Evan Schuman reports for eWeek about what he calls a "surge in active support [by merchants] of alternative payment methods" and suggests that perhaps the credit card companies should be worried about the trend.

American Express has announced the launch of "three new special occasion Gift Cards: The American Express Gift Cards Especially for Dining, Especially for the Bride and Groom, and Especially for Movie Lovers."

I4 Commerce has announced that Zappos.com has begun using its Bill Me Later payment service that includes flexible financing opportunities for customers such as no payments for 90 days.

MasterCard Worldwide and USA Technologies have announced that "six of America's most prominent vending companies are installing e-Port(r) cashless payment technology on their vending machines to accept MasterCard PayPass cards and devices."

Lightbridge and Payment Services Interactive Gateway Corp. have jointly announced a non-binding letter of intent whereby Lightbridge plans to acquire all of the outstanding shares of PSiGate of Mississauga, Ontario.

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