If your business offers customers the facility of paying by credit card, (especially over the internet), then you need to have a merchant account. This can be a costly affair as the fees and deposit to be paid to set up and maintain the account are high. You can overcome this problem however, by opening an account offshore. Not only will you save money, you will continue to get the same level of service.

In today's marketplace, paying by credit or debit card is commonplace and if you want your business to grow, you must offer your customers this facility. A merchant account handles all your credit card transactions. The money your business receives through credit card payments is deposited here. You can choose to transfer the money to your normal business account or you can use the money in the account to buy supplies.

The mistaken perception about off shore accounts is not always true. Those operating from the Caribbean, the EU and Latin America are above board. And most provide as high levels of service as on-shore ones at lower cost.

You can realize instant cost savings using offshore merchant accounts. While up-front deposits are a perquisite for all merchant accounts, the offshore ones require smaller deposits up-front. This works to your advantage, freeing up funds to employ in your business.

In a merchant account, a certain percentage of the money in the account is kept aside for charge backs in case a customer returns an item and wants his/her money back. Offshore accounts generally reserve a smaller percentage of your money for this purpose than onshore accounts.

It is common practice to pay transaction-handling fees as a percentage of the transaction amount. But offshore merchant accounts charge more than on-shore ones. But offshore accounts still work out more cost-effective, due the savings you make in other areas.

The biggest reason that many business owners, including small business owners, choose off shore accounts involves the tax benefits. It is possible to claim a portion of the income as foreign income. You still have to pay taxes on it, but the taxes are lower than domestic income. Before using an off shore account for tax benefit, however, be sure to consult your accountant or a tax attorney. You do not want to do something illegal by mistake.

In this hi-tech of the Internet, you can easily connect to your offshore merchant, from any global location in the world. And the ease of using the Internet to accept credit card payments 24 hours a day is profitable and convenient. Because you go about business, while your offshore merchant account keeps piling up. And optimizing your profits!