Switch Guide: Moving from Shopify Payments to Helcim
Shopify Payments is convenient — it's the path of least resistance when you're building a Shopify store. But convenience has a price. Shopify Payments charges 2.9% + 30¢ for online transactions (or higher on lower-tier plans), plus a 0.5–2% transaction fee if you use a third-party gateway. Helcim offers interchange-plus pricing — you pay actual card costs plus a small markup — which typically saves Canadian merchants with real volume 0.5–1.5% on every transaction. The catch: you'll pay Shopify's third-party gateway fee (0.5% on Shopify plan). For most merchants processing over $20,000/month, Helcim still wins. Do the math for your business.
What You'll Gain
- Lower rates on volume: Interchange-plus pricing rewards higher-volume merchants — the more you process, the better your effective rate.
- Interac e-Transfer support: Accept Interac payments, which Shopify Payments doesn't support.
- No holds or reserves: Shopify Payments sometimes holds funds for high-risk or high-volume merchants. Helcim's risk model is more transparent.
- Calgary-based company: Helcim is a Canadian company. Your payment processing fees support Canadian jobs.
- Free virtual terminal and invoicing: For phone orders and B2B billing outside your Shopify store.
- Direct banking relationship: Funds settle to your Canadian bank account directly from Helcim.
What You Might Miss
- Native Shopify integration: Shopify Payments is seamless because it's built in. A third-party gateway adds a configuration layer.
- Shopify's 0% third-party fee: On Shopify Plus, you pay no transaction fee for third-party gateways. On Basic/Shopify/Advanced, you pay 2%, 1%, or 0.5% respectively — this eats into Helcim's savings.
- Shop Pay: Shopify's accelerated checkout (Shop Pay) only works with Shopify Payments, not third-party gateways.
- Integrated chargebacks: Shopify Payments chargeback management is directly in your Shopify admin. Helcim disputes are managed through Helcim's portal.
Migration Checklist
- Calculate your savings — Use Helcim's fee calculator. Factor in the Shopify transaction fee for your plan level. Confirm you'll actually save money before switching.
- Apply for Helcim account — Helcim typically approves Canadian merchants in 1–2 business days.
- Add Helcim as Shopify payment provider — In Shopify admin, go to Settings → Payments → Add payment provider. Search for Helcim and connect using your Helcim API credentials.
- Test the integration — Place a test order through your store to confirm payments process correctly.
- Disable Shopify Payments — Only after confirming Helcim is working correctly. You can't have both active simultaneously for the same currency.
- Update saved payment methods — Customers with saved credit cards in Shopify Payments will need to re-enter their card on next purchase.
- Monitor first 30 days — Watch settlement times, decline rates, and any integration issues during the first month.
Data Export Tips from Shopify Payments
Export your Shopify Payments payout history from Finances → Payouts → Export. Download transaction reports from Analytics → Reports → Finances → Payments. Keep these records for CRA requirements. Note that switching payment processors does not affect your Shopify order history — all historical order data stays in Shopify regardless of which processor you use.
Timeline Estimate
The technical switch takes 1–2 days. The time is mostly in the Helcim account approval and API configuration. The business decision (calculating whether it's worth it given your plan's transaction fee) takes longer to think through carefully. Merchants on Shopify Plus (0% transaction fee) have the clearest savings case and the simplest implementation.