Glenbrook's October 15-16 Payments Boot Camp is now sold out. The next Payments Boot Camp is being held in Denver, Colorado on December 3-4.

BART, First Data and ViVOtech have released the results of an NFC-based mobile payments trial conducted in the San Francisco area from Jan. 28 to May 30, 2008 - saying it demonstrates high use when both transit fare and retail payments are combined in the same phone. READ MORE

BAI and Hitachi Consulting have announced results of a new nationwide consumer payment preferences study that was sponsored by First Data Corporation and its STAR(R) Network, Harland Clarke, MasterCard Worldwide, Metavante and PULSE. READ MORE

MasterCard Worldwide has announced the launch of MasterCard Saving - calling it "a new, innovative program that provides Debit MasterCard and eligible Prepaid MasterCard cardholders with hundreds of significant merchant-funded discounts and special offers each day from thousands of merchants across the country. Debit and prepaid MasterCard cardholders can quickly enroll at http://savings.mastercard.com. There is no cost to cardholders." READ MORE

eBay has announced that it has "reached a definitive agreement to acquire Bill Me Later®, the number two online-oriented payments brand, for approximately $820 million in cash and approximately $125 million worth of outstanding options, net of option exercise proceeds. The acquisition extends the company’s leadership in payments by combining Bill Me Later with eBay’s PayPal, the number one online-oriented payments brand. Subject to various closing conditions, the deal is expected to be completed by year-end." A webcast and a presentation are available online - along with a blog post from PayPal's CEO Scott Thompson.

Among other announcements today, eBay announced "plans to reduce its global workforce by approximately 10 percent, affecting about 1,000 employees in addition to several hundred temporary workers and the reduction of open positions." READ MORE

• NetBanker: eBay Acquires Bill Me Later for Almost $1 Billion
• GigaOM: Will Amazon Ditch Bill Me Later After eBay Takes Over?
• Seattle Tech Report: Why Bill Me Later makes sense
• Microsoft Midsize Business: Can NFC help retailers rake in customers?
• Walgreens Streamlines Payments Process, Reduces Processing Costs with Bank of America's ePayables
• Forrester Research: Red Flag Compliance: Are You Ready? by Geoffrey Turner
• Altus Group Lands Chase Card Services Account
• Bank of America Likely to Continue Reign as Largest Online Bank Even After Recent Mergers, According to comScore
• CNBC.com: Credit Card Companies Cracking Down On Consumers
• ATMs Offering Gift Cards Debut as Holiday Shopping Season Gets Underway
• Sybase 365 Exposes Top Myths Surrounding Mobile Banking
• Coupons Make a Comeback as Nearly Half of Consumers Plan to Spend Less This Holiday Season
• Survey Finds Retailers Jeopardize More Than a Quarter of Online Business by Not Offering Coupons
• CPI Card Group Expands Into The Canadian Market
• Bank of America Announces Nationwide Homeownership Retention Program for Countrywide Customers
• INSIDE Contactless and Cubic Demo First Payment-Transit Multi-Application Card at APTA Expo
• Tampa Bay Business Journal: Revolution Money piles up cash to start credit revolution