New E-commerce Site - Connecting merchant account

How to connect an existing merchant account with e-commerce site

[Nil austenite]

I am new to e-commerce and need some information about merchant account. Do all the banks support online trading? I already have an account with a UK based bank. What do I need to do to connect with my e-commerce site?

What other options are there for online financial transactions? Can I use more than one option in my e-commerce web site? (My merchant account and some other way of paying online)

Any help will be appreciated.

[pete_m]

So you have a merchant account with a UK bank? Firstly, check that it is Internet-enabled.

The next thing you need is a Payment Services Provider. Basically they provide the link between your website and the acquiring bank. Some banks offer their own PSP solution as part of a package.

Fow what it's worth, I've found Protx to be a pretty good PSP (and they're cheap!), but there are others as well.

An alternative to using your merchant account is a Payment Bureau like Worldpay or Netbanx. Their accounts are easier to set up, but cost more and tend to hold on to your cash for longer.

A good website about the whole subject is
[electronic-payments.co.uk ]

[pete_m]

Forgot to say - another alternative is to use someone like Paypal or Nochex. The disadvantage is that your users will need to register with them in order to send you money. Plus they look less professional to the user than accepting cards directly, in my opinion.

[Nil austenite]

Thanx pete for all the information.