yes you NEED to offer cheque payouts to affiliates, there is no ands/ors/buts about it. And the only way to do this safely is to have your own company formed in the USA, then get introduced to a banker and get a USA account. You may be able to do the company online, but due to anti-terrorist and anti-money laundering regs, you absolutely need to be present to open the bank account, which means a trip with at least a couple days to the USA.

good luck!