Method for dual credit card system

• US 6,915,277 B1
• Filed: 06/14/2000
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synchrony Bank (Synchrony Financial)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Capital Corporation (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Manchester, Jeff, Dupree-Cammer, Michelle
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): SNAPP, SANDRA S
• Application Number:
  US09/593,199
• Time in Patent Office: 1,847 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39, 705/68, 705/69, 705/70, 705/53, 705/35, 705/40, 705/41, 705/42
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

A dual credit card system is in two parts: a) the creation of a dual credit card; and b) the usage of a dual credit card. The creation begins with the receipt of an application by merchant for a dual credit card. The issuing organization issues the dual credit card to the applicant. The user may make a purchase with the dual credit card at either a private label merchant location or at a location accepting the bankcard. These locations may traditional physical locations, a web site on the Internet or a catalog. When a purchase is made at a merchant location, the processing of the merchant location dual credit card purchase is done via a private-label processing channel. If the user uses the dual credit card at a non-merchant location, the purchase may be processed through the VISA/MasterCard network.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a purchase transaction using a dual card, the method comprising:

receiving, by a merchant, dual card information identifying a dual card to be used to purchase an item, said dual card information including a single account number identifying a single account associated with said dual card;

determining, based on said single account number, that said single account number is a dual card account number and that a purchase transaction using said dual card is adapted to be processed over both a private label network and a bankcard network depending on an identity of said merchant;

determining an identity of said merchant; and

processing said purchase transaction and transmitting said single account number using one of said private label network and said bankcard network based on said identity of said merchant.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a private label interchange fee if said purchase transaction is processed using said private label network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said merchant is a non-private label merchant, and said purchase transaction is processed using said bankcard network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a bankcard interchange fee if said purchase transaction is processed using said bankcard network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising

processing said purchase transaction by a cooperating bankcard back office operation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said processing said purchase operation includes at least one of:

generating a statement, customer service, collections and settlement.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said cooperating bankcard back office operation processes purchase transactions received from said private label network and from said bankcard network.

3. The method of clam 1, wherein said merchant is a private label merchant and said purchase transaction is processed using said private label network.

9. A method for processing a purchase transaction, comprising:

receiving, from a merchant, purchase information including information identifying a credit card account, a merchant number and an amount;

determining that said credit card account is a dual account identified by a single account number, said single account number adapted for processing over both a bankcard network and a private label network;

determining that said merchant is a private label merchant associated with said credit card account; and

based on said determination that said merchant is a private label merchant and said determination that said credit card account is a dual account processing said purchase transaction using said private label network for transmission to a cooperating bankcard back office operation.

10. A method for processing a purchase transaction, comprising:

receiving, from a merchant, purchase information including information identifying a credit card account, a merchant number and an amount;

determining that said credit card account is a dual account identified by a single account number, said single account number adapted for processing over both a bankcard network and a private label network;

determining that said merchant is not a private label merchant associated with said credit card account; and

based on said determination that said merchant is not a private label merchant and said determination that said credit card account is a dual account, processing said purchase transaction using said bankcard network for transmission to a cooperating bankcard back office operation.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving a request to purchase an item from a merchant using a credit card, said credit card having a single account number identifying a single credit account associated with said credit card;

identifying, based on said single account number, that said credit card is a dual credit card capable of being processed over both a private label network and a bankcard network depending on an identity of said merchant;

determining that said merchant is a private label merchant associated with said credit card; and

based on said determination that said merchant is a private label merchant and said determination that said credit card is a dual credit card, processing said purchase transaction using said private label network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said identifying that said credit card is a dual credit card is performed based on a bank identification number portion of said single account number.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said single credit account has a single interest rate and a single credit line.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said single credit line has a portion which is available only for purchases at said private label merchant.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting said purchase transaction to a cooperating bankcard back office operation for further processing.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a merchant, a request to purchase an item using a credit card, said credit card having a single account number identifying a single credit account associated with said credit card;

identifying, based on said single account number, that said credit card is a dual credit card capable of being processed over both a private label network and a bankcard network depending on an identity of said merchant;

determining that said merchant is not a private label merchant associated with said credit card; and

based on said determination that said merchant is not a private label merchant and said determination that said credit card is a dual credit card, processing said purchase transaction using said bankcard network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said identifying that said credit card is a dual credit card is performed based on a bank identification number portion of said single account number.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting said purchase transaction to a cooperating bankcard back office operation for further processing.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a request to purchase an item from a merchant using a credit card, said credit card having a single account number identifying a single credit account associated with said credit card;

means for identifying, based on said single account number, that said credit card is a dual credit card capable of being processed over both a private label network and a bankcard network depending on an identity of said merchant;

means for determining that said merchant is a private label merchant associated with said credit card; and

means for processing said purchase transaction using said private label network based on said determination that said merchant is a private label merchant and said determination that said credit card is a dual credit card.

20. A method for conducting a purchase transaction using a payment card, the method comprising:

receiving, by a merchant, payment card information identifying a payment card to be used to purchase an item, said payment card information including a payment card account number;

determining, based on said payment card account number, that a purchase transaction using said payment card is adapted to be routed over both a private label network and a bankcard network; and

processing said purchase transaction using one of said private label network and said bankcard network based on an identity of said merchant and for further processing by a cooperating bankcard back office operation coupled to process purchase transaction received from said private label network and said bankcard network.