Sign up for an in-depth webinar on the PayPal X Platform Fundamentals to be given by Glenbrook's Russ Jones - being held on December 17th, 10:30AM - 11:45AM PST (1:30PM - 2:45PM EST). After this webinar, you'll understand how the new platform enables third party application developers to add global payments functionality directly into existing applications.

Russ will explain the platform's features and talk about how major companies - like FIS, SAP, and Carlson Marketing - are using the platform for innovative P2P, B2B and rewards applications. See the registration site for more details and the agenda. The fee for the webinar is $249. Register Now!

This webinar is part of Glenbrook's Payments Essentials Webinar series - designed to help payments professionals further their knowledge on key topics in the industry. Registration is also open for the webinar "eCommerce Debit and Cash Alternatives in the U.S. Market" December 15th, 10:30AM PST - 11:30AM PST. The fee for the webinar is $149. Register Now!

More information on Glenbrook's Payments Essentials Webinars is available on the Glenbrook website.

Travelex has announced an agreement with Monitise to launch mobile services for its 1.75m global Cash Passport cardholders. Cash Passport, a prepaid travel money card available in seven currencies, offers a secure and convenient way to carry money overseas. Cardholders can use their Cash Passport to pay for things and withdraw cash, just as they would with any other card, but without charges for use overseas.

Travelex and Monitise are developing an application which can be downloaded to the cardholder’s handset, allowing them to check their balance at any time, reload the card by mobile and also set up other alerts. The service will launch next year with a low balance alert, reminding cardholders to reload.

GlobalPlatform has announced the launch of the GlobalPlatform Card Networked Framework v1.0. According to GlobalPlatform, "the technical document - which can be downloaded at http://www.globalplatform.org/specificationscard.asp - introduces new concepts that will allow GlobalPlatform cards to support a sophisticated networked environment." The GlobalPlatform Card Networked Framework v1.0 will be of particular interest to mobile network operators as many of their networks are IP based and there is a long-term requirement to upgrade to 4G networks and capabilities.

Discover has announced that its latest Discover Small Business Watch index of economic confidence among America’s small business owners "plummeted in November, as more owners cited serious concerns about cash flow and saw economic conditions for their own businesses getting worse. The Discover Small Business Watch index fell 12 points in November to 76.5 from 88.5 in October."

Bank of America has announced the launch of a new Credit Card Clarity Commitment - "a one-page summary of customers' rates, fees, and payment information." Bank of America says it is "the first bank to provide each cardholder with a clear and simple explanation of this kind." BofA says that its Credit Card Clarity Commitment will be sent to its 40 million current cardholders beginning in December and will be available to new customers next year.

Merchant e-Solutions has announced that it is providing merchants with a tokenization solution at no extra cost to protect sensitive credit card data and reduce the burden of PCI compliance.

• eBillme Launches Affinity and Revenue Sharing Program for eCommerce
• TransCard, UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh Team up to Develop New Payment Technology
• Digits - WSJ: Black Friday E-Commerce Climbs 11%
• AuctionBytes: eBay, PayPal and Industry Data: Holiday Ecommerce Spending Mixed
• PYMNTS.com: A “Yellow Light” to Congress from the GAO on Credit Card Interchange Fees
• Is Online Shopping Safe for the Holiday Season?
• MediaPost Publications Report: Gift Cards Are The New Fruitcake
• TIO Networks to Launch Self-Service Bill Payment Program in Georgia
• Number Of Americans To Shop On Cyber Monday Nears 100 Million, According To Shop.org Survey
• New Aite Group Report: Small-Business Credit Cards: An Opportunity for All
• Chase Website Gives HSA Customers a Free and Simple Way to Manage Accounts
• Ingenico announces PCI PED v2 certification for its new iPA280 Payment PDA terminal
• Xinhua: China's credit card debt continues to expand: central bank
• Radio Iowa: Study says gift cards can make you spend over your budget
• TechCrunch: Google Checkout Now Deals In Holiday Savings
• WSJ.com: More Shoppers Hit Stores, but Spend Less Each
• AP: BofA aims to clearly spell out credit card terms

Note: Throughout the day, as Payments News happens, this post is updated. For job opportunities available for payments professionals, visit PaymentsJobs.com. Employers looking to hire payments professionals can post their job openings there as well.

Yesterday, we pointed to several holiday discount deal sites from various payment providers.

In addition to those, eBillme has a ShopDebtFree discount site that features deals of the day and discounts for shoppers who prefer to pay with cash from their checking accounts instead of the other forms of payment. The site has products from the over 800 online retailers offering eBillme as a checkout option.

eBillme has also introduced a Black Friday website which will extend throughout the entire holiday shopping season, with deals, coupons, sales, specials and tips. The deals page features bargains that are updated regularly and special coupon codes for additional discounts being offered by eBillme on top of merchant sales.

• NY Daily News Editorial: Swiping your money: Banks' tricky debit card rules can empty your wallet
• WalletBlog: Is the Switch from Fixed to Variable APR a Big Deal?
• WSJ.com: Credit-Card Companies Look To Black Friday For Clues
• Salvation Army kettles can now accept credit cards - USATODAY.com

Note: Throughout the day, as Payments News happens, this post is updated. For job opportunities available for payments professionals, visit PaymentsJobs.com. Employers looking to hire payments professionals can post their job openings there as well.

Some nifty discounts are available - almost any way you want to pay online.

Both PayPal and Google Checkout are serving up discounts for purchases this holiday season. Here's PayPal's Deal page - and here's Google Checkout's Deal page.

Not to be outdone, Amazon Payments is also offering special holiday deals if you shop with Amazon Payments.

American Express also has its Daily Wish specials promotion underway this week while Discover is promoting special discounts along with a 5% cashback offer. And, if you'd prefer to just pay with Visa or MasterCard, they have their discount pages as well.

With just a few extra clicks while shopping online this holiday season, you can find some valuable savings!