By Minal Bopaiah

A new report says that credit and debit card processing will make up less than half of online transactions by 2017. Instead alternative payments like bank transfers, direct debits, e-wallets, mobile payments and alternate currencies like Bitcoin, will make up 51% of online payments, according to eCommerce processor WorldPay.

Subscription sites have more time that others to budget for this transition, as consumers tend to try out alternative payment methods first on one-time eCommerce purchases. But already some subscription sites are beginning to entertain alternative payment models.

The Chicago Sun-Times announced plans to accept bitcoins starting February 1 in order to view content behind its paywall. And Saas providers like WordPress and Namecheap have been accepting bitcoin for some time now.

Also recently, Google made a big push to get credit card numbers associated with gmail addresses — primarily through promotions that offer free content downloads in exchange for a credit card number, like this one to view the movie Elf during the holidays:

However, none of this means that subscription sites should be eager to jump on the alternative payment bandwagon. Instead, subscription marketers should evaluate which payment methods allow for the most member retention, which would require the ability to contact subscribers and reduce churn. But the future is changing, and its best to start exploring your options in case of major payment processing disruption.