System and methods for card payment instrument with rebate applied to an insurance premium

• US 6,745,938 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bank One Delaware NA (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Delaware Bane One
• Inventors: Sullivan, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US10/103,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20020096561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/379, 235/385, 235/380, 705/4
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

An apparatus and method for a card payment instrument providing that a percentage of consumer spending is rebated to the consumer for payment of premiums or the like for an account with an insurance company. In one version, an applicant provides a benefiting insurance account number to which the rebate is credited based on the rebate amount. The rebate is automatically submitted by the card issuer to the insurance account and, depending on the sizes of the rebate and premium, the cardholder may receive a bill reflecting a reduced premium or even a credit from the insurance concern. In another version, the rebate is submitted as a two-party check which can be cashed by the consumer or submitted by the consumer to the insurance company for cashing.

Claims

1. A method of rewarding usage of a credit or debit instrument, comprising:

monitoring cardholder usage of a credit or debit card issued by a first party comprising a card issuer;

computing a measure based on the monitored usage that is redeemable with a second party comprising an insurance entity;

redeeming the measure to provide the cardholder with value applicable to an existing insurance account associated with the cardholder;

thereby rewarding conduct with respect to the first party comprising a card issuer by providing value that encourages conduct with respect to the second party comprising the insurance entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the value applicable to an existing insurance account reduces an amount that the cardholder would otherwise have to pay under the insurance account.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the amount comprises a premium payment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the measure comprises rebate funds.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the measure comprises rebate points.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the value is applied by crediting the existing insurance account.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the application processor forwards the applications for insurance accounts to the second party.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the card is issued as a co-branded card identifying both the first party comprising the card issuer and the second party comprising the insurance entity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first party comprising the card issuer operates an application processor for receiving applications for credit cards and for receiving applications for insurance accounts, thereby facilitating cross-selling between the first party and the second party.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the application processor processes the applications for insurance accounts.

11. A card based payment system for rewarding conduct with respect to a first party by providing value with respect to a second party, comprising:

a credit or debit card issued by a card issuer to a cardholder;

a card issuer system for processing transactions and computing a measure based on card usage that is redeemable with an insurance concern;

an insurance concern system for redeeming the measure to provide value applicable to an existing insurance account associated with the cardholder;

thereby rewarding conduct with respect to the first party comprising a card issuer by providing value that encourages conduct with respect to the second party comprising the insurance concern.

12. The card based payment system of claim 11, wherein the value applicable to an existing insurance account reduces an amount that the cardholder would otherwise have to pay under the insurance account.

13. The card based payment system of claim 12, wherein the amount comprises a premium payment.

14. The card based payment system of claim 11, wherein the measure comprises rebate funds.

15. The card based payment system of claim 11, wherein the measure comprises rebate points.

16. The card based payment system of claim 11, wherein the value is applied by crediting the existing insurance account.

17. The card based payment system of claim 11, wherein the card is issued as a co-branded card identifying both the first party comprising the card issuer and the second party comprising the insurance concern.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the first party comprising the card issuer operates an application processor for receiving applications for credit cards and for receiving applications for insurance accounts, thereby facilitating cross-selling between the first party and the second party.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the application processor processes the applications for insurance accounts.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the application processor forwards the applications for insurance accounts to the second party.