RETURN PAYMENT CARD PROCESS

• US 20110055057A1
• Filed: 01/20/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vasten, Brett
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0837 Return transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A payment card returned as undeliverable is processed with a card administration system that responds to the return of the payment card by setting a “returned” indicator in a data record of a cardholder to whom the payment card was intended for delivery, and otherwise maintains the cardholder'"'"'s account without change. A card handling system initiates destruction of the returned payment card and provides a replacement payment card to the cardholder if updated profile information of the cardholder is received within a predetermined time period, and closes the cardholder account and returns any funds in the cardholder account if no updated profile information of the cardholder is received within the predetermined time period.

Claims

1. A computer method comprising:

receiving a card number at a computer of a card administration system for a returned payment card comprising a payment card that was intended for use in connection with a cardholder account having a current payment card;

determining that the card number of the returned payment card is associated with an upgrade card or a replacement card in a card database of the card administration system;

setting a “

returned”

indicator of a data record for the returned payment card in the card database of the card administration system and indicating that the returned payment card is to be destroyed, and maintaining a status of the current payment card in the card database without change;

generating data for producing a return-replacement payment card associated with the cardholder account if updated profile information of the cardholder account is received at the computer of the card administration system within a predetermined time period, and closing the cardholder account and returning any funds in the cardholder account if no updated profile information of the cardholder account is received within the predetermined time period.

2. The computer method as in claim 1, further including:

sending a notification message to a cardholder address for the cardholder account as to the returned status of the returned payment card.

3. The computer method as in claim 1, further including:

sending a notification message to a purchaser address for a purchaser of the returned payment card as to the returned status of the returned payment card.

4. The computer method as in claim 1, wherein the generated data for producing the return-replacement card includes a card number for the return-replacement card that is different from the card number of the returned payment card.

5. The computer method as in claim 4, further including updating an account database of the card administration system to reflect the card number for the return-replacement card as having been sent and to reflect the destroyed status of the returned payment card.

6. The computer method as in claim 1, further including determining that the cardholder account indicates that the cardholder account is associated with both an upgrade card having a status of “

returned” and

a replacement card having a status of “

returned”

, wherein generating data for producing a return-replacement payment card comprises generating data for producing a return-replacement payment card only for the upgrade card and not for the replacement card.

7. A computer system comprising:

a card administration system computer that receives a card number for a returned payment card comprising a payment card that was intended for use in connection with a cardholder account having a current payment card and determines that the card number of the returned payment card is associated with an upgrade card or a replacement card in a card database of the card administration system, and sets a “

returned”

indicator of a data record for the returned payment card in the card database of the card administration system and indicating that the returned payment card is to be destroyed, and maintains a status of the current payment card in the card database of the card administration system without change; and

a database system that is operatively coupled to the card administration system computer and comprises the card database;

wherein the card administration system computer generates data for producing a return-replacement payment card associated with the cardholder account if updated profile information of the cardholder account is received within a predetermined time period, and generates data for closing the cardholder account and returning any funds in the cardholder account if no updated profile information of the cardholder account is received within the predetermined time period.

8. The system as in claim 7, wherein the card administration system computer further sends a notification message to a cardholder of the cardholder account of the returned payment card as to the returned status of the returned payment card.

9. The system as in claim 7, wherein the card administration system computer further sends a notification message to a purchaser of the returned payment card as to the returned status of the returned payment card.

10. The system as in claim 7, wherein the generated data for producing the return-replacement card includes a card number for the return-replacement card that is different from the card number of the returned payment card.

11. The system as in claim 7, wherein the card administration system computer further determines that the cardholder account indicates that the cardholder account is associated with both an upgrade card having a status of “

returned” and

a replacement card having a status of “

returned”

, and generates data for producing a return-replacement payment card by generating data for producing a return-replacement payment card only for the upgrade card and not for the replacement card.

12. The system as in claim 11, wherein the card administration system computer updates the card database to reflect the card number for the return-replacement card as having been sent and to reflect the destroyed status of the returned payment card.