Audience, verified June 2026

Payment Gateway Cost for Mid-Market

$100K to $1M monthly is the band where the flat-rate vs interchange-plus decision is most live. Helcim's published interchange-plus is almost always cheaper than Stripe at this volume, but the value of a tier-1 acquirer relationship (Chase, Worldpay, Adyen) starts to matter for international and card-present mix.

Direct answer
At $100K-$1M monthly: Helcim is the published benchmark, with margins of 0.25-0.35% on top of interchange. RFP one or two quote-only acquirers (Adyen, Worldpay, Chase, Elavon) and bring the Helcim quote as your control. Do not stay on Stripe flat-rate at this volume unless your card mix is debit-heavy and your AOV is very low (which would invert the maths).

RFP checklist for mid-market

  1. 1
    Volume + mix
    12-month GMV, AOV, debit/credit, intl share.
  2. 2
    Helcim quote as anchor
    Published margin from the Helcim site.
  3. 3
    Three quote-only RFPs
    Adyen, Chase, Elavon (or Worldpay).
  4. 4
    Like-for-like compare
    All on IC+ in bps, all with same chargeback rate.
  5. 5
    Read the contract
    ETF, monthly minimum, PCI fee, account-updater fee.

Related

Helcim pricing
Published interchange-plus anchor.
Quote-only vendors
Who to RFP.
Enterprise cost
Above $1M monthly.
Last verified June 2026. Next review September 2026. Rates change without notice; always confirm directly with the vendor before signing a contract.