You do not have to get your own merchant account straight away. There are services that will allow you to accept credit cards without a merchant account. They are usually much easier to set up, often come with extra benefits and will generally save you money on start-up costs. The disadvantages are a lack of flexibility and higher transaction fees which can mean an increased cost in the long run.
Many companies are now offering additional non-credit card payment options such as PayPal and ILoveChecks alongside their existing payment options. These are becoming increasingly popular with consumers, particularly for low cost purchases.
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Third Party Credit Card Processors
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ClickBank throw in your own affiliate program when you use them to accept credit cards - how about that for a bonus! The drawback is that they won't accept companies who ship physical products to customers. Real time reporting of sales and a cheque sent twice each month. Accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Eurocard, Visa-Debit, MasterCard-Debit, and Novus cards with international fraud screening.
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ILoveChecks allow you to accept payments from customers who don't have credit cards, or as an alternative payment method for those who do. Checks are processed electronically, so payments arrive quickly. The low transaction costs also make this an attractive service.
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PayPal's Premier and Business Accounts come with a free shopping cart and the ability to send as well as receive funds. They are free to join, international, and come with free email-based customer service. Unfortunately, as with most companies that have grown very fast, their customer service does not have a very good reputation. In spite of this, paypal has become a recognised standard for Internet transactions and customers now expect to see it offered as a payment option.
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There are other options available, but this is primarily a site about merchant accounts.
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