System, apparatus and methods for automatically calculating discounts for purchases from merchants made using a reservation system

• US 8,833,645 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stretch, James C., Granucci, Nicole
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, TAE W
• Application Number:
  US11/166,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20060289631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,371 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase

Abstract

System, apparatus and methods for automatically calculating a discount for a customer offered by a merchant through a reservation system. In one example, a reservation file is provided and contains data relating to a reservation, and transaction data relating to payment card transactions is accessed. One or more elements of the transaction data are compared against one or more elements of the reservation file to determine a match; and based on the match, the discount is electronically calculated based one or more one or more elements of the transaction data and one or more elements of the reservation file. In this way, the discount can be accurately calculated in an automatic fashion. In another embodiment, the customer may opt for a non-cash discount such as airline miles, points, or other rewards, in which case the customer may be provided with such rewards in an amount proportional to the discount.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a transaction handler computing device via a reservation service user interface, an offer for a prospective reward from a merchant to a consumer along with a plurality of reward currencies for the reward for selection by the consumer, wherein the offer is associated with merchant defined eligibility criteria comprising at least a consumer payment account attribute to be associated with a purchase transaction to qualify for the reward and wherein the reward is a monetary value to be credited upon completion of the qualifying purchase transaction;

receiving, by the transaction handler computing device, a reservation made by the consumer for a qualifying purchase from the merchant along with the consumer'"'"'s choice of one of the plurality of reward currencies, wherein the reservation is at least partially in response to the offer for the reward, wherein the qualifying purchase transaction is to be completed within a specified time limit using a consumer payment device identifying a consumer payment account of the consumer associated with the consumer payment account attribute;

causing, by the transaction handler computing device, the merchant to generate at a time of the qualifying purchase, a bill reminding the consumer that the reward is prospectively available with use of the consumer payment device for completing the qualifying purchase transaction;

processing, by the transaction handler computing device, authorizations of a plurality of payment transactions identifying respective consumer payment accounts of the customers;

comparing, by the transaction handler computing device, each transaction of the payment transactions to find a match to the qualifying purchase conforming to the reservation and the merchant defined eligibility criteria;

identifying, by the transaction handler computing device, the consumer payment account based on the match;

calculating, by the transaction handler computing device, the monetary value of the reward based on a transaction amount corresponding to the qualifying purchase identified via the match;

crediting, by the transaction handler computing device, the monetary value of the reward in terms of the consumer'"'"'s form of choice to the consumer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the transaction handler computing device, for each qualifying transaction, a description of the corresponding one of a reserved good and a reserved service.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the transaction handler computing device, a profile of the consumer, acknowledging, by the transaction handler computing device, the offer and including, by the transaction handler computing device, information selected from the group consisting of;

a name of the consumer;

an indicator of the consumer payment account of the customer;

a password for access to the profile; and

a selection of a form of the reward.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the transaction handler computing device, in response to the match, a notice to the customer, the notice including a description of the monetary value of the reward as calculated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant is a restaurant operator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the transaction handler computing device is configured to communicate with at least an issuer and an acquirer to perform the authorization function;

the issuer issues to the consumer the consumer payment account;

the merchant submits a first transaction made using the consumer payment account to the acquirer;

a payment for the first transaction is obtained from the issuer from the consumer payment account; and

the issuer forwards the payment to the acquirer to pay the merchant for the first transaction.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each transaction includes at least one of:

an identifier of a consumer payment account;

a description of one of a good and a service;

a date of the transaction; and

an identifier of a merchant.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reservation includes at least one of the following:

an identifier of the consumer payment account;

an indication of the reward;

a date for the qualifying purchase transaction;

a pre-determined window of time for the qualifying purchase transaction; and

an identifier of the merchant.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a type of the reward currency is selected by the consumer from the group consisting of:

redeemable points;

airline miles applicable towards a future airline trip;

a rebate;

a good; and

a service.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the reservation is confirmed to the consumer on an initial bill to the consumer for the one of the reserved good and the reserved service.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the reservation as confirmed identifies a value for the reward.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward comprises a discount applied towards a net bill of the qualifying purchase transaction.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward comprises a discount applied towards a gross bill for the qualifying purchase transaction.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending to the merchant a report rendering a trend analysis of a plurality of qualifying purchase transactions.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, via the transaction handler computing device, a plurality of offers to the consumer; and

receiving, via the transaction handler computing device, at least one reservation corresponding to an acceptance of at least one of the plurality of offers by the consumer and an identifier of the consumer payment account of the consumer.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, via the transaction handler computing device, a reminder to the consumer that a subsequent transaction can be a qualifying purchase transaction.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer makes a reservation with the merchant through a reservation service.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer payment account attribute, based on which the merchant defined eligibility criteria are specified, is an account type.

19. A system comprising:

a transaction handler computing device having hardware and software configured to;

provide via a reservation service user interface, an offer for a prospective reward from a merchant to a consumer along with a plurality of reward currencies for the reward for selection by the consumer, wherein the offer is associated with merchant defined eligibility criteria comprising at least a consumer payment account attribute to be associated with a purchase transaction to qualify for the reward and wherein the reward is a monetary value to be credited upon completion of the qualifying purchase transaction;

receive a reservation made by the consumer for a qualifying purchase from the merchant along with the consumer'"'"'s choice of one of the plurality of reward currencies, wherein the reservation is at least partially in response to the offer for the reward, wherein the qualifying purchase transaction is to be completed within a specified time limit using a consumer payment device identifying a consumer payment account of the consumer associated with the consumer payment account attribute;

cause the merchant, at a time of making the qualifying purchase, to generate a bill that comprises a reminder to the consumer that the reward is prospectively available with use of the consumer payment device for completing the qualifying purchase transaction;

process authorizations of a plurality of payment transactions, wherein the payment transactions between merchants and customers are performed utilizing consumer payment devices identifying respective consumer payment accounts of the customers;

compare each transaction of the payment transactions to find a match to the qualifying purchase conforming to the reservation and the merchant defined discount criteria;

identify the consumer payment account based on the match;

calculate the monetary value of the reward based on a transaction amount corresponding to the qualifying purchase transaction identified via the match; and

credit the monetary value of the reward in terms of the consumer'"'"'s form of choice to the consumer.

20. A non-transitory tangible machine readable medium, storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by a computing device causing the computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

providing an offer for a prospective reward from a merchant to a consumer along with a plurality of reward currencies for the reward for selection by the consumer, wherein the offer is associated with merchant defined eligibility criteria comprising at least a consumer payment account attribute to be associated with a purchase transaction to qualify for the reward and wherein the reward is a monetary value to be credited upon completion of the qualifying purchase transaction;

receiving a reservation made by the consumer for a qualifying purchase from the merchant along with the consumer'"'"'s choice of one of the plurality of reward currencies, wherein the reservation is at least partially in response to the offer for the reward, wherein the qualifying purchase transaction is to be completed within a specified time limit using a consumer payment device identifying a consumer payment account of the consumer associated with the consumer payment account attribute;

causing the merchant, at a time of making the qualifying purchase, to generate a bill that comprises a reminder to the consumer that the reward is prospectively available with use of the consumer payment device for completing the qualifying purchase transaction;

processing authorizations of a plurality of payment transactions identifying respective consumer payment accounts of the customers;

comparing each transaction of the payment transactions to find a match to the qualifying purchase conforming to the reservation and the merchant defined eligibility criteria;

identifying the consumer payment account based on the match;

calculating the monetary value of the reward based on a transaction amount corresponding to the qualifying purchase identified via the match;

crediting the monetary value of the reward in terms of the consumer'"'"'s form of choice to the consumer.