Congratulations on becoming a Helcim merchant! Now, let's get down to business and process your first payment.
Whether you prefer to take payments in person or online, this guide will provide you with the knowledge and confidence to start accepting payments right away.
| Did you know? Helcim will waive the fees on your first $5 worth of transactions, so you can try out the platform risk-free. |
In this article
Taking your first in-person payment
To take in-person payments, you’ll need a mobile device or computer workstation, along with a way to accept a customer’s credit card.
| If you haven’t explored your equipment options yet, you can visit our article on ordering equipment before proceeding. |
Select a payment method below to see steps on taking a payment.
Using the Helcim Card Reader
Before you start:
Download the Helcim POS app.
Enable Bluetooth on your device.
Steps:
Open the Helcim POS app on your smartphone or tablet.
Turn on your Helcim Card Reader and connect it to your device via Bluetooth.
Enter the amount you want to charge in the Helcim Payments app.
Click Charge.
The Helcim Card Reader will prompt your customer for payment.
The customer can tap or insert their card to complete the transaction!
| For a full walk-through of the Helcim Card Reader, visit this article. |
Using the Helcim Smart Terminal
Before you start:
Make sure the Smart Terminal is fully charged.
Ensure the receipt printer is loaded properly (with the thermal coated side of the roll facing towards the terminal screen).
Steps:
Turn on your Helcim Smart Terminal and connect to Wi-Fi or data.
Log into your Helcim account on the Smart Terminal.
Enter the amount you want to charge.
Click Charge.
The Smart Terminal will prompt your customer for payment.
The customer can tap or insert their card to complete the transaction!
| For a full walk-through of the Helcim Smart Terminal, visit this article. |
Using Tap to Pay on iPhone
Before you start:
Download the Helcim POS app.
Ensure your iPhone is running the latest compatible iOS version. To check, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
Enable Tap to Pay on iPhone through your merchant account settings
Steps:
Open the Helcim POS app on your iPhone.
If you haven't enabled Tap to Pay on iPhone:
Navigate to More along the bottom navigation bar.
Go to Settings > Merchant account settings > Tap to Pay on iPhone.
Select Enable Now.
Enter a custom purchase amount or add an item to your cart.
Tap Review to view your cart.
Select Tap to Pay on iPhone and tap Charge.
If no Helcim Card Reader is connected, Tap to Pay on iPhone will be the default payment method on eligible devices.
Present your iPhone to the customer.
Ask the customer to hold their card horizontally, or their device at the top of your iPhone over the contactless symbol.
When you see the Transaction Successful checkmark, the payment is complete!
| For a full walk-through of Tap to Pay on iPhone, visit this article. |
Taking your first online or keyed-in payment
Helcim offers a variety of tools to help you accept payments without a customer being in front of you.
Since we’re just getting started, let’s focus on the most straightforward ways to take an online payment with Helcim.
Virtual Terminal: Key-in a credit card or process an ACH payment for a customer.
Payment Request: Send a request for payment to your customer through text, email, or link.
Invoicing: Create and send professional invoices to your customers for them to pay online.
Select a payment method below to see steps on taking a payment.
Using the Virtual Terminal
Log into your Helcim account
Select All Tools, and then Virtual Terminal.
Enter your customer's details and the amount you want to charge.
Select your preferred payment method and input the customer's card information.
Click Charge Now.
| For a full walk-through of the Helcim Virtual Terminal, visit this article. |
Send a Payment Request
Select All Tools > Payments > Payment Requests.
Choose New Payment Request.
Attach a customer.
Search for an existing customer, or create a new one.
Enter the payment amount.
Optional: Add details.
Enter a custom invoice number or short description.
Select the payment method.
Choose Credit Card, ACH, or both.
Toggle Fee Saver (if applicable).
Choose how to send the request.
Text: Enter the customer’s phone number.
Email: Provide a valid email address.
Link: A link will be generated for you to send manually.
Send the request.
| For a full walk-through of Payment Requests, visit this article. |
Using the Invoicing tool
Before you start:
Customize your invoice with your company logo and business details.
Steps:
Select All Tools, and then Invoicing.
Click on New Invoice.
Enter the customer's information.
You can select from saved customers or manually enter new customer details.
Add the products or services to the invoice.
You can select from your product list or manually enter product or service information.
Review the invoice details, including:
Discounts
Shipping
Taxes
Comments
Select Actions, and then one of the following:
Send Pay Now Email: email the invoice to the customer for payment
Process Now: manually process a payment through the virtual terminal
| For a full walk-through of the Helcim Invoicing tool, visit this article. |
Some other payment tools you may want to explore are:
Recurring Payments: Automate your cash flow with Helcim’s robust subscriptions tool.
Payment Pages: Create a page that your customers can pay through in minutes, without any code.
Next Steps
Congratulations on taking your first payment with Helcim!
What happens next
The transaction will be added to a batch, which will typically settle automatically at the end of the day. Once the batch settles, the funds from your transaction will be deposited directly into your linked bank account, minus any processing fees.
More articles
To understand deposit timelines for your first batch, visit this article.
For recommendations on what to explore next, visit this article.
FAQs & Troubleshooting
What are the fees associated with taking payments?
Helcim offers interchange-plus pricing, which means you pay the wholesale cost of processing the payment plus a small markup. You can learn more about Helcim's pricing here.
What if I need to refund or void a payment?
You can easily issue voids and refunds through your Helcim POS app or Helcim dashboard. Learn how to by reading: Processing a Refund or a Void.