Head to head
Compared side by side on published facts and the same six criteria every review is graded on — generated from the live directory, not a sales page.
Bank of America Merchant Services
Payment Processor · 3.0/5 mean
Bank of America Merchant Services is a large, bank-integrated payment processing solution ideal for existing BofA business checking customers who value brand stability, seamless funding, and broad payment acceptance though it lags behind fintech competitors on pricing transparency, modern integrations, and third-party review scores.
Read the full review →Helcim
Payment Processor · 4.5/5 mean
Helcim is a Calgary-based payment processing company that offers genuinely transparent interchange-plus pricing with no monthly fees, no hidden charges, and a comprehensive suite of free payment tools.
Read the full review →Helcim holds the higher standing — by grade, then mean category score. The row-by-row picture below is what should actually decide it for your business.
Both graded against the same six criteria. How we grade · Last fact-checked August 19, 2026.
| Criterion | Bank of America Merchant Services | Helcim |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 2.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
| Feature set | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Ease of use | 3.0 |
Straight from each provider's published documentation. Where a number isn't published, we say so rather than estimate.
| Metric | Bank of America Merchant Services | Helcim |
|---|---|---|
| Online rate | 2.99% + .30 | Interchange + 0.5% + $0.25 per transaction |
| Monthly fee | No standard monthly fee on the simplified pricing plan; POS software solutions require a monthly subscription fee | $0 |
| Payout | Next business day for all merchants (settlement to a required BofA business checking account) | Next business morning for card payments (batch closed by 7:00 PM MT, under $25,000, RTP/FedNow-participating bank); otherwise 1-2 business days |
| Contract | No length of term required. No penalty for closing the account. | No long-term contracts |
| In-person rate | 2.65% + .10 | Interchange + 0.4% + $0.08 per transaction |
| Keyed rate |
From the Bank of America Merchant Services review
Helcim publishes its full interchange-plus rate table and applies automatic volume discounts, directly addressing the pricing opacity that drags on Bank of America Merchant Services beyond its simplified plan. BofA still holds up for merchants who value same-day funding, branch access, and keeping banking and processing together.
Pick Helcim if you process higher volume and want published interchange-plus rates with automatic volume discounts
Ideal for
Not recommended for
Ideal for
Not recommended for
The full reviews carry the pricing narratives, contract analysis and everything else behind these numbers — or let the matching funnel score the whole directory against your business.
| Customer support | 3.0 | 4.0wins this criterion |
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| Contract terms | 3.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
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| Industry reputation | 3.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
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| 3.50% + $0.15 |
| Interchange + 0.5% + $0.25 |
| International rate | Not disclosed | Not publicly specified |
|---|
| PCI fee | Not disclosed | $0 |
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| Statement fee | Not disclosed | $0 |
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| Chargeback fee | Not disclosed | $15 per chargeback — refunded if merchant wins dispute |
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| Early termination | No early termination fees on simplified pricing plan. Older/legacy contracts through Fiserv/First Data had ETFs up to $500. | $0 |
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| Last fact-checked | August 19, 2026 | August 19, 2026 |
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