While not everyone needs an Internet merchant account, there are many benefits to having one. First and foremost, an Internet merchant account will eliminate the need for you to process credit cards manually, saving you time and effort. In some cases, an Internet merchant account may offer you greater protection against credit card fraud than your offline credit card processing system. Check your merchant account Terms of Service agreement carefully. Finally, you can still use Storefront even if you choose not to accept credit cards. Storefront can accept many other means of payment, including checks and money orders. Storefront Plus even includes options for COD, certified checks, department orders and purchase orders.