Credit cards for young UK online travel business

Is paypal the only answer?

[Umbertide]

In the UK, travel businesses are seen as high risk. So none of the main offline or online card merchants will even consider an account until you have traded for two years. Even then you need "a clean nose and white teeth" to be considered. This is basically because if we went bust, the client would claim back any money paid on their credit card back from the merchant provider and not us. You can kind of see their worry but its a royal pain in the behind.

But we have a fast growing business and we are being hit hard by not being able to take cards either online or offline. We reckon we are losing 15-20% of sales at point of purchase.

Paypal is being piloted and in theory should wrk well, but the user registration process is snarling up with customers who are not so web savvy. Worldpay has turned us down.

Are there alternatives? We'd consider anything, anywhere globally that could help. Our volumes are around $1m annually about 50% of that could go straight onto cards. (Ave amount per transaction is $2000 and we expect 500 or so in 2004) Yes, we're profitable, secure and stable. We're happy to pay very healty commissions to a provider willing to take us on as long as they were known and reputable.

Any ideas/recommendations from the esteemed WW e-commence cognoscenti?

thanks

[Shak]

paysystems in my opinion would be suitable.

you just gotta speak to the right people at the mgmt level with a solid proposal.

Patrick Huynh is the man with the plan up at their HQ...

good luck, and do report back

Shak

[jacker]

Thanks Shak

Umbertide - I have sent you a sticky message.

Cheers
James