Skip to content
United StatesCAFR
PartnersContact1-844-729-9486
Payzium.
Payzium versus Helcim

Payzium versus Helcim: two honest interchange-plus programs.

Both Payzium and Helcim publish interchange-plus. Helcim's published margin at low volume is competitive; Payzium's four-tier structure and dual pricing program shape the tradeoff at different band edges.

Check my rate1-844-729-9486
  • In card processing since 2014
  • Next-day funding
  • Terminal included¹
  • Posted pricing
A coffee roaster reviews numbers on a tablet

Your volume, against Helcim.

Pick your monthly card sales, your channel and your card mix. The math runs on Payzium's published rate card and each processor's published US rates.
$40,000
$5K$100K$1M
Who processes your cards today?
Where you take cards
Card mix
Kept in your first year

$1,284

About $107 a month back in your business compared with Helcim, and $3,852 over three years.

How your price is built

At $40,000 a month in card sales

Network costs (interchange and assessments), passed through at cost
$639.62
Payzium margin
$72.00
Payzium per-transaction fees
$40.00
Monthly account fee
$5.00
Your total a month
$756.62
Effective rate
1.89%
Run it on my statementOpen the full calculatorRequest a call back

Estimate on Payzium's published US rate card and live US Visa and Mastercard interchange schedules, $50 average ticket. Competitor figures from each processor's published US rates. Final pricing depends on your actual card mix and current network rates.

Email me this estimate

One fee a week, explained

Get plain-language explanations of the fees on a card processing statement: what each fee is, who set it, and whether it can come off. No sales calls.

Sent by Payzium Corp, 4498 Main St Ste 4 #5450, Amherst NY 14226. Unsubscribe anytime.

Helcim: what the fees page publishes.

Helcim published rates
LineRate
In-person, $0 to $50K per month bandInterchange + 0.40% + $0.08 [1]
In-person, $1M to $5M per month bandInterchange + 0.15% + $0.06 [2]
Online, $0 to $50K per month bandInterchange + 0.50% + $0.25 [3]
Online, $1M to $5M per month bandInterchange + 0.15% + $0.15 [4]
KeyedSame as online band applicable to volume [5]
In-person, $50K to $100K per month bandInterchange + 0.35% + $0.07 [8]
In-person, $100K to $500K per month bandInterchange + 0.25% + $0.07 [9]
In-person, $500K to $1M per month bandInterchange + 0.20% + $0.06 [10]
Online, $50K to $100K per month bandInterchange + 0.45% + $0.20 [11]
Online, $100K to $500K per month bandInterchange + 0.35% + $0.20 [12]
Online, $500K to $1M per month bandInterchange + 0.25% + $0.15 [13]
Helcim program fees
FeeAmount
Monthly account fee$0 [6]
Setup fee$0 [6]
Cancellation fee$0 [6]

Helcim Card Reader. Sold outright at $199 per unit plus shipping at time of verification. No monthly hardware fee. [7]

Sources.

  1. In-person band 1: interchange + 0.40% + $0.08. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
  2. In-person band 5: interchange + 0.15% + $0.06. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
  3. Online band 1: interchange + 0.50% + $0.25. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
  4. Online band 5: interchange + 0.15% + $0.15. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
  5. Keyed same as online band. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
  6. No monthly, setup, or cancellation fee. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
  7. Helcim Card Reader $199 USD. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/credit-card-reader/
  8. In-person band 2 ($50K to $100K): interchange + 0.35% + $0.07. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
  9. In-person band 3 ($100K to $500K): interchange + 0.25% + $0.07. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
  10. In-person band 4 ($500K to $1M): interchange + 0.20% + $0.06. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
  11. Online band 2 ($50K to $100K): interchange + 0.45% + $0.20. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
  12. Online band 3 ($100K to $500K): interchange + 0.35% + $0.20. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
  13. Online band 4 ($500K to $1M): interchange + 0.25% + $0.15. Verified 2026-09-08. https://www.helcim.com/pricing/

Helcim contract candor.

  • Helcim is honest about interchange-plus in the same shape Payzium is; comparison lives in the margin band and the per-transaction fee, not the model.
  • Helcim moves a merchant from band to band based on volume; the band change is automatic and published.
  • Helcim publishes no cancellation fee. Merchant's contract is with Helcim Inc. as the merchant services provider.

Where Helcim wins.

  • Excellent transparency: interchange-plus, published bands, no monthly fee.
  • Strong online product and invoicing.
  • Card Reader hardware is inexpensive and available direct.

Where Payzium wins.

  • Payzium's Tier 1 card-present margin of 0.30 percent sits inside Helcim's $0 to $50K band at 0.40 percent, where most small US merchants live.
  • Payzium runs dual pricing as a published program; Helcim does not publish an equivalent.
  • Terminal included with a $5 monthly account fee; Helcim's Card Reader is sold outright at $199.

Worked example.

At $40,000 per month, 100 percent card-present, blended card mix. Helcim: interchange plus 0.40 percent plus $0.08 per transaction, no monthly fee. Payzium: interchange plus assessments (pass-through) plus a 0.30 percent margin on credit volume plus $0.05 per transaction plus the $5 monthly account fee. Payzium's per-transaction fee is $0.03 lower and its card-present margin is 10 basis points lower; the $5 monthly fee is the offsetting line.

Payzium all-in effective rate on this fixture

1.89%

This is the same rate shown across the site. See the full monthly breakdown on the calculator.

FAQ.

If we're both interchange-plus, why compare at all?

The margin band, the per-transaction fee, and the monthly are the three levers. This page lays out where each of the two providers lands and lets a merchant do the math on its own volume.

What if I'm already on Helcim and doing well?

That's a good place to be. Payzium's compare here is the honest broker version; if a merchant is netting well on Helcim at its current volume, the switch is not automatic. Program B (dual pricing) is the primary reason a Helcim merchant asks for a Payzium quote.

Ready to see the numbers on your business?

Run your monthly volume through the calculator and see the exact all-in figure your Payzium account would carry.

Check my rateSee pricingRun the numbers