Search, transfer, and booking tool for multiple rewards programs

• US 20070192186A1
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Kroner, David, Rogers, Matthew, Greene, Nancy, Katz, Harvey, Nottingham, Marniee, Munkacsy, Chris
• Application Number:
  US11/404,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20070192186A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies

Abstract

Many customers are members of multiple frequent customer programs. When a customer wishes to book reward travel, searching each frequent customer program of which the customer is a member is difficult and time-consuming. A rewards program provider, such as a transactional account company, can provide members the opportunity to link frequent customer programs to the rewards program. When a customer searches for reward travel, the customer enters the request through the rewards program provider. The rewards program provider then sends a request to each frequent customer program which includes the customer identification. The frequent customer programs each return a search result tailored to the specific customer, taking into consideration the customer'"'"'s status and point balance in the frequent customer program. The rewards program provider then allows the customer to book a selected reservation using points corresponding to a specific frequent customer program and/or points corresponding to the provider'"'"'s rewards program.

Claims

1. A method of searching, transferring, and booking reward travel for a participant, comprising:

linking a frequent customer program account associated with the participant to a comprehensive rewards program account;

requesting travel options customized for the participant from a partner service provider associated with the frequent customer program account, wherein the travel options are customized based on a status of the customer with the frequent customer program;

providing the customized travel options to the participant with frequent customer program point indications for each option;

receiving a selection for a specific travel option from the participant; and

sending a request to the partner service provider to redeem reward points and book the specific travel option.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting step comprises:

requesting customized travel options from a partner service provider associated with the linked frequent customer program account; and

requesting non-customized travel options from a partner service provider not associated with the linked customer program account.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the providing step comprises:

providing the customized travel options with frequent customer program point indications for each option from the partner service provider associated with the linked frequent customer program account; and

providing the non-customized travel options without point indications from the partner service provider not associated with the linked frequent customer program account.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending step comprises:

sending a request to redeem reward points associated with the linked frequent customer program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending step comprises:

sending a request to redeem reward points associated with the comprehensive rewards program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the linking step comprises:

linking multiple frequent customer program accounts associated with the participant, wherein each frequent customer program account is associated with a partner service provider that is different than partner service providers associated with other frequent customer program accounts.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the participant at least one travel preference,

wherein the requesting step includes requesting customized travel options based on the travel preference.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring points as needed from the comprehensive rewards program account to the partner service provider.

9. A system for searching, transferring, and booking reward travel for a participant, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory for storing a plurality of processing instructions for directing the processor to;

link a frequent customer program account associated with the participant to a comprehensive rewards program account;

request travel options customized for the participant from a partner service provider associated with the frequent customer program account, wherein the travel options are customized based on a status of the customer with the frequent customer program;

provide the customized travel options to the participant with frequent customer program point indications for each option;

receive a selection for a specific travel option from the participant; and

send a request to the partner service provider to redeem reward points for the specific travel option.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions for directing the processor to request travel options comprise instructions for directing the processor to:

request customized travel options from a partner service provider associated with the linked frequent customer program account; and

request non-customized travel options from a partner service provider not associated with the linked customer program account.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions for directing the processor to provide the customized travel options to the participant comprise instructions for directing the processor to:

provide the customized travel options with frequent customer program point indications for each option from the partner service provider associated with the linked frequent customer program account; and

provide the non-customized travel options without point indications from the partner service provider not associated with the linked frequent customer program account.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions for directing the processor to send a request comprise instructions for directing the processor to:

send a request to redeem reward points associated with the linked frequent customer program.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions for directing the processor to send a request comprise instructions for directing the processor to:

send a request to redeem reward points associated with the comprehensive rewards program.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions for directing the processor to link a frequent customer account comprise instructions for directing the processor to:

link multiple frequent customer program accounts associated with the participant, wherein each frequent customer program account is associated with a partner service provider that is different than partner service providers associated with other frequent customer program accounts.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of processing instructions further comprise instructions for directing the processor to transfer points as needed from the comprehensive rewards program account to the partner service provider.

16. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having control logic stored therein for causing a computer to search, transfer, and book reward travel, said control logic comprising:

first computer readable program code means for causing the computer to link a frequent customer program account associated with the participant to a comprehensive rewards program account;

second computer readable program code means for causing the computer to request travel options customized for the participant from a partner service provider associated with the frequent customer program account, wherein the travel options are customized based on a status of the customer with the frequent customer program;

third computer readable program code means for causing the computer to provide the customized travel options to the participant with frequent customer program point indications for each option;

fourth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to receive a selection for a specific travel option from the participant; and

fifth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to send a request to the partner service provider to redeem reward points for the specific travel option.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the second computer readable program code means comprises:

sixth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to request customized travel options from a partner service provider associated with the linked frequent customer program account; and

seventh computer readable program code means for causing the computer to request non-customized travel options from a partner service provider not associated with the linked customer program account.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the third computer readable program code means comprises:

eighth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to provide the customized travel options with frequent customer program point indications for each option from the partner service provider associated with the linked frequent customer program account; and

ninth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to provide the non-customized travel options without point indications from the partner service provider not associated with the linked frequent customer program account.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the fifth computer readable program code means comprises:

sixth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to send a request to redeem reward points associated with the linked frequent customer program.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the fifth computer readable program code means comprises:

sixth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to send a request to redeem reward points associated with the comprehensive rewards program.

21. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the first computer readable program code means comprises:

sixth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to link multiple frequent customer program accounts associated with the participant, wherein each frequent customer program account is associated with a partner service provider that is different than partner service providers associated with other frequent customer program accounts.

22. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the control logic further comprises sixth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to transfer points as needed from the comprehensive rewards program account to the partner service provider.