Method, apparatus, and computer program product for topping up prepaid payment cards for offline use

• US 10,255,596 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2015
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cowen, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holly, John H.
• Application Number:
  US14/611,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20150220911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 705 41, 705 11, 705 39, 705 44, 705 42, 705 21, 705 261, 705 38, 3791142, 379 9101, 455558, 455406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/349 Rechargeable cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A card holder carries out an initial top-up of a balance of a pre-paid payment card. The prepaid payment card is configured for use in an infrastructure in accordance with a payment specification requiring different behavior for normal transactions in the infrastructure versus that required for topping-up of the balance. Contemporaneously with the initial top-up, the card holder registers risk mitigation information in association with the pre-paid payment card. Subsequent to the initial top-up, an indicator is written to the pre-paid payment card during a transaction with the pre-paid payment card outside the infrastructure. The indicator identifies the pre-paid payment card as having the risk mitigation information associated therewith. During subsequent presentation of the pre-paid payment card to the infrastructure, the pre-paid payment card is treated as a token backed up by the risk mitigation information, based on presence of the indicator on the pre-paid payment card.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining an EMV-compliant pre-paid payment card having an electronic memory and configured for use in an infrastructure in accordance with a payment specification requiring an offline contactless procedure for normal transactions at a terminal within the infrastructure and an online transaction for top-up of the pre-paid payment card, the pre-paid payment card having an offline balance reflected in offline counters normally updated in offline transactions, the infrastructure requiring the offline contactless procedure at least in part due to transaction timing requirements;

interacting with a payment platform configured for registration of risk mitigation information relating to a holder of the pre-paid payment card, thereby causing the payment platform to send a message indicating that the pre-paid payment card has been registered and is backed by suitable risk mitigation information;

conducting an online transaction with the pre-paid payment card at a terminal outside the infrastructure;

during the online transaction, downloading, as an EMV script which is part of a payload of the online transaction, an indicator sent over a payment network to the electronic memory of the pre-paid payment card, the indicator reflecting registration of the risk mitigation information at the payment platform, the indicator changing personalization of the pre-paid payment card to cause the pre-paid payment card to be treated as a token instead of a pre-paid payment card going forward; and

conducting a contactless transaction in the infrastructure using the pre-paid payment card following downloading of the indicator onto the electronic memory of the pre-paid payment card and changing of the personalization of the pre-paid payment card, the indicator and the changing of the personalization causing an offline decision to allow the contactless transaction based at least in part on the presence of the indicator and further causing details of the transaction to be recorded within the infrastructure without effecting immediate payment for the contactless transaction from the offline balance reflected in the offline counters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the risk mitigation information comprises information regarding a backup payment account and wherein the indicator changing personalization of the pre-paid payment card to cause the pre-paid payment card to be treated as a token instead of a pre-paid payment card going forward comprises the indicator causing the pre-paid payment card to be treated as a token for the backup payment account.

3. The method of claim 2, further including, subsequent to the decision to allow the contactless transaction, causing payment from at least one of:

a central balance stored on a central server and associated with the pre-paid payment card; and

via the payment network, the backup payment account.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the EMV script is generated by an issuer of the pre-paid payment card using an issuer key.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the EMV script is generated at the central server by an issuer of the pre-paid payment card.

4. A system comprising:

one or more first terminals having contactless readers and configured to read an EMV-compliant pre-paid payment card having an offline balance reflected in offline counters normally updated in offline transactions, process the pre-paid payment card as a token based on the presence of an indicator written to an electronic memory of the pre-paid payment card and identifying the pre-paid payment card as having risk mitigation information relating to a holder of the pre-paid payment card associated therewith, and to make an offline decision to allow a transaction with the pre-paid payment card based at least in part on the presence of the indicator, the one or more first terminals forming at least a portion of an infrastructure requiring an offline contactless procedure for normal transactions at the one or more first terminals and an online transaction for top-up of the pre-paid payment card, the infrastructure requiring the offline contactless procedure at least in part due to transaction timing requirements;

a payment platform configured for registration of the risk mitigation information;

a server configured to communicate with a second terminal configured to facilitate online transactions with the pre-paid payment card and with the payment platform, the server being further configured to initiate writing the indicator reflecting registration of the risk mitigation information at the payment platform to the electronic memory of the pre-paid payment card during an online transaction with the second terminal as an EMV script which is part of a payload of the online transaction;

wherein the one or more first terminals process the pre-paid payment card as a token by causing details of the transaction to be recorded within the infrastructure without effecting immediate payment for the contactless transaction from the offline balance reflected in the offline counters.

5. The system of claim 4, further including the prepaid payment card, the prepaid payment card being configured for use in accordance with a payment specification requiring different procedures for normal transactions using the pre-paid payment card versus that required for topping-up of a card balance, the prepaid payment card being further configured for accessing a balance on a central server and for having the indicator reflecting registration of the risk mitigation information written thereto by the server.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the details are recorded for a predetermined period.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the risk mitigation information comprises information regarding a backup payment account.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the EMV script is generated by an issuer of the pre-paid payment card using an issuer key.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the EMV script is generated at the central server by an issuer of the pre-paid payment card.