sales Practices 5.0 |
| Web Presence 5.0 |
Before you even sign up for Helcim credit card processing, the company website gives full disclosures about pricing and contract terms, as well as what features your merchant account includes. The information on Helcim’s website is perhaps the most thorough and transparent explanation of merchant account pricing we’ve ever seen from a provider. For example, while a few other providers might disclose their interchange-plus processing rates for an entry-level plan, Helcim provides a detailed table of exactly what you’ll pay as your volume increases.
We also think Helcim’s sales team is a good example of how businesses should set up this part of a company. It has a dedicated, full-time sales staff and doesn’t use independent agents. For merchants, this translates to a much more pleasant sales experience. You won’t have to worry about the high-pressure sales tactics and misleading claims that independent agents frequently resort to. We haven’t seen any criticism of the company’s sales practices, but we have seen many positive comments from satisfied merchants.
Helcim also has a thriving social media presence, with regularly updated accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These accounts mainly distribute material from the company’s blog and feature numerous educational articles that will help you gain a more in-depth understanding of how credit card processing works. The company also has a YouTube channel, which currently features over 200 tutorials and educational videos.
| Contract5.0 |
|---|
| Commitment 5.0 |
| ETF & Other Fees 5.0 |
All Helcim merchant accounts feature true month-to-month billing, with no early termination fees or other penalties for closing your account. All you need to do is provide 30 days’ notice, and your account will be closed. This is a much better and more flexible arrangement than the industry standard. Most providers will lock you into a three-year contract with an automatic renewal clause and an early termination fee (typically several hundred dollars) if you close your account before your contract expires.
Because these long-term contracts and cancellation penalties are so unpopular, there is a growing trend within the processing industry to do away with them. While some of the more honest providers (such as Helcim) will eliminate both the multi-year contract term and the early termination fee, most providers will agree to waive the cancellation fee — if you negotiate this waiver when you set up your account.
However, this arrangement is not a true month-to-month contract, as you’re still on the hook for the full three years. While you won’t be penalized if you close your account early, we’ve seen plenty of complaints from merchants who continued to be billed for monthly account fees long after they thought they had closed their accounts.
You won’t have these kinds of problems with Helcim, and it’s good to see that the company is leading the trend toward true month-to-month billing within the industry. Nonetheless, we encourage you to read your contract very carefully before signing up. Pay close attention to the account closure instructions, which you’ll want to follow to the letter to close your account without any problems.
| Customer Service4.8 |
|---|
| Personal Support 5.0 |
| Self-Service 4.6 |
Helcim offers 24/7 telephone and email support, and merchants’ feedback indicates that the quality of that support is generally excellent. One word of caution: While you’re likely to talk to an in-house customer service representative during business hours, off-hours support is usually outsourced. Consequently, you can expect better help with technical issues if you call during regular business hours. Email support is excellent and also fast. You should expect to receive a response in less than 24 hours.
| Helcim Customer Service | Availability |
|---|---|
| Phone Support | |
| Email Support | |
| Support Tickets | |
| Live Chat | |
| Dedicated Support Representative | |
| Knowledge Base or Help Center | |
| Videos & Tutorials | |
| Company Blog | |
| Social Media |
The company also provides an extensive online knowledgebase that’s very easy to search. If you have questions about Helcim merchant services, you can click on a category and find what you need or do a general search by topic. We love that this part of the site is full of documentation and tutorials for setting up your countertop terminals, using the Helcim Virtual Terminal, running the mobile processing app, and other services. If you’re new to Helcim credit card processing and are having trouble getting everything up and running, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to solve your problem using the knowledgebase.
| User Reviews4.5 |
|---|
| Customer Feedback 5.0 |
| Review Site Aggregate 4.3 |
Helcim has great user reviews. Let’s take a closer look.
Finding a good merchant account provider can be a huge challenge for a small business owner due to the many variables to consider when estimating your costs. Helcim simplifies this process by offering transparent pricing disclosures on its website, and its online calculator can give you a reasonable idea of what your costs will be.
With a 400% growth in sales in just the past year, Helcim is proof that honesty and transparency can lead to success, even in the highly competitive payments processing industry. Overall, the company earns one of our highest scores, and we strongly recommend it for most small businesses.
While Helcim won’t be an option for those in high-risk industries, it stands out as the best overall Canadian merchant services provider — and one of the best options for US-based businesses as well.
We evaluate and test each payment processor that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing special emphasis on certain key characteristics in order to generate our granular ratings for merchant accounts and credit card processors.
For payment processing reviews, we use a 24-point rubric to evaluate the provider. First, we look at pricing structure – interchange plus, subscription-based, tiered, or hybrid – giving the most points to providers that provide fair, transparent pricing and docking those that rely on tiered models. Then we examine rates, the presence and transparency of early termination fees, and any additional fees.
We also look at contract length and fairness and test out sales staff and customer service channels ourselves to ensure that the company uses reputable, above-the-board sales techniques. Finally, we take the company’s online reputation into account, reading customer reviews and comments.
Read more about how we rate payment processors.
The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆
Helcim |
|---|
After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see Helcim for yourself.
The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆
Helcim |
|---|
After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see Helcim for yourself.
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
Our team of experts spends hours on every review so that we can find the best companies to recommend to our readers. Helcim made the cut.
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