The Why's and How's of Travel Merchant Account Application

"HONG KONG, July 1 — With helicopters pumping out streams of red smoke and boats carrying giant red Chinese characters — and with demonstrators calling once again for the elusive goal of full democracy — Hong Kong marked on Sunday the 10th anniversary of its return by Britain to Chinese rule."

Unfortunately, we weren't able to go to Hong Kong early this week. All Cathay Pacific flights were chock full of passengers excited to see the events (which were uneventful, by the way) and we didn't like risking money for sweepstakes seats. It's likely that some travelers may have booked flights earlier and canceled them for some reason too. We don't call it high risk merchant business for nothing.

WHY (NOT) APPLY FOR A TRAVEL MERCHANT ACCOUNT?

HOW MAPs LOOK AT YOUR BUSINESS

...I won't put your hopes high and suddenly burst your bubble. It is extremely challenging to apply for a travel merchant account. And hardly will you get accepted if you file for it on a domestic bank. What's your option? Go offshore. Offshore high risk merchant account providers not only cater to all types of high risk businesses, they also are very flexible when it comes to accepting many international currencies and payment methods. Travel agencies with poor credit rating may still apply, as they have a high acceptance rate.

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBILITIES?

...Common sense will tell you that along with the benefits (have I mentioned tax reductions and very little government interference?), you also need to pay for a price.

The rest of the article continues here:

TRAVEL MERCHANT ACCOUNT APPLICATION: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW