Merchant Configured Advertised Incentives Funded Through Statement Credits

• US 20110231235A1
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carlson, Mark, Stan, Patrick, Keshan, Surendra, MacIlwaine, John Hamilton
• Granted Patent: US 9,697,520 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.17
• 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

Abstract

An advertised incentive system receives advertised incentive configuration information provided by a merchant. The advertised incentive configuration information defines the content of advertised incentive banners. The advertised incentive banners are provided as needed to merchants to display on the merchant'"'"'s website. Advertised incentive registration information is received from an account holder after the account holder interacts with the advertised incentive banner. Transaction information is received that contains a qualified purchase made by the account holder. The advertised incentive registration and the qualified purchase are matched. A statement credit is issued against the account holder'"'"'s account and a debit is issued against the merchant'"'"'s account in the amount of the statement credit.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, via a computing device, a merchant interface allowing a merchant to create an advertised incentive program including an advertised incentive program configuration, including defining an advertised incentive and a qualifying purchase transaction, and to activate the advertised incentive program;

storing in a database the advertised incentive program configuration and an indication that the merchant has activated the advertised incentive program;

receiving, via the computing device, while the advertised incentive program is activated, an authorization request from the merchant to authorize a qualifying purchase transaction;

executing, via the computing device, the advertised incentive with respect to a consumer payment system account of a consumer upon which consumer payment system account the qualifying purchase transaction was authorized.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface includes a communication portal to a transaction handler transaction handling system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertised incentive comprises a statement credit incentive.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the advertised incentive comprises a statement credit incentive.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein to activate the advertised incentive program includes a user registering to obtain the advertised incentive.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein to activate the advertised incentive program includes a user registering to obtain the advertised incentive.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein to activate the advertised incentive program includes a user registering to obtain the advertised incentive.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein to activate the advertised incentive program includes a user registering to obtain the advertised incentive.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

crediting, via the computing device, the consumer payment account of the account holder according to the statement credit;

debiting, via the computing device, the consumer payment account of the account holder according to the qualifying purchase transaction; and

,

debiting, via the computing device, an account of at least one entity responsible for funding the statement credit.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

crediting, via the computing device, the consumer payment account of the account holder according to the statement credit;

debiting, via the computing device, the consumer payment account of the account holder according to the qualifying purchase transaction; and

,

debiting, via the computing device, an account of at least one entity responsible for funding the statement credit.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

crediting, via the computing device, the consumer payment account of the account holder according to the statement credit;

debiting, via the computing device, the consumer payment account of the account holder according to the qualifying purchase transaction; and

,

debiting, via the computing device, an account of at least one entity responsible for funding the statement credit.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

crediting, via the computing device, the consumer payment account of the account holder according to the statement credit;

debiting, via the computing device, the consumer payment account of the account holder according to the qualifying purchase transaction; and

,

debiting, via the computing device, an account of at least one entity responsible for funding the statement credit.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the qualifying purchase transaction comprises at least one of:

defining one of a product and a service, to be purchased in the qualifying purchase transaction;

defining a time period in which to complete the qualifying purchase transaction;

defining a consumer purchase account consumer purchase device with which to complete the qualifying purchase transaction; and

defining a merchant location where the qualifying purchase transaction is to occur.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein defining the qualifying purchase transaction comprises at least one of:

defining one of a product and a service, to be purchased in the qualifying purchase transaction;

defining a time period in which to complete the qualifying purchase transaction;

defining a consumer purchase account consumer purchase device with which to complete the qualifying purchase transaction; and

defining a merchant location where the qualifying purchase transaction is to occur.

15. The method of claim 3, wherein defining the qualifying purchase transaction comprises at least one of:

defining one of a product and a service, to be purchased in the qualifying purchase transaction;

defining a time period in which to complete the qualifying purchase transaction;

defining a consumer purchase account consumer purchase device with which to complete the qualifying purchase transaction; and

defining a merchant location where the qualifying purchase transaction is to occur.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein defining the qualifying purchase transaction comprises at least one of:

defining one of a product and a service, to be purchased in the qualifying purchase transaction;

defining a time period in which to complete the qualifying purchase transaction;

defining a consumer purchase account consumer purchase device with which to complete the qualifying purchase transaction; and

defining a merchant location where the qualifying purchase transaction is to occur.

17. A tangible machine readable medium storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by a computing device, causing the computing device to perform a method comprising:

providing a merchant interface allowing a merchant to create an advertised incentive program comprising an advertised incentive program configuration, including defining the advertised incentive and defining a qualifying purchase transaction, and to activate the advertised incentive program;

storing in a database the advertised incentive program configuration and an indication that the merchant has activated the advertising incentive program;

receiving, while the advertised incentive program is activated, an authorization request from the merchant to authorize a qualifying purchase transaction;

executing the advertised incentive with respect to a consumer payment system account of a consumer upon which consumer payment system account the qualifying purchase transaction was authorized.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the advertised incentive includes a statement credit incentive.

19. A system comprising:

a computing device configured to provide a merchant interface allowing a merchant to create an advertised incentive program comprising an advertised incentive program configuration, including defining an advertised incentive and defining a qualifying purchase transaction, and to activate the advertised incentive program;

a database storing the advertised incentive configuration and an indication that the merchant has activated the advertised incentive program;

the computing device further configured to receive, while the advertised incentive program is activated, an authorization request from the merchant to authorize a qualifying purchase transaction;

the computing device further configured to execute the advertised incentive with respect to a consumer payment system account of a consumer upon which consumer payment system account the qualifying purchase transaction was authorized.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the advertised incentive comprises a statement credit incentive.