When launched, Google Checkout  set out to create a fast, secure online shopping experience for their users. Now in their third year of helping merchants increase sales and attract user interest, they are announcing the decision to move from the previous standard fee schedule to a new tiered pricing model where rates decrease as merchants process more transactions through Checkout. For those interested, it would now mimic Paypal! The biggest change is the Adword fee Credit... it is history. While google may present an alternative to paypal... it can no longer clainm to be an attractive alternative!

On May 5, Google Checkout will now charge:

• Google Checkout's transaction processing fees will transition to a new tiered fee structure, where the rates will vary depending on a merchant's monthly sales processed through Checkout.

• With the new tiered fee structure, merchants can qualify for rates as low as 1.9% + $0.30 per transaction in the U.S., and 1.4% + £0.20 per transaction in the U.K.

• We will also be discontinuing the AdWords free transaction processing promotion at this time. As previously announced, Google Grants recipients will still be eligible for free donation processing until 2010.