Payment processing for a non-US travel website
Running a website out of one of the European Union's new member states disqualifies you currently from receiving funds via PayPal. You need a bank account in another country, which is quite difficult to get.
Merchant accounts are notoriously difficult and expansive to obtain and suffer from a singificant US-centrism. There are a number of online alternatives but none have the name recognition of PayPal and its near-universal (or first world universal) presence.
Local banks also offer some feasible alternatives - the least quirky and most experienced probably being TatraPay from TatraBanka. You must be a client and qualify through sufficient duration and turnover. The processing, however, is not integrated seamlessly and TatraBanka is unlikely to have much name recognition abroad despite being one of Slovakia's largest retail banks.
Mobile-pay systems seem a promising venue but are far from usable due to limited list of cooperating mobile companies. Slovakia-based PayPay seems interesting and certainly worth watching but there are probably countless competitors at various stages of implementation.
Therefore, the prospect of a Google payment system, currently receiving major attention throughout the webmaster community, seems and appealing one and certainly in this region of the world it could sto PayPal dead in its tracks (unless it chooses to start with a limited roll-out in major markets only).
:: 18.03.2006 :: filed under Reviews :: written by Andrej ::