Accept credit cards online without a merchant account
Index
Comparison
Chart
Who accepts which cards?
Some things to consider

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Compare all credit card procesors at once

This is a basic overview of available payment processors for web based businesses including a comparison of some of the most popular credit card processors online today.
Overview
compare 3rd party credit card processors
Who accepts which credit card?
What should I consider before I sign up with a credit card processor?
Miscelaneous notes on particular 3rd party processors

Merchant accounts

The traditional method of accepting credit cards requires applying to a bank for a merchant account, these accounts usually require weeks to get up and running and require fees of $500 or more just to apply.

 Most banks have a relationship with only one credit card so once you are approved for Visa, for example, you will have to apply again, often to another bank, for a MasterCard account and so on. 

So why do people apply for merchant accounts? The main benefit is that your business will get a low discount rate, typically around 3%. The discount rate is the percentage of each sale that the credit card processor charges you.

Third party processors

The credit card processors listed in the table below are known as 3rd party processors. They have traditional merchant accounts and process your customers’ payments through them. As they are accepting the risks that traditional banks might not, they will charge you more for the privilege of accepting credit cards via their service

Online credit card processors comparison table*
Processor Setup Monthly Percent Transaction Intangible Ebay Adult Checks Subs Phone Min Foreign Payment Setup
2Checkout $49 0 5.5% $0.45 yes yes no yes yes 0 yes ACH 1-12 hrs
American Express® Merchant Services free $5.95 CALL CALL yes no no yes yes 0 yes ACH 24-72 hrs
Authorizeit $49 $29.99 2.19% $0.50 yes yes $900 US,CAN 24-72 hrs
Cardservice $49 $29.99 $0.30 yes yes yes yes $25 no ACH 24-72 hrs
ccbill free 0 14.5% $0.30 - $1 ONLY yes yes Primarily a subscription service* 0 CHECK 24-48 hrs
ccnow $9.95 $9.95 4.99% $0.50 no yes no $100 yes ACH, CHK, W
Charge free $26.95 2.25% $0.25 yes yes 0 ACH same day
Chase Paymentech™ free $22.95 CALL $0.20 yes Alternative payments support, including PayPal, Bill Me Later and private label cards* no yes yes yes 135 different currencies* ACH 24- 72 hrs*
Digibuy $29.99 0 13.9% $0 ONLY no no no no yes no ACH, CHECK same day
GoogleCheckout free* 0 2%* $0.20* yes no no no yes no 0 no ACH to US only varies
Kagi free 0 2.5% $.15 - $5 yes no yes 0 yes CHECK or WIRE 1hour plus
NOCHEX $90 0 2.9% $0.40 no no no 0 no
PayPal free 0 2.9% $0.30 yes yes no no yes no 0 yes ACH same day
Propay free $4.99 3.25% $.65 no no yes 0 no ACH
World Pay quote quote quote no no Available with Future Pay option 0 Yes, over 140 currencies* 7-10 days
*Hover your mouse over bold table headings and figures above for definitions and more details
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IMPORTANT: All the figures on this site were current according to the processors' online documentation and e-mail attempts to check them at the time of publishing. All payment processors could change their rates and contracts at any time. It is very important that you check all the facts and figures before you sign-up for any credit card processing service. Be sure to read all the terms of service before signing up with any service. © 2008 Accept credit cards oline