One of the most vital factors in the success of any new business is the simple choice of how to accept payment from customers. A vital question must be: which merchant account? For me, it's Paypal. However, the choice of which merchant account is best for each individual merchant depends entirely on what requirements they have, and what sort of business they run.

Essentially, a merchant account is an account into which a merchant can accept debit and credit card payments, as well as such things as gift vouchers, occasionally. The choice of which merchant account to choose depends greatly on the need of the merchant. For example, many merchant accounts offer several advanced payment options that may be of use to a larger merchant.

However, these options come at a price. More advanced accounts often come with higher transaction and authorization charges, so a smaller merchant may find himself wasting lots of money on options he doesn't really need. Instead, the smaller merchant could choose a rather more basic account that simply allows credit card payments, thereby saving valuable funds.

This consideration is an important one for a merchant just starting out in business, as the average merchant has only limited funds when he starts up, and these funds need to be carefully conserved to make sure the business has the best chance possible at succeeding.

So, to the question: which merchant account for me ? well, there is no easy answer. It will come down to the needs of the merchant to decide which merchant accounts will be most useful for the business. All we can do is hope that the merchant makes the correct choice.