System and Method for Prepaid Rewards

• US 20100312629A1
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Wolf, David, Russo, Jennifer M., Roen, Scott M., Tiku, Sripriya V.
• Granted Patent: US 9,558,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase

Abstract

A system and method provide rewards or loyalty incentives to card member customers. The system includes an enrolled card member customer database, an enrolled merchant database, a participating merchant offer database and a registered card processor. The enrolled card member customer database includes transaction accounts of card member customers enrolled in a loyalty incentive program. The enrolled merchant database includes a list of merchants participating in the loyalty incentive program. The participating merchant offer database includes loyalty incentive offers from participating merchants. The registered card processor receives a record for charge for a purchase made with an enrolled merchant by an enrolled card member customer and uses the record of charge to determine whether the purchase qualifies for a rebate credit in accordance with a discount offer from the enrolled merchant. If the purchase qualifies for a rebate credit, the registered card processor provides the rebate credit to an account of the enrolled card member customer. The registered card processor also provides for electronic notification of rewards offers or credit to prepaid cards, in response to purchases conforming to a specific set of merchant criteria. The system provides a coupon-less way for merchants to provide incentive discounts and/or credits to enrolled customers, along with notifying customers of other available incentive offers.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

associating, by a computer based system for managing a rewards program, a prepaid transaction account with a rewards program;

monitoring, by the computer based system, a transaction of the prepaid transaction account;

comparing, by the computer based system, the transaction with a criteria governing the rewards program; and

determining, by the computer based system, a reward based the transaction complying the criteria governing the rewards program.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computer based system, registration information, wherein the registration information includes at least one of prepaid transaction account information and prepaid transaction account owner information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein registration information is provided via a webpage.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computer based system, a rewards program selection, wherein the rewards program is selected from a plurality of rewards programs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an account owner of the prepaid transaction account is not known to an account issuer of the prepaid transaction account.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring, the computer based system, spend data associated with the prepaid transaction account;

analyzing, by the computer based system, the spend data;

assigning, by the computer based system, the prepaid transaction account to at least one of a plurality of populations based on spend data and criteria; and

transmitting, by the computer based system, a reward and a rewards offer to at least one of the plurality of populations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward comprises a credit of monetary value to the prepaid transaction account.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward comprises a credit of loyalty points to the prepaid transaction account.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward comprises a reward to a beneficiary of the prepaid transaction account.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the reward is a merchant prepaid transaction account.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the rewards program is defined by a merchant.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the rewards program has a predetermined spending threshold, and wherein the reward is provided to the prepaid transaction account in response to charges at the merchant with the prepaid transaction account being at least equal to the predetermined spending threshold.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the rewards program is defined by a prepaid transaction account issuer.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward is earned from transactions with a merchant group and is redeemable with the merchant group.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward is earned from transactions with a first merchant group and is redeemable with a second merchant group.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward is earned from transactions in a geographic area and is redeemable in the geographic region.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward is earned from transactions in a first geographic area and is redeemable in a second geographic region.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the prepaid transaction account is available for purchase from a merchant participating in the rewards program.

19. A tangible computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computer based system for managing a rewards program, causes the computer based system to perform a method comprising:

associating, by the computer based system, a prepaid transaction account with a rewards program;

monitoring, by the computer based system, a transaction of the prepaid transaction account;

comparing, by the computer based system, the transaction with a criteria governing the rewards program; and

determining, by the computer based system, a reward based the transaction complying the criteria governing the rewards program.

20. A system comprising:

a network interface communicating with a memory;

the memory communicating with a processor; and

the processor, when executing a computer program, is configured to;

associate a prepaid transaction account with a rewards program;

monitor a transaction of the prepaid transaction account;

compare the transaction with a criteria governing the rewards program; and

determine a reward based the transaction complying the criteria governing the rewards program.