It's difficult/impossible to get a merchant account without a previous trading history and money to show off. The financial spend isn't too bad, but from what I

It's difficult/impossible to get a merchant account without a previous trading history and money to show off. The financial spend isn't too bad, but from what I can tell you need to have some sizeable accounts before you can get one. Basically they're aimed at the larger business end of things, which makes small projects that need online transactions a non-starter. (I tried and failed to set up a merchant account and instead had to settle for PayPal as the only other option)