[aaronem]

All of what you say is true, but I was referring to a dropdown or radio button set for choice of card type, and not the card type images themselves, which I always included unless the client preferred otherwise -- something I don't remember ever happening, now I think back.

[chavesn]

One simple solution that I like:

- You have a row of credit card icons. By default they are in full color.

- These icons react like buttons (hover shows clickability) and act like radio buttons if clicked -- all the others gray out.

- When a user starts typing a credit card number, it selects the appropriate icon if not already selected (graying out the others).

Because they aren't radio buttons (or a dropdown), it doesn't force people through the step, but because they can act like radio buttons (providing only visual feedback), they don't confuse anybody who thought they were supposed to be there.

The forms I've used that feel the most natural do something like this.

[coryking]

I may be talking out of my ass, but if I recall correctly back when I had a merchant account I may have been required to add that drop-down even if it was meaningless.

[talmand]

Images were preferred, but the names themselves would suffice for much the same reasons.