Business Website Should Accept International Credit Cards

My would-be wife suggested I buy a Leapster2 Learning System as gift for our 3-year old daughter this Christmas. I went to LeapFrog’s website. But my eagerness to buy the product was spoiled when I learned that the website does not accept credit cards issued outside the United States. I have a Mastercard and I’ve been using it online for the last two years.

What shall I do? I ran to Amazon and searched for the Leapster2 Learning System. I bought the product from Amazon. The only reason that I bought the product from Amazon is that Amazon accepts international credit cards. Nevertheless, I wish Amazon would accept Paypal payment in the near future.

Actually I don’t like to use my credit card due to some additional payments slapped by my bank. I really prefer Paypal. I did not give such thought a serious consideration before until I feel the pain of bank charges. One popular website that accepts Paypal payment is Buy.com. Certainly I will start shopping from that site using my Paypal account.

This is not the only instance that I am dismayed with websites not accepting international credit cards. There were several times I was already on the checkout page of a website but had to stop from there after seeing that my country is not listed in the billing options.

For an ecommerce site to realize its full potential (maximum profit), it must process international credit cards. What if I am a billionaire in Japan but don’t have a credit card issued in the US mainland? Lost sales to many online stores.

The truth of the matter is that there are millions of people outside the US who have a mighty purchasing power. US-based websites must learn how to tap these consumers. Ecommerce sites must accept Paypal and international credit cards (e.g. Visa and Mastercard).