You compare two processing statements from months with almost the same sales, and the fees do not match. Nobody can explain why. For a Canadian store on thin margins, that mystery costs real money.
ShelfPerks and Helcim give Canadian retailers a clearer way to pay for card processing. Helcim, a Calgary-based processor, uses interchange-plus pricing, lists Interac debit at 9 cents per transaction and charges no monthly account fees. ShelfPerks connects Helcim to your Store Operating System, so each payment updates inventory and reports in one place. Through ShelfPerks, Helcim offers interchange-plus pricing. Other processors, including Stripe and Stax, are flat rate only for now.
Key takeaways
- Helcim uses interchange-plus pricing, passing through the wholesale cost of each card transaction plus a published Helcim margin.
- Helcim lists Interac debit at 9 cents per transaction and Interac tap at 12 cents, with no monthly account fees, no PCI compliance fee and no contracts or cancellation fees.
- In a hypothetical $40,000-a-month store, Helcim's published rates came to about $460 a month against $1,060 on a sample 2.65% flat rate, but your real savings depend on your card mix.
- ShelfPerks' Helcim partner page says you can onboard to Helcim directly through ShelfPerks and that Helcim's Smart Terminal and Card Reader work with ShelfPerks inventory.
- ShelfPerks adds sales tax by location, real-time inventory, supplier management and, on Plus and above, offline point of sale for up to 24 hours.
Why do payment processing fees matter so much for Canadian stores?
Payment processing is one of the few big costs a store owner can actually shop around for. Rent is set by a lease and wages by the market, but card fees depend on the processor and pricing model you choose.
Debit is a big part of everyday shopping in Canada, so how a processor prices Interac transactions matters a lot. A pricing model that charges debit at the same percentage as a premium credit card can quietly cost a debit-heavy store hundreds of dollars a month.
What is interchange-plus pricing, and how does Helcim use it?
Processors mostly price card payments in one of two ways.
Flat-rate pricing charges the same percentage on every card payment. It is simple, but a low-cost debit tap and an expensive rewards credit card cost you the same.
Interchange-plus pricing passes through the actual wholesale cost of each transaction, which varies by card type, and adds a stated processor margin. Helcim built its pricing on this model and publishes its margins on its website.
As listed on Helcim's pricing page in October 2026, Helcim's credit card margins over interchange are:
| Monthly card volume | In-person margin | Keyed and online margin |
|---|---|---|
| $0 to $50K | 0.40% + 8¢ | 0.50% + 25¢ |
| $50K to $100K | 0.35% + 7¢ | 0.45% + 20¢ |
| $100K to $500K | 0.25% + 7¢ | 0.35% + 20¢ |
| $500K to $1M | 0.20% + 6¢ | 0.25% + 15¢ |
| $1M to $5M | 0.15% + 6¢ | 0.15% + 15¢ |
Volume discounts are based on the average of your last three months of processing. Confirm the currency and current rates for your country on Helcim's site before you compare. For Canadian debit, Helcim lists Interac debit at 9 cents per transaction and Interac tap at 12 cents per transaction.
How much could a Canadian store save with Helcim?
Here is a hypothetical example, not a quote. Picture a specialty grocer in Calgary with $40,000 a month in card sales and an average sale of $40, for 1,000 card payments a month. Assume half the sales are Interac tap and half are credit cards, and assume an average credit interchange cost of 1.4%. Network and assessment fees are left out to keep the math simple.
| Cost item | Sample flat rate (2.65% on everything) | Helcim's published rates |
|---|---|---|
| 500 Interac tap payments ($20,000) | $530 | 500 × 12¢ = $60 |
| 500 credit card payments ($20,000) | $530 | 1.4% interchange + 0.40% + 8¢ = $400 |
| Monthly account fee | Depends on provider | $0 |
| Total per month | $1,060 | $460 |
In this example, the difference is about $600 a month. Your own result will depend on how many customers use debit, which credit cards they carry and what your current provider charges. The fair test is to ask Helcim to price your last three statements.
What else does Helcim offer Canadian retailers?
Helcim is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, and also lists an office in Seattle. Its pricing page lists:
- $0 monthly account fees, with no minimums, software fees or statement fees.
- $0 for the annual PCI compliance self-assessment.
- No contracts, leases, termination fees or cancellation fees.
- Next-business-morning deposits on credit card and debit transactions.
- $0 signup, and chargebacks at $0 if resolved in your favor or $15 if lost.
No monthly minimums can help seasonal stores, such as a cottage-country ice cream shop or a ski rental shop, that have long quiet months.
How do ShelfPerks and Helcim work together?
ShelfPerks' Helcim partner page says businesses can onboard to Helcim directly through ShelfPerks. It says Helcim's Smart Terminal and Card Reader work with ShelfPerks inventory management, support contactless payments and Tap to Pay on iPhone, and that stock levels update and reports are generated after each transaction. Customer data, inventory tracking and secure card vault storage are managed from a single ShelfPerks dashboard.
Through ShelfPerks, Helcim and Fiserv with Clover offer interchange-plus pricing. Other processors, including Stripe and Stax, are flat rate only for now. If interchange-plus is what you want, Helcim is one of your two options.
A typical checkout looks like this:
- Staff scan the items in ShelfPerks point of sale.
- ShelfPerks applies the sales tax for your location.
- The customer taps or inserts a debit or credit card, and Helcim processes the payment.
- Inventory updates in real time, and the sale appears in your reports.
When you set up, confirm with ShelfPerks and Helcim that Interac is enabled for your terminal, and check the GST, HST, PST or QST rates that apply to your province with the Canada Revenue Agency and your provincial tax authority.
If you serve French-speaking customers, in Quebec or elsewhere, note that bilingual receipts are available in beta, so print a few test receipts during your trial.
What does a ShelfPerks + Helcim setup cost?
You pay ShelfPerks for the Store Operating System and Helcim for processing, as two separate line items. ShelfPerks prices are in US dollars and exclude taxes:
| ShelfPerks plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1 user, 1 location, turnover limit $4,999 a month |
| Standard | $29.95/mo | $34.99/mo | No revenue limit, advanced dashboard, real-time notifications and reports |
| Plus | $99.95/mo | $119.99/mo | Own online store, offline POS up to 24 hours, suggested purchase orders, up to 2 locations |
| Premium | $199.95/mo | $249.99/mo | Everything in Plus, self checkout, delivery app integration |
ShelfPerks also charges a payment provider integration fee of $20 per provider account, per location, per month. Helcim charges no monthly account fee, so your processing cost is the transaction fees in the table above. Full plan details are on the pricing page.
Why does offline mode matter for rural Canadian stores?
Plenty of Canadian stores, from fishing villages in Nova Scotia to farm towns in Saskatchewan, deal with internet that drops out. When it does, a cloud-only register can stop selling.
On ShelfPerks Plus and above, point of sale, receiving and batch scanning keep working offline in the app for up to 24 hours, then sync when the connection returns. For a rural store, that can be the difference between a lost afternoon and a normal one.
Is ShelfPerks + Helcim right for your store?
ShelfPerks with Helcim suits Canadian independent retailers who want published processing rates, low Interac fees and a store system that handles inventory, purchasing and reporting in one place. If your store takes a lot of debit, the interchange-plus model is worth a close look.
For more Canadian context, see our guide to the best POS for Canadian small businesses. When you are ready, start a 14-day free trial of ShelfPerks Premium features, with no credit card required, and ask Helcim to price your current statements.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Helcim charge for Interac debit in Canada?
Helcim lists Interac debit at 9 cents per transaction and Interac tap at 12 cents per transaction. Credit cards are priced at interchange plus a Helcim margin, starting at 0.40% + 8 cents for in-person payments at up to $50,000 a month in volume.
Does Helcim charge monthly fees?
No. Helcim lists $0 monthly account fees, no minimums, no statement fees and $0 for the annual PCI compliance self-assessment. It also lists no contracts, leases or cancellation fees.
Can I use Helcim with ShelfPerks?
Yes. Helcim is one of the payment processors ShelfPerks supports, along with Stripe, Fiserv and Stax, and it offers interchange-plus pricing through ShelfPerks. ShelfPerks' partner page says you can onboard to Helcim directly through ShelfPerks, and ShelfPerks charges a $20 per provider account, per location, per month integration fee.
Does ShelfPerks work when the internet goes down?
On Plus and above, ShelfPerks point of sale, receiving and batch scanning work offline in the app for up to 24 hours. Sales sync once the connection is back.
