Some people might look at PayPal and Google Checkout as amateurish but I look at it as added security and I'm sure I'm not alone. If a site accepts direct credit card payments and PayPal payments, I always opt to pay using PayPal.

I wonder if there could be an option where your server doesn't exactly store your customer's info, but transfers it immediately to a payment carrier -authorize.net for example- and the returns an authorization code, so your customer will get a confirmation on your website and that he won't have to leave your website to go pay at another site. And in the middle, nothing is saved, only in authorize.net servers.

Possible maybe?

Hiya Guillermo,

I myself wouldn't ever use a system like that. Firstly I would never trust any site that is "sending" my info TO my payment plan. How would they get it to your account? Sign in via that program? I don't think so. I myself never use any of the site features that have you sign into other sites via their site (Facebook and Twitter being prime examples of all the places you can sign into them via other sites). It's not trustworthy with all the jackarses out there trying to steal information.

I personally love how the SCC programs transfer you right to PayPal to be logged in yourself. This to me shows a lot more trustworthy and I know my money is still safe and sound in one place rather than 50 Kazzillion sites over the internet. Just my thoughts on it, but I don't think your idea is very safe.

Then the sending server would have to be PCI compliant. That leaves shared hosting out of the equation, for the most part.

What about something simpler?

Just a function to send the complete order by the press of a button, to the vendor with nothing but name/address/telephone of client and preferred payment (i.e. COD, cheque, other non-card based) The vendor can then contact by phone to arrange payment and delivery. OK, so last century, but it could work.
We want to take orders electronically, but deliver by our own vans and collect cash or cheque on delivery 'at the door'. It's proving difficult to enable such a system with SCCP at the moment. Thought for the future, CoffeeCup....?