REWARDS PROGRAM BONUS

• US 20120054000A1
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2010
• 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: Etheredge, Christine C., Boppert, Mary Beth, Colombo, Victor, Koo, E Bai, de Oliveira, Silvia Mansur, Perry, Denee C.
• Application Number:
  US12/873,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20120054000A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates

Abstract

A system and method for managing a rewards program is disclosed. A reward redemption request is provided in exchange of reward points accrued by a customer. Based on the redeemed reward points, the customer is provided a redeemed reward. The redeemed reward is compared with redemption criteria. The redemption criteria may be based on the amount of redeemed reward points and/or the redeemed reward. In response to meeting the redemption criteria, the reward redemption may qualify for a rewards program bonus.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer based system for managing a rewards program, a request for a reward redemption in exchange for reward points, in association with the rewards program;

providing, by the computer based system, the redeemed reward;

comparing, by the computer based system, the redeemed reward with redemption criteria, wherein the redemption criteria is based on the attributes of the redeemed reward;

determining, by the computer based system, that at least one of the redeemed reward or the reward points qualify for a rewards program bonus;

issuing, by the computer based system, the rewards program bonus as a credit of reward points to a reward program account associated with the reward redemption.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of the rewards program bonus is at least one of a percentage of the redeemed reward points and a preselected value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of the rewards program bonus is a percentage of the reward points, and wherein the amount of the percentage is a function of the amount of previous rewards program bonuses accrued within a predetermined period.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising reporting, by the computer based system, the rewards program bonus on a transaction account statement associated with at least one of the rewards program or the transaction account.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the rewards program bonus is based at least partially on at least one of:

a percentage of reward points redeemed in relation to a balance of reward points, an amount of reward points redeemed within a predetermined period, the type of reward points redeemed, the redeemed reward, the geographic region where the reward points were earned, type of good, type of service, day of spend, time of day, merchant type, season, class of products, level of spend, amount of spend, or rate of spend.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the rewards program bonus is based at least partially on at least one of:

stored rewards program reward points associated with a rewards program, the amount of rewards redeemed within a predetermined period, the frequency rewards are redeemed within a predetermined period, the length of time rewards program reward points associated with a rewards program are stored in a rewards program, or the amount of times rewards are redeemed within a predetermined period.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating, by the computer based system, a transaction account with the rewards program.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying, by the computer based system, a transaction account holder of an available rewards program bonus associated with at least one of successful reward redemption and reward redemption within a predetermined period.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the rewards program bonus is earned from transactions in a geographic area and is redeemable in the geographic area.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the rewards program bonus is earned from transactions in a first geographic area and is redeemable in a second geographic area.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

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

determining, by the computer based system, a second rewards program bonus associated with the spend data based on an identifier associated with the spend data;

issuing, by the computer based system, the determined second rewards program bonus.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the identifier associated with the spend data comprises at least one of:

type of good, type of service, geographic area, day of spend, time of day, merchant type, season, class of products, level of spend, amount of spend, or rate of spend.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying, by the computer based system, in response to the reward redemption, of the availability of an increased rewards program bonus for a reward redemption of a second amount within a predetermined period.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a second redeeming of a reward associated with the rewards program may be combined with the redeeming of the reward associated with the rewards program to increase the reward program bonus.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the combining is performed within a predetermined period.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the reward redemption in exchange for reward points is at least one of based on a request received from a transaction account holder or an automatic request based the reward points reaching a predetermined threshold.

5. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

20. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer based system for managing a rewards program, causes the computer based system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the computer based system, a request for a reward redemption in exchange for reward points, in association with the rewards program;

providing, by the computer based system, the redeemed reward;

comparing, by the computer based system, the redeemed reward with redemption criteria, wherein the redemption criteria is based on the attributes of the redeemed reward;

determining, by the computer based system, that at least one of the redeemed reward or the reward points qualify for a rewards program bonus;

issuing, by the computer based system, the rewards program bonus as a credit of reward points to a reward program account associated with the reward redemption.

21. A computer based system for managing a rewards program comprising:

a network interface communicating with a memory;

the memory communicating with a processor for managing a rewards program; and

the processor, when executing a computer program, performs operations comprising;

receiving, by the computer based system, a request for a reward redemption in exchange for reward points, in association with the rewards program;

providing, by the computer based system, the redeemed reward;

comparing, by the computer based system, the redeemed reward with redemption criteria, wherein the redemption criteria is based on the attributes of the redeemed reward;

determining, by the computer based system, that at least one of the redeemed reward or the reward points qualify for a rewards program bonus;

issuing, by the computer based system, the rewards program bonus as a credit of reward points to a reward program account associated with the reward redemption.