The first step to managing your account is understanding its structure. As a Helcim merchant, your business is housed in your Helcim account (also called a business account). Within that main account, you can have one or more merchant accounts, which are specific sub-accounts, each linked to a payment terminal.
This guide will walk you through the purpose of each and explain when and how to add new ones.
What is a Helcim account?
Your Helcim account identifies your business or a single location of your business. It's the main container for your online store, products, and user profiles.
| Most businesses only need one Helcim account. |
What is a merchant account?
A merchant account is a sub-account that lives inside your main Helcim account. Every payment terminal requires its own merchant account. The purpose of having different merchant accounts is to let you process payments in different ways (like in a new currency) or direct funds to different bank accounts, all while keeping them organized under the same business.
When do I need a new Helcim account vs. a new merchant account?
This is a common question if you’re considering ways to manage multiple facets of your business. We've broken down the scenarios for you below.
You need a new Helcim (business) account if you have:
A second business with a different legal name or corporation
A different physical business location
Completely different products or services (e.g. a restaurant and a bookstore)
The need for a completely separate online store and product catalog
| How to get one: You will need to go to helcim.com and fill out a new application. |
You only need a new Merchant Account (by adding a terminal) if you want to:
Accept payments in a new currency (like processing in USD and CAD)
Direct funds to a different bank account (e.g. a law firm with separate trust and general accounts)
Separate your reporting for different products or services
Settle your funds in separate daily batches
| How to get one: Contact the Helcim support team and they can create a new terminal for you, which will automatically create a new merchant account within your existing Helcim account. |
Tips for managing multiple business locations
To create a new Helcim account for another business or business location, you'll need to sign up with a new email address.
There’s two ways you can do this.
Use a Gmail alias
For an easy workaround, you can use a Gmail alias. For example, if your email is myemail@gmail.com, you can sign up using myemail+location2@gmail.com. All correspondence will still go to your main inbox.
Once the new Helcim account is created and approved, you can add your primary user profile as an employee with ‘Admin’ permissions. This will allow you to easily toggle between your different Helcim accounts from a single login.
Be added as an employee
Another option is to have a member of your staff sign up for another Helcim account using their own email address. Once the account is created and approved, they can add you as an employee and grant you admin access to the account.
How to switch between your Helcim accounts
Once you have set yourself up as a user on multiple Helcim accounts, you can easily toggle between them from a single login.
From a web browser
Log into your Helcim dashboard from your web browser and click the My Account icon in the bottom-left corner.
You will see a pop-out with the name of the business you're currently viewing.
Click the dropdown arrow next to the name to see a list of your other accounts.
When you select another account, the dashboard will reload for that specific business.
From the Helcim POS app or Smart Terminal
When you first log in to the app, you will see a 'Select a Business' screen. This will show all the merchant accounts your user profile is associated with. Simply tap the business you want to work with, and the app will be linked to that account to take payments.
How to view your merchant accounts
You can view the list of merchant accounts associated with your terminals at any time.
Click on All Tools and select My Business.
Click on Merchant Accounts from the menu on the left.
This page will show you a list of every merchant account within your Helcim account. Clicking on one will allow you to see specific details like its Merchant ID (MID), currency, and assigned nickname.
Next steps
Learn how to manage your personal and business addresses.
Learn how to update the bank account(s) linked to your merchant account.
Sign up for a new Helcim account.
Contact our support team for help.
FAQs
What’s the difference between a merchant account and a user profile?
A merchant account is your business's account with Helcim. A user profile is the login (email and password) that you or an employee uses to access that merchant account.
Can I use one login for all my business locations?
Yes! Once each location has its own merchant account, you can add your main user profile as an admin on each one. This lets you toggle between them without needing to log in and out.