In regards to programming, that will depend on how you are expecting to receive payments. For example if you are setting up online payments with automatic reoccurring billing there may be some programming you will need to do in regards to customization.

PCI compliant hosting is required if you want to accept payments online. You can also have a your payments page forwarded to a 3rd party secure hosted solution if you’d prefer.

I have a question about merchant accounts, how do I set one up? Is there any server administration and/or programming involved? Do I need PCI compliant hosting etc? Please let me know.

thanks.

I just stumbled upon your page and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your rss and I hope you post again soon….

Thanks for your comment. It is true that travel related businesses have trouble maintaining merchant accounts because of the high ticket prices and a high risk of chargebacks on airfare and cruises. It wasn't always like this but scam artists have ruined it for the industry.

This does not mean there is no solution.. it just means they may be more costly. My answer to your question is yes, but it depends on the specific services that are being offered. If the companies are selling air travel and cruises, those merchants will need to process offshore at a premium of 7-8%. Unfortunately that is the reality of the situation. If the companies are selling land travel and tour packages, I can get them approved with a regular domestic merchant account which will be priced with the going interchange rates (generally 1-3%). Getting the lower rates as well as the approval of a merchant account also does depend on how far in advance the company will take payment prior to providing the service and their average ticket.

As far as Paypal Pro is concerned.. I dont' think they will process air/sea travel either.. Have you researched this in depth? I would be interested in knowing. I hope this is helpful.

If you have more questions please post them here or even give me a call at (949) 999-6905.

Thanks,

Mike

So my question to you is… do you know of any providers that specifically specialize in providing solutions for small tourism related businesses and what their rates are? I would love to recommend a non-Paypal solution to tour operators but right now the options are very limited.

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