As anticipated earlier, GE Money has launched the Earth Rewards MasterCard - along with a new My Earth Rewards web site dedicated to this new "green" product. "Every time you use your Earth Rewards Card, a portion of your net purchases will go to offsetting the emissions created by your purchases and activities. For example, spending $25 contributes enough to offset the emissions associated with running a typical refrigerator for a month. Spending $500 offsets the emissions from driving almost 1,500 miles in an average car." The full press release is here.

Wesabe has announced the release of an open-source Firefox extension that lets members automate the secure upload of bank data to their Wesabe account. After members "record" download sessions with their banks, the scripts auto-start and play to deliver updated transaction information to Wesabe.

Visa USA has announced the "launch of an enhanced Visa Signature Dining Web site and a unique partnership with Zagat Survey, one of the most trusted resources for restaurant ratings and reviews. The new www.visa.com/signaturefood site was built to fulfill Visa Signature cardholders’ appetite for epicurean experiences and information, enabling them to view Zagat’s restaurant ratings and reviews; access unique experiences, such as wine tastings, cooking classes and private chef events; and make dining reservations through the Visa Signature Concierge."

BanX has announced plans to increase nationwide efforts of the Company's BanXcard Maestro Card - say it is "a safe substitute for traditional checking accounts that allow users to load cash on BanXcards at thousands of card-loading retailers including convenience, grocery and department stores and gas-stations." BanX claims its fee structure is simpler and less expensive when compared to Wal-Mart's MoneyCard. BanX's card is issued by BankFirst.

Dave Birch blogs about research done by the Swedish central bank looking into the costs of various forms of payments in that country. He goes on to discuss some recent McKinsey numbers saying "European banks lose a lot of money on the non-SEPA payment instruments (ie, cash and cheques), they make reasonable money on SEPA instruments and they make a lot of money on payment-related (rather than direct payment) revenues."

Claudia Deutsch writes for the New York Times about GE Money's expected launch today of the GE Money Earth Rewards Platinum MasterCard - a card that "allows cardholders to forgo a 1 percent cash rebate on purchases and earmark that amount for projects that reduce greenhouse gases."

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