SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING LOYALTY CARD REWARDS THROUGH AN ALTERNATE USER FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT

• US 20120066050A1
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Truaxis, Inc. (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Truaxis, Inc. (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Satyavolu, Ramakrishna V., Kothari, Samir, Daredia, Shehzad
• Application Number:
  US13/300,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066050A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8011 using class of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/805 Bidding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/851 Determined tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 : Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/018 : On-line real-time billing, able to see billing information while in communication, e.g. via the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 : involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 : Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/74 : Rating aspects, e.g. rating parameters or tariff determination apects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7407 : class of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 : Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7457 : Biding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/81 : Notifying aspects, e.g. notifications or displays to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8129 : Type of notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/815 : Notification when a specific condition, service or event is met

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to comparison shopping and usage based service analysis for consumers, primarily for financial products. A consumer may not be aware of a provider'"'"'s services, options, terms, conditions, costs, or how the service options change based on the consumer'"'"'s particular usage characteristics. The disclosed comparison shopping method uses actual or predicted service usage data from the consumer. Service provider information is used to present the consumer with relevant alternative service offering options. Transaction data is gathered from a user'"'"'s financial account and is analyzed for a savings opportunity indication. The analysis is used to match a savings opportunity from a database of savings opportunities, and the savings opportunity may be displayed in a statement of a user'"'"'s financial account. Past responses to a savings opportunity indication may be gathered and analyzed. In one example, a savings opportunity is presented for use in a subsequent transaction.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

gathering transaction data from a user for a merchant from a user'"'"'s financial account, wherein the user'"'"'s financial account is a financial institution account that is maintained on behalf of the user;

analyzing the transaction data to determine if an aspect of the transaction data meet a criteria set by the merchant;

if the transaction data meet the criteria, matching a savings opportunity from the merchant to the user based on the analyzed transaction data; and

enabling the user to redeem the savings opportunity during a subsequent transaction with the merchant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria comprise at least one of a total spending amount with the merchant, a number of transactions with the merchant, a number of transactions within a category, total spending during a period of time, a particular transaction, a particular set of transactions, and a transaction at a particular merchant location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the financial account is at least one of a bank account, a checking account, a savings account, a credit account, a personal finance program account, and a loan account.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling comprises automatic redemption upon presentation of a transaction card associated with the user'"'"'s financial account.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling comprises providing the user with at least one of a printed coupon, a bar code coupon presented on a mobile device, and a credit on a merchant loyalty card.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing comprises anonymizing the financial transaction data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing comprises extracting at least one of a merchant name, a merchant category, a merchant location, a transaction amount, a transaction frequency, a zip code, a store name, a store category, a store number, a transaction description, a purchase frequency, and a total spending amount.

8. A method, comprising:

gathering transaction data from a user for a merchant from a user'"'"'s financial account, wherein the user'"'"'s financial account is a financial institution account that is maintained on behalf of the user;

analyzing the transaction data;

matching a savings opportunity from the merchant to the user based on the analyzed transaction data; and

enabling the user to redeem the savings opportunity during a subsequent transaction with the merchant.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the financial account is at least one of a bank account, a checking account, a savings account, a credit account, a personal finance program account, and a loan account.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein enabling comprises automatic redemption upon presentation of a transaction card associated with the user'"'"'s financial account.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein enabling comprises providing the user with at least one of a printed coupon, a bar code coupon presented on a mobile device, and a credit on a merchant loyalty card.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein analyzing comprises anonymizing the financial transaction data.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein analyzing comprises extracting at least one of a merchant name, a merchant category, a merchant location, a transaction amount, a transaction frequency, a zip code, a store name, a store category, a store number, a transaction description, a purchase frequency, and a total spending amount.