Accept International Credit Cards From $0 – Low Monthly Fees
If you live outside the U.S. you may encounter quite a few problems getting a merchant account. The cost of getting a real merchant account is quite expensive. You have three options: Go with a 3rd party processing company (more on this a little later), establish a U.S. presence or use a company that specifically deals with foreign firms.
To establish a U.S. presence, you’ll need to incorporate your company in one of the 50 states. Nevada and Delaware are both popular choices with over 50% of the Fortune 500 companies being incorporated in one or the other due to their low fees and business-friendly regulations. The best way to go about incorporating in the U.S. is to seek out a firm that can set up a mailing address with mail forwarding, a telephone number and fill out all the incorporation papers on your behalf – this might cost up to $1000. You’ll find a list of incorporation services firms at: List of Incorporation Services
Another good option is working with a company that specializes in foreign firms. This is a very good way of going if you intend on doing a large volume of credit card transactions. One of the best and most reputable firms out there for this is Durango Merchant which doesn’t require a US bank account, and allows you to accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express payments. Don’t be surprised to encounter extra fees, though, if you are a foreign corporation. Another company that does International merchant accounts is: ThompsonMerchant.com.
Next Page: Real-Time vs. Deferred Processing