If you intend to sell anything online you'll need to set up a secure payment and authorisation system to take credit cards. For smaller operations it's normally worth using a third-party service for this, unless you'll be generating large volumes of business, in which case you're probably not a smaller operation!
 
Online payment is not obligatory, phone payments are still the public's preferred method of credit card transaction, but if you're setting up a 24/7 sell while you sleep opportunity then credit cards it is.  Don't ask your customers to email their credit card details to you, as they can be easily intercepted.
 
Some major high-street banks offer online credit-card payment systems as an extension of their credit-card merchant services.  So if you are already an established merchant they may be willing to extend their online facility to you, but they're not always enthusiastic about on-line enterprises and may require large financial guarantees against fraud.

You'll probably find a more receptive approach from the companies listed below, who offer payment systems for a small percentage commission on each transaction. Some also offer e-commerce shopping cart packages which are easy to customise and integrate with your site. Most will directly transfer the money they collect on your behalf to your company bank account.

As well as comparing commission rates, set-up and service charges, you should consider how long they will hold onto your money before passing it to you, as this can have huge implications for your cash-flow.


Datacash.co.uk  DataCash’s Bank Card processing service enables merchants to authorise and settle all major bank cards including all branded Visa & MasterCard as well as American Express, Switch, Solo and JCB.

Netbanx.com  NetBanx makes it simple to have a secure payment system that operates over the Internet. World Wide Web 'surfers' visiting a web site can pay for goods or services whilst on-line using credit or debit cards.

PayPal.com  PayPal lets any business or consumer with an email address to securely, conveniently, and cost-effectively send and receive payments online. The network builds on their existing financial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards to create a global, real-time payment solution.  We've used it and it works.

Worldpay.com  WorldPay's services range from entry level store builder and secure online payment processing solutions, to high-end, multi-currency transaction processing systems for larger organisations with an established web presence.  As used by Natwest and other big names.