There are plenty of payment solutions in Calgary, but today’s listicle focuses on the needs of small businesses and startups in particular. The great news is that current merchant services have dozens of enticing features that promise to make payment processes a breeze.
But can small business owners actually afford them? And do they offer the kind of value that makes investing in a payment solution worth it?
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How much do payment solutions cost in Calgary?
A lot of the payment solutions for small businesses in Calgary charge a flat-rate pricing scheme, which makes the process more convenient. They also offer monthly plans that can come with additional fees (or not as you’ll see with some of the solutions below).
Please note that for most small businesses, payment solutions will typically draw processor fees from the sale before the remainder of the sale money is placed into your bank account.
Below is a table with some of the merchant services we’re featuring today. To give you an idea of processor fees, we’re also featuring the pricing scheme of some of their most popular services.
The Best Payment Solutions for Small Businesses in Calgary
Now that you have an idea of the costs involved, it’s time to look at the best payment solutions for small businesses in Calgary. To come up with a helpful list, we selected merchant services that meet the following criteria:
1. Helcim
Total Scores
No matter what low-risk industry your business falls under, Helcim promises to have effective payment processing solutions for it. Its payment tools include point of sale, in-person and online payments, online stores, and recurring payments.
The downside is that Helcim doesn’t approve clients in high-risk industries, as its fees and payment solutions are tailor-made for small and medium businesses. High-risk businesses could include those in real estate, event tickets, and cannabis, and others.
But whether you have an online food or clothing store, there’s bound to be a Helcim product that’s suited for your needs thanks to its industry-specific options. You can have customized invoicing, flexibility for different payment options, plus a virtual terminal that’s user-friendly.
It’s also a company that firmly believes in transparency and full disclosure when it comes to its pricing and fees. Plus, it promises a human approach in its customer service because a real person will be involved, not a chatbot.
And get this: Helcim doesn’t charge monthly fees or hidden costs! Also, since you’ll only be charged for what you process, you won’t have to worry about paying any early termination fee if (for some reason) you end up not being satisfied with Helcim’s services.
Pros
- No monthly fees or hidden charges
- Monthly billing is offered
- Offers comprehensive payment tools
- Real person customer service
- Offers automatic volume discounts
- Provides free tools, like invoicing, inventory management, online store, CRM, etc.
- PCI compliance and data encryption is in place to ensure data security
Cons
- Recommended only for small and medium businesses with less credit risks
Customer Reviews
Found long term company to partner with for processing
“Great customer service & very professional. Awesome experience from the start. I feel I found my long-term company to partner with for our processing. Highly recommended.” – Heath Abramowitz
Appreciate the simplicity and flexibility
“I recently signed up with Helcim after years with another payment processor for my leather furniture business. I’m so glad I made the change. The difference in rates is definitely noticeable and I’m not getting any ‘surprise’ extra charges. I can use my phone to process customer payments – it’s very easy and I appreciate the simplicity and flexibility. Great customer service as well. Plus Helcim just eliminated the $20 monthly fee which is quite a ‘thank you’ gift to their customers. I recommend it to all my fellow business owners!” – Doris Bozzelli
2. Shopify
Total Scores
Shopify is arguably one of the most recognized e-commerce payment solutions today. Its flexible tools make it more convenient to run an online business that includes credit card payments anywhere in Canada.
Small businesses looking for payment convenience will likely find it in Shopify. There’s a good range of pricing plans for any e-commerce need with a flat-rate pricing scheme.
However, you’ll need to take a closer look at the cheaper plans like Shopify Lite, which, under $10, might seem too good to be true. For starters, it doesn’t come with either real-person customer support or an online shop!
But what’s unique about Shopify is how it provides resources and tools to clients to actually help them manage and grow their online business. It provides a single dashboard where you can easily oversee payments, shipping, and orders that come in.
So if you don’t mind paying for additional features to tack on a basic (and somewhat sparse) plan, then Shopify might be the scalable e-commerce platform for you.
Pros
- Navigable and easy to use
- Good range of pricing plans
- No upfront cancellation fees
Cons
- Rate discounts available only for costlier monthly plans
- Shopify Lite customer service available via email or chat only
- No online store inclusion for Shopify Lite
Customer Reviews
Easy-to-use interface and settings
“This can help you show the world what you sell in easy steps. It has got a super easy-to-use interface and settings. If you however not willing to spend to keep your products up just stay away!” – Timilehin J.
Easy to navigate, straightforward, and mostly simple
“Opened a store on here and being that I’m not really technical or web-savvy. Found it easy to navigate and pretty straightforward and mostly simple. I really liked that I went and found a guy to do the aesthetics and I’m up and running. Would recommend it to anyone trying to make a side hustle or grow legit biz.” – Oscar H.
3. KIS Payments
Total Scores
KIS Payments Solutions aims to do away with over-charging and under-servicing Canadian merchants. To achieve this, its team vows to eliminate the hassles of payment processing by providing transparency and honesty.
KIS offers both in-store and online payment processing along with a cash discount program and alternative financing options. It also encourages app development for e-commerce and integrated payment solutions.
The downside is that its promise of a “fully transparent interchange-plus pricing model” isn’t readily available online via a pricing guide. Neither its in-store nor online solutions offer an upfront price matrix for any of the products listed on the website.
Instead, KIS promises free quotes to help potential clients see if its solutions are a good fit for their needs. And because the team behind KIS believes that each of their clients deserves a personal payment advisor, there’s a complimentary consultation with one of the company’s advisors.
KIS is a relatively new (albeit awarded) payment processing service compared to others on this list. However, most of its customer feedback is of the positive kind, thanks to its account managers who talk to clients instead of directing their concerns to a generic call centre.
Pros
- Offers a free statement review
- Glowing customer service feedback
- Named “Top Payment Processor in Canada” three years in a row
Cons
- Doesn’t provide transaction rates upfront
- Closed on weekends
Customer Reviews
Showed a true effective rate
“The biggest thing in my thoughts was you showed a true effective rate and you have been true to your word the entire time we’ve been with you, last 3 years. Things are done quickly. It was a win for me, the service was excellent. I have referred other businesses, including my wife who has KIS in her salon.” – Norwoods Restaurant, BC
Excited to have a local company to support
“I was really excited to have a local company to support. It’s always really nice to be able to do business with someone you meet in person instead of just talking to someone at a call centre. I would recommend KIS to other businesses, and I have here locally. Keep it local!” – Surf Sister, BC
4. Chase Payment Solutions
Total Scores
Chase offers payment solutions for startups looking for month-to-month contracts instead of long-term ones. It also doesn’t ask for monthly account fees or early termination fees.
This is pretty surprising coming from a subsidiary of the JP Morgan Chase conglomerate. But it’s noteworthy that its customer help and technical support features operator relay calls for hearing and speech-impaired.
Its website also helpfully provides a resource center for merchants that include articles on starting, managing, growing, and developing your business.
Of course, you can only expect Chase to have a wide array of products and services. Aside from providing credit card and virtual terminals, clients can get different payment gateways, next-day funding, business credit cards, and a proprietary contactless mobile card reader called QuickAccept.
The QuickAccept program is ideal for startups and small businesses, as it requires no additional fees for businesses with below $500,000 in annual revenue. The card reader is below $50, but we think it’s a small price to pay for a convenient and speedy payment solution.
Pros
- Wide range of products and services
- No lease termination fees
- No monthly account fees
- Provides a merchant support center
Cons
- Long-term contracts have an early termination fee
- Long-term contracts required for “free” credit card terminal
Customer Reviews
Makes customers feel like a person and not another number
“Becoming a Chase member has been a game-changer for my company. One of the most impactful services has been Chase Payment Solutions. We have a great relationship with our Chase Payments Rep – I feel like a person and not another number like he cares about the success of my company. Chase has flawlessly implemented products that have assisted us in growing and scaling our small business. I am convinced Play Pits truly has an ALL-STAR team at Chase.” – Chantel Powell
Able to take transactions from anywhere in the world securely and efficiently
“We’re selling 24/7, and we need to be able to take transactions from anywhere in the world, anytime, securely and efficiently so we use Chase for processing our credit cards.” – Andrew Dyer
5. Square
Total Scores
Small business owners who appreciate the simplicity of a payment solution should look no further than what Square has to offer. Even its pricing plans are simple and transparent.
For starters, there’s a flat rate that’s predictable and consistent no matter the card type processed. For another, there’s no monthly fee for the Square point of sale—and only 2.6% + $0.10 as its transaction fee.
However, these rates do come at a price (pun unintended). While they may be ideal for low-volume merchants, it might not be so once larger transactions are in the picture.
Still, Square makes up for it with its other practical features. Aside from credit card processing, clients can avail of real-time reporting, invoicing, and recurring bills and subscription services.
Square is designed to integrate seamlessly with websites powered by compatible web hosting services to process payments with speed and ease.
So if you don’t want an entire e-commerce site, a Square payment button can be enough to make any post or link a way to accept payments or donations from people.
Pros
- No monthly or hidden fees
- Flat-rate pricing scheme
- Custom pricing packages available (for businesses processing over $250K in card sales)
Cons
- Ideal for small businesses with fewer credit risks
- No cryptocurrency features
- No real-person customer support offered
Customer Reviews
A new cashless and contactless POS system with no issues
“The fact that we can deploy a new point-of-sale system and go cashless and contactless for our fans … with little to no issues, was outstanding.” – Ziad Mehio
Process payment at a fraction of the cost
“My overall experience is A++ since I am able to accept and process payment at a fraction of the cost and without costing me more time and effort.” – Jarvis J.
6. SHiFT Connect
Total Scores
Shift Connect is an Albertan foreign exchange and global payments agency. Since their conception, they’ve been helping locals grow global, as well as ensuring that no time or money is wasted on foreign exchange.
What they offer are foreign exchange and global payments for both corporate and private clients. They can meet all your cross-border payment needs because of their tailored strategies and safe and simple global payments platform.
We like their multi-currency account options, as well as their hedging and treasury services. We think that this can help their clients step up their game in the global setting.
Speaking of multi-currency, we’ve found that their clients can exchange funds in 130 currencies, hold funds on account in 60 of those currencies, as well as make local payments without sending wires in 30 countries including UK, Europe, US, and Canada. How convenient!
We also asked users what they think of this, and the general consensus is that it’s such a convenient platform and they recommend it.
Pros
- Muti-currency account options
- Offers foreign exchange and global payments for both corporate and private clients
- Can exchange funds in 130 currencies
Cons
Customer Reviews
“Thank you very much to the SHiFT Connect Team and Juan Beltran, specifically, for the amazing service! Juan’s knowledge of the foreign exchange market allowed us to make a very timely decision and maximize our returns.”
FAQs about Payment Solutions in Calgary
After reading this guide on the best payment solution for small businesses in Calgary, we hope you’ll be able to find the merchant services that best fit your needs.
If you have other payment solutions to recommend, send us a message so we can review them next.
You might also want to check out these other handy resources we’ve published with your financial management in mind:
