Ask HN: How do I accept all major credit cards when not based in the US?

I have tried Paypal, but they send a check. They don't offer instant transfers to Jamaican bank accounts, only US ones.

I have a US bank account, so I guess I could have it transfered there, but am not sure how to get it from my US bank account to my local one without writing a check (which takes 45 days to clear) or without flying to the US and wiring the funds myself.

What options do I have to streamline this process?

Assume I will be earning recurring income from a subscription-based model, so I would need this to be a sustainable solution.

All suggestions are welcome, including setting up a US company and doing some sort of standing order transfer. Specifics to do the above would be greatly appreciated.

HSBC give us the option of having the funds deposited into HSBC accounts in those currencies, or converting to GBP (at our expense, not the customer's).

I'm very happy with this arrangement - it stops many customers from being put off by not knowing how much the service is going to cost them month to month, with the minimum of hassle for us.

You can also give your US bank instructions to wire transfer it to you. Some of them will let you do this online (Citibank does -- you'll have to clear their Know Your Customer hurdle but otherwise it is fairly routine) and most major ones will do it over the phone (again, if you can clear Know Your Customer).

Know Your Customer isn't that scary, although people make it out to be. Basically they'll ask you for a passport and government issued photo ID.

About Paypal, AFAIK they can transfer funds to your credit card (not bank account) for about $2 per transfer. You have to authenticate the card before. It involves them making a small transaction from which you take a confirmation code (from the bank statements). Takes about 2-3 days.