SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO APPLY VALUES FROM STORED VALUE ACCOUNTS TO PAYMENT TRANSACTIONS

• US 20140046744A1
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hagey, Ryan
• Granted Patent: US 10,438,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

A system includes a transaction handler configured to communicate with a first issuer processor to maintain a balance of a stored value account, store an offer in association with the stored value account and a consumer account that is under control of a second issuer processor, detect in the consumer account a transaction satisfying requirements of the offer, apply at least a portion of the balance of the stored value account to the transaction, determine a reduced transaction amount for the transaction after applying at least the portion of the balance of the stored value account to the transaction, and communicate with the second issuer processor for an authorization response for the transaction of the reduced transaction amount in the consumer account.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

storing, in a computing apparatus, a stored value balance in association with a set of conditions which when satisfied allow a use of the stored value balance;

storing, in the computing apparatus, an offer in association with a first account of a user and the stored value balance;

determining, by the computing apparatus, whether the offer is applicable to a transaction identified by an authorization request from an acquirer processor, the authorization request identifying a first transaction amount; and

in response to a determination that the offer is applicable to the transaction,

determining a benefit amount of the offer;

determining a second transaction amount by applying the benefit amount and at least a portion of the stored value balance to the first transaction amount; and

communicating with an issuer processor of the first account for authorization of the second transaction amount that is reduced from the first transaction amount.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of conditions identifies a set of one or more predetermined merchants transactions with which the stored value balance is usable.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

storing a communication reference in association with the first account of the user; and

transmitting a notification of a transaction amount reduction, reduced in accordance with the offer in the transaction, to the user at the communication reference associated with the first account of the user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the notification is transmitted in parallel with the transmission of an authorization response for the authorization request received from the acquirer processor.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

communicating with an issuer processor of a stored value account for approval of applying the portion of the stored value balance to the transaction corresponding to the authorization request from the acquirer processor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the stored value account corresponds to a prepaid card.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the computing apparatus includes a transaction handler of a payment processing network interconnecting issuer processors and acquirer processors;

and the stored value account can be used at a transaction terminal without the transaction handler.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, in the computing apparatus, a communication from an issuer processor of the stored value account to associate the stored value balance with the first account of the user, in response to a request from the user; and

storing, in the computing apparatus, data representing the stored value balance in association with the first account of the user for redemption via the transaction handler.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein after the storing of the data representing the stored value balance in association with the first account of the user, the computing apparatus becomes a single master of a balance of the stored value account.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein after the storing of the data representing the stored value balance in association with the first account of the user, the stored value account is configured to report a zero balance when the stored value account is used at the transaction terminal without going through the transaction handler.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein after the storing of the data representing the stored value balance in association with the first account of the user, the stored value balance is usable at the transaction terminal without going through the transaction handler;

and the issuer processor of the stored value account and the transaction handler are configured to communicate with each other to maintain balance information for the stored value account.

12. A non-transitory computer-storage medium storing instructions configured to instruct a computing apparatus to at least:

store, in the computing apparatus, an offer and a balance of a stored value account in association with a first account of a user, the offer identifies the stored value account;

determine, by the computing apparatus, whether the offer is applicable to a transaction identified by an authorization request from an acquirer processor, the authorization request identifying a first transaction amount in the first account; and

in response to a determination made during processing of the authorization request that the offer is determined to be applicable to the transaction,

determine a benefit amount of the offer;

determine a second transaction amount by applying the benefit amount and at least a portion of the stored value balance to the first transaction amount; and

communicate with an issuer processor of the first account for authorization of the second transaction amount that is reduced from the first transaction amount.

13. The non-transitory computer-storage medium of claim 12, wherein the offer is configured to require that the first transaction amount be larger than the balance of the stored value account.

14. A computing apparatus having at least one processor and a memory storing instructions configured to instruct the at least one processor to perform operations, the computing apparatus comprising:

a transaction handler configured to process transactions in a payment processing network interconnecting issuer processors and acquirer processors, including an issuer processor of a stored value account and an issuer processor of a consumer account of a user;

a data warehouse configured to store data associating

a communication reference of the user,

a balance of the stored value account,

an offer to use the balance in a transaction with a merchant, and

the consumer account; and

a portal configured to communicate the offer to the user via the communication reference and communicate with the issuer processor of the stored value account to receive the balance of the stored value account and conditions under which the stored value account is usable;

wherein the instructions are configured to instruct the computing apparatus to determine whether the offer is applicable to a transaction identified by an authorization request received by the transaction handler from an acquirer processor, the authorization request identifying a first transaction amount in the consumer account; and

in response to a determination made during processing of the authorization request that the offer is applicable to the transaction, the transaction handler is configured via the instructions to

determine a benefit amount of the offer;

determine a second transaction amount by applying the benefit amount and at least a portion of the stored value balance to the first transaction amount; and

communicate with the issuer processor of the consumer account for authorization of the second transaction amount that is reduced from the first transaction amount.

15. The computing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the stored value account is limited to be used at a set of one or more predetermined merchants identified in merchant information received in the portal from the issuer processor.

16. The computing apparatus of claim 15, wherein before the stored value account is associated with the consumer account, the stored value account is usable at a transaction terminal without going through the transaction handler;

and after the stored value account is associated with the consumer account in the data warehouse, the issuer processor is configured to indicate that a balance of the stored value account is zero when the stored value account is used in a setting that does not involve the transaction handler.

17. The computing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the balance of the stored value account is associated in the data warehouse with the consumer account in response to the user adding a stored value account in a digital wallet containing the consumer account.

18. The computing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the benefit amount of the offer is funded by one of:

the merchant;

the issuer processor of the stored value account;

the issuer processor of the consumer account; and

the transaction handler.

19. The computing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the transaction handler is configured via the instructions to place a hold on the stored value balance when the issuer processor of the consumer account authorizes the second transaction amount in the consumer account.

20. The computing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the transaction handler is configured via the instructions to communicate with the issuer processor of the stored value account for authorization of the portion of the stored value balance.