It depends a lot on what kind of site you are trying to secure, but a cheap certificate works in many cases. Browser acceptance really isn't an issue with major providers. I would just be sure to check out some reviews for the provider that you want to go with: http://www.sslshopper.com/certificate-authority-reviews.html
That's not completely true. Almost all certifiate providers issue chain certificate (even VeriSign) because it is better security practice. You simply need to install the inetermediate certificate on the server and none of the visitors will receive errors.
