The Internet can be a scary place these days, what with all the online payment scams going on, so it’s good to know what payment services you can trust before you go shopping on the Web.

• PayPal.  Some people have reported problems with PayPal, but it seems these are problems with hackers accessing accounts, not PayPal themselves.  By far the most highly visible payment service on the Web, it makes sense that a lot of scammers and hackers would target PayPal.  But to their credit, PayPal is doing things — like their security key — to make unauthorized access less likely.
• Google Checkout.  Google’s response to PayPal, this payment method is not nearly as popular, but it is gaining some visibility online.  I’ve used it to pay for items before, and personally like it very much.
• Other services.  Many larger or more established businesses turn to card processing companies, which usually offer better deals than PayPal or other such services.  In these cases, I would honestly worry about the merchant, not the card processing company, so be sure to research the merchant before buying from them!
• International processing services.  PayPal is not available everywhere, and in every form — for example, people in foreign countries can only use credit card via PayPal, I think.  However, there are some trustworthy alternatives, such as this international processing company, that customers and merchants can turn to.

Wherever you shop, be sure that they offer trustworthy credit card processing!

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