Sometimes, it’s easy to be lured into unbelievably cheap and convenient offers by merchant account providers.  If you’re just starting a business, you would naturally want to stretch your capital’s worth.  However, even the most affordable-sounding merchant account provider may not always be what works best for you. In fact, some providers out there will try to give you an instant account but the problem is, stability and track record are what you should look for - may be instability of the company, a “bad” reputation, etc.  If the account sounds too easy to get, there will surely be a catch to it.  You wouldn’t know unless you’ve experienced it yourself,  but there’s no need to be burned before learning your lesson.  The key is to simply practice caution and do a lot of research about merchant account providers’ track records.