Online shopping sites for redeeming loyalty points

• US 8,833,650 B1
• Filed: 09/23/2013
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: JBSHBM, LLC
• Original Assignee: Brian K. Buchheit, Sean I. Mcghie
• Inventors: McGhie, Sean I., Buchheit, Brian K.
• Primary Examiner(s): LaBaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US14/034,492
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/375, 235/379, 235/487, 235/486, 235/382, 705/14, 705/39, 463/25
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• 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 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/381 Currency conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0227 Frequent usage incentive value reconciliation between diverse systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0228 On-line clearing houses

Abstract

An online shopping site can permit users to purchase items placed in a shopping cart. Purchasing options include paying with negotiable funds and paying with loyalty points of an entity. The entity can be a partner having an agreement with the provider of the online shopping site (referred to as a commerce partner). Per the agreement, the entity compensates the commerce partner for redeemed loyalty points. The compensation can be sufficient to pay the commerce partner for the items that were placed in the shopping cart plus the cost of providing the Web site. The items available for the online shopping site may be items that are not otherwise available to members of the loyalty program, who are able to redeem loyalty points directly with the entity for a restricted set of goods or services.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initiating, via computing equipment having at least one processor executing program instructions that are digitally encoded in at least one storage device, a commerce transaction between a member and a commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner owns or controls an online shopping site through which the commerce transaction takes place;

receiving, via computing equipment having at least one processor executing program instructions that are digitally encoded in at least one storage device, a selection from the member of one or more items for purchase through the online shopping site;

responsive to receiving the selection, adding, via computing equipment having at least one processor executing program instructions that are digitally encoded in at least one storage device, the one or more items per the selection to a shopping cart of the online shopping site, wherein the shopping cart is a shopping cart for the member;

after the shopping cart includes the one or more items, providing, via computing equipment having at least one processor executing program instructions that are digitally encoded in at least one storage device, a plurality of options through which the member is able to pay for the items in the shopping cart, wherein the plurality of options include an option to pay for the items in the shopping cart using negotiable funds, wherein the options further include an option for paying for the items using loyalty points that the member has earned through a loyalty program of an entity, wherein the loyalty program is not a loyalty program of the commerce partner;

wherein the entity is not a parent or subsidiary of the commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner is not a parent or subsidiary of the entity, wherein said loyalty points are non-negotiable credits, wherein the loyalty points are maintained in a loyalty program account owned or controlled by the entity, wherein the entity redeems loyalty points per the loyalty point program for a restricted list of goods or services, wherein the one or more items in the shopping cart are not in the restricted list;

wherein an agreement exists between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the agreement permits members to purchase items from the online shopping site by redeeming earned loyalty points at the online shopping site, wherein the agreement specifies that the entity is to compensate the commerce partner in an agreed upon amount of cash or credit for sets of loyalty point that are redeemed through the online shopping site, wherein compensation received by the commerce partner per the agreement is at least sufficient to offset costs to the commerce partner of providing the member with the one or more items in the shopping cart through the online shopping site, wherein in absence of the agreement through which compensation is obtained for redeemed loyalty points, the commerce partner does not redeem the loyalty points via the online shopping site;

receiving, via computing equipment having at least one processor executing program instructions that are digitally encoded in at least one storage device, a selection of the option from the online shopping site to pay for the items in the shopping cart by expending a quantity of the loyalty points;

responsive to receiving the option to pay using loyalty points, completing, via computing equipment having at least one processor executing program instructions that are digitally encoded in at least one storage device, a checkout process of the online shopping site, wherein during the checkout process the member pays for the one or more items in the shopping cart by expending the quantity of loyalty points;

after the checkout process, indicating, via computing equipment having at least one processor executing program instructions that are digitally encoded in at least one storage device, to the member via the online shopping site that the one or more items have been purchased; and

recording, via computing equipment having at least one processor executing program instructions that are digitally encoded in at least one storage device, the quantity of loyalty points redeemed during the checkout process as proof to ensure the commerce partner receives compensation from the entity for redeeming the quantity of loyalty points per the agreement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the online shopping site is an e-commerce Web site.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein shopping via the online shopping site earns the member different loyalty points in a different loyalty program that is owned or controlled by the commerce partner.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the online shopping site converts the quantity of loyalty points into a quantity of different loyalty points during the checkout process, wherein a resulting quantity of different loyalty points are used to pay for the one or more items.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the online shopping site permits the member to expend quantities of a plurality of different loyalty program points from a plurality of different programs controlled by a plurality of different companies, during the checkout process to pay for the one or more items in the shopping cart, wherein the different companies include the entity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein computing equipment performing at least a portion of the steps of the method is computing equipment for serving Web pages of the online shopping site to customers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the loyalty program is a credit card loyalty program, wherein the entity is a financial service company that provides a credit card to the member.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the loyalty program is a hotel loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise lodging services.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the loyalty program is an airline loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise travel services for an airline.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the loyalty points comprise points earned from playing a game.

11. A method comprising:

at least one computing device, executing program instructions stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium, establishing an account for loyalty points of a loyalty program of an entity, wherein said loyalty points are non-negotiable credits earned by a member of the loyalty program, wherein the loyalty points are maintained in a loyalty program account owned or controlled by the entity, wherein the entity redeems loyalty points per the loyalty point program for a restricted list of goods or services;

at least one computing device, executing program instructions stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium, detecting interactions between the entity and at least one of the one or more users, each of the interactions earning a quantity of loyalty points, wherein the quantity of non-negotiable credits from the interactions are added to the account;

wherein an agreement exists between the entity and a commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner owns or controls an online shopping site through which the commerce transaction takes place, wherein the agreement permits members to purchase items from the online shopping site that have already been placed in a shopping cart for checkout by redeeming the loyalty points of the account at the online shopping site, wherein redeemed loyalty points offset costs charged by the commerce partner for the items in the shopping cart, wherein the online shopping site permits items placed in the shopping cart to be paid for by expending quantities of the loyalty points, by expending quantities of negotiable funds, or by expending quantities of the loyalty points and by expending quantities of negotiable funds, wherein the agreement specifies that the entity is to compensate the commerce partner in an agreed upon amount of cash or credit for each of the member possessed loyalty points that are redeemed through the online shopping site, wherein compensation received by the commerce partner per the agreement is at least sufficient to overcome costs to the commerce partner of providing the member with the items in the shopping cart paid for using the loyalty points, wherein in absence of the agreement through which compensation is obtained for redeemed loyalty points, the commerce partner does not redeem the loyalty points;

at least one computing device, executing program instructions stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium, receiving a message from the online shopping site that a quantity of loyalty points were redeemed during a checkout process to pay for items placed in a shopping cart of the online shopping site;

at least one computing device, executing program instructions stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium, subtracting the quantity of the loyalty points from the account; and

at least one computing device, recording the quantity of loyalty points redeemed during the checkout process to ensure the commerce partner receives compensation for redeeming the quantity of loyalty points from the entity per the agreement, wherein the entity is not a parent or subsidiary of the commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner is not a parent or subsidiary of the entity, wherein said loyalty points are non-negotiable credits, wherein items from the online shopping site are not in the restricted list of goods or services.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the online shopping site is an e-commerce Web site.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the loyalty program is a credit card loyalty program, wherein the entity is a financial service company that provides a credit card to the member.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the loyalty program is a hotel loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise lodging services.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the loyalty program is an airline loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise travel services for an airline.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the loyalty points comprise points earned from playing a game.

17. A method comprising:

a computer serving a set of one or more Web pages for an e-commerce site of a commerce partner to one or more remotely located client machines, wherein the Web pages are able to be rendered within a client-side browser as a graphical user interface on the one or more client machines, wherein upon being rendered within the client-side browser said graphical user interface shows a quantity of non-negotiable credits, wherein said non-negotiable credits are loyalty points of the loyalty program possessed by a member, wherein the loyalty points are maintained in a loyalty program account owned or controlled by the entity, wherein the entity redeems loyalty points per the loyalty point program for a restricted list of goods or services, wherein an agreement exists between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the agreement permits members to purchase items from the e-commerce site by redeeming the loyalty points at the e-commerce site, wherein the agreement specifies that the entity is to compensate the commerce partner in an agreed upon amount of cash or credit for each of the member held non-negotiable credits that are redeemed through the e-commerce site;

the computer receiving item selections from the member to purchase items via the e-commerce site;

the computer adjusting a served set of Web pages to place the set of items within a shopping cart of the e-commerce Web site, wherein the set of items are not in the restricted list;

the computer adjusting a served set of Web pages to place the set of items within a shopping cart of the e-commerce Web site;

the computer providing a set of checkout options for items in the shopping cart, wherein the checkout options include an option to pay for the items in the shopping cart using negotiable funds, wherein the checkout options further include an option for paying for the items using loyalty points that the member has earned through a loyalty program of an entity, wherein the loyalty program is not a loyalty program of the commerce partner;

the computer, receiving a user selection of an option to pay for the items in the shopping cart using loyalty points;

the computer responsive to receiving the user selection, processing the selection to effectuate changes in the served set of Web pages;

responsive to the processing, the computer serving one or more Web pages or Web page updates that include the effectuated changes to the one or more remotely located client machines, wherein upon being rendered within the client-side browser the graphical user interface is updated with the effectuated changes, wherein the updated graphical user interface shows that the one or more items previously in the shopping cart have been purchased by expending quantities of the loyalty points; and

the computer recording expended quantities of loyalty points as proof to ensure the commerce partner receives compensation from the entity for redeeming the quantity of loyalty points per the agreement.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the loyalty program is a credit card loyalty program, wherein the entity is a financial service company that provides a credit card to the member.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the loyalty program is a hotel loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise lodging services.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the loyalty program is an airline loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise travel services for an airline.

21. A computer program product comprising:

one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for initiating a commerce transaction between a member and a commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner owns or controls an online shopping site through which the commerce transaction takes place;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for receiving a selection from the member of one or more items for purchase through the online shopping site;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for, responsive to receiving the selection, adding the one or more items per the selection to a shopping cart of the online shopping site, wherein the shopping cart is a shopping cart for the member;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for, after the shopping cart includes the one or more items, providing a plurality of options through which the member is able to pay for the items in the shopping cart, wherein the plurality of options include an option to pay for the items in the shopping cart using negotiable funds, wherein the options further include an option for paying for the items using loyalty points that the member has earned through a loyalty program of an entity, wherein the loyalty program is not a loyalty program of the commerce partner;

wherein the entity is not a parent or subsidiary of the commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner is not a parent or subsidiary of the entity, wherein said loyalty points are non-negotiable credits, wherein the loyalty points are maintained in a loyalty program account owned or controlled by the entity, wherein the entity redeems loyalty points per the loyalty point program for a restricted list of goods or services, wherein the one or more items in the shopping cart are not in the restricted list;

wherein an agreement exists between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the agreement permits members to purchase items from the online shopping site by redeeming earned loyalty points at the online shopping site, wherein the agreement specifies that the entity is to compensate the commerce partner in an agreed upon amount of cash or credit for sets of loyalty point that are redeemed through the online shopping site, wherein compensation received by the commerce partner per the agreement is at least sufficient to offset costs to the commerce partner of providing the member with the one or more items in the shopping cart through the online shopping site, wherein in absence of the agreement through which compensation is obtained for redeemed loyalty points, the commerce partner does not redeem the loyalty points via the online shopping site;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for receiving a selection of the option from the online shopping site to pay for the items in the shopping cart by expending a quantity of the loyalty points;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for, responsive to receiving the option to pay using loyalty points, completing a checkout process of the online shopping site, wherein during the checkout process the member pays for the one or more items in the shopping cart by expending the quantity of loyalty points;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for, after the checkout process, indicating to the member via the online shopping site that the one or more items have been purchased; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for recording the quantity of loyalty points redeemed during the checkout process as proof to ensure the commerce partner receives compensation from the entity for redeeming the quantity of loyalty points per the agreement.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the online shopping site is an e-commerce Web site.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein shopping via the online shopping site earns the member different loyalty points in a different loyalty program that is owned or controlled by the commerce partner.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the online shopping site converts the quantity of loyalty points into a quantity of different loyalty points during the checkout process, wherein a resulting quantity of different loyalty points are used to pay for the one or more items.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the online shopping site permits the member to expend quantities of a plurality of different loyalty program points from a plurality of different programs controlled by a plurality of different companies, during the checkout process to pay for the one or more items in the shopping cart, wherein the different companies include the entity.

26. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein computing equipment performing at least a portion of the steps of the method is computing equipment for serving Web pages of the online shopping site to customers.

27. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the loyalty program is a credit card loyalty program, wherein the entity is a financial service company that provides a credit card to the member.

28. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the loyalty program is a hotel loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise lodging services.

29. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the loyalty program is an airline loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise travel services for an airline.

30. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the loyalty points comprise points earned from playing a game.

31. A computer program product comprising:

one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for establishing an account for loyalty points of a loyalty program of an entity, wherein said loyalty points are non-negotiable credits earned by a member of the loyalty program, wherein the loyalty points are maintained in a loyalty program account owned or controlled by the entity, wherein the entity redeems loyalty points per the loyalty point program for a restricted list of goods or services;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for detecting interactions between the entity and at least one of the one or more users, each of the interactions earning a quantity of loyalty points, wherein the quantity of non-negotiable credits from the interactions are added to the account;

wherein an agreement exists between the entity and a commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner owns or controls an online shopping site through which the commerce transaction takes place, wherein the agreement permits members to purchase items from the online shopping site that have already been placed in a shopping cart for checkout by redeeming the loyalty points of the account at the online shopping site, wherein redeemed loyalty points offset costs charged by the commerce partner for the items in the shopping cart, wherein the online shopping site permits items placed in the shopping cart to be paid for by expending quantities of the loyalty points, by expending quantities of negotiable funds, or by expending quantities of the loyalty points and by expending quantities of negotiable funds, wherein the agreement specifies that the entity is to compensate the commerce partner in an agreed upon amount of cash or credit for each of the member possessed loyalty points that are redeemed through the online shopping site, wherein compensation received by the commerce partner per the agreement is at least sufficient to overcome costs to the commerce partner of providing the member with the items in the shopping cart paid for using the loyalty points, wherein in absence of the agreement through which compensation is obtained for redeemed loyalty points, the commerce partner does not redeem the loyalty points;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for receiving a message from the online shopping site that a quantity of loyalty points were redeemed during a checkout process to pay for items placed in a shopping cart of the online shopping site;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for subtracting the quantity of the loyalty points from the account; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for recording the quantity of loyalty points redeemed during the checkout process to ensure the commerce partner receives compensation for redeeming the quantity of loyalty points from the entity per the agreement, wherein the entity is not a parent or subsidiary of the commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner is not a parent or subsidiary of the entity, wherein said loyalty points are non-negotiable credits, wherein items from the online shopping site are not in the restricted list of goods or services.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the online shopping site is an e-commerce Web site.

33. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the loyalty program is a credit card loyalty program, wherein the entity is a financial service company that provides a credit card to the member.

34. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the loyalty program is a hotel loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise lodging services.

35. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the loyalty program is an airline loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise travel services for an airline.

36. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the loyalty points comprise points earned from playing a game.

37. A computer program product comprising:

one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for serving a set of one or more Web pages for an e-commerce site of a commerce partner to one or more remotely located client machines, wherein the Web pages are able to be rendered within a client-side browser as a graphical user interface on the one or more client machines, wherein upon being rendered within the client-side browser said graphical user interface shows a quantity of non-negotiable credits, wherein said non-negotiable credits are loyalty points of the loyalty program possessed by a member, wherein the loyalty points are maintained in a loyalty program account owned or controlled by the entity, wherein the entity redeems loyalty points per the loyalty point program for a restricted list of goods or services, wherein an agreement exists between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the agreement permits members to purchase items from the e-commerce site by redeeming the loyalty points at the e-commerce site, wherein the agreement specifies that the entity is to compensate the commerce partner in an agreed upon amount of cash or credit for each of the member held non-negotiable credits that are redeemed through the e-commerce site;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for receiving item selections from the member to purchase items via the e-commerce site;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for adjusting a served set of Web pages to place the set of items within a shopping cart of the e-commerce Web site, wherein the set of items are not in the restricted list;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for adjusting a served set of Web pages to place the set of items within a shopping cart of the e-commerce Web site;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for providing a set of checkout options for items in the shopping cart, wherein the checkout options include an option to pay for the items in the shopping cart using negotiable funds, wherein the checkout options further include an option for paying for the items using loyalty points that the member has earned through a loyalty program of an entity, wherein the loyalty program is not a loyalty program of the commerce partner;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for receiving a user selection of an option to pay for the items in the shopping cart using loyalty points;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for, responsive to receiving the user selection, processing the selection to effectuate changes in the served set of Web pages;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for, responsive to the processing, serving one or more Web pages or Web page updates that include the effectuated changes to the one or more remotely located client machines, wherein upon being rendered within the client-side browser the graphical user interface is updated with the effectuated changes, wherein the updated graphical user interface shows that the one or more items previously in the shopping cart have been purchased by expending quantities of the loyalty points; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for recording expended quantities of loyalty points as proof to ensure the commerce partner receives compensation from the entity for redeeming the quantity of loyalty points per the agreement.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the loyalty program is a credit card loyalty program, wherein the entity is a financial service company that provides a credit card to the member.

39. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the loyalty program is a hotel loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise lodging services.

40. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the loyalty program is an airline loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise travel services for an airline.

41. An e-commerce server comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for initiating a commerce transaction between a member and a commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner owns or controls an online shopping site through which the commerce transaction takes place;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for receiving a selection from the member of one or more items for purchase through the online shopping site;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for, responsive to receiving the selection, adding the one or more items per the selection to a shopping cart of the online shopping site, wherein the shopping cart is a shopping cart for the member;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for, after the shopping cart includes the one or more items, providing a plurality of options through which the member is able to pay for the items in the shopping cart, wherein the plurality of options include an option to pay for the items in the shopping cart using negotiable funds, wherein the options further include an option for paying for the items using loyalty points that the member has earned through a loyalty program of an entity, wherein the loyalty program is not a loyalty program of the commerce partner;

wherein the entity is not a parent or subsidiary of the commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner is not a parent or subsidiary of the entity, wherein said loyalty points are non-negotiable credits, wherein the loyalty points are maintained in a loyalty program account owned or controlled by the entity, wherein the entity redeems loyalty points per the loyalty point program for a restricted list of goods or services, wherein the one or more items in the shopping cart are not in the restricted list;

wherein an agreement exists between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the agreement permits members to purchase items from the online shopping site by redeeming earned loyalty points at the online shopping site, wherein the agreement specifies that the entity is to compensate the commerce partner in an agreed upon amount of cash or credit for sets of loyalty point that are redeemed through the online shopping site, wherein compensation received by the commerce partner per the agreement is at least sufficient to offset costs to the commerce partner of providing the member with the one or more items in the shopping cart through the online shopping site, wherein in absence of the agreement through which compensation is obtained for redeemed loyalty points, the commerce partner does not redeem the loyalty points via the online shopping site;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for receiving a selection of the option from the online shopping site to pay for the items in the shopping cart by expending a quantity of the loyalty points;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for, responsive to receiving the option to pay using loyalty points, completing a checkout process of the online shopping site, wherein during the checkout process the member pays for the one or more items in the shopping cart by expending the quantity of loyalty points;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for, after the checkout process, indicating to the member via the online shopping site that the one or more items have been purchased; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, for recording the quantity of loyalty points redeemed during the checkout process as proof to ensure the commerce partner receives compensation from the entity for redeeming the quantity of loyalty points per the agreement.

42. The e-commerce server of claim 41, wherein the online shopping site is an e-commerce Web site.

43. The e-commerce server of claim 41, wherein shopping via the online shopping site earns the member different loyalty points in a different loyalty program that is owned or controlled by the commerce partner.

44. The e-commerce server of claim 43, wherein the online shopping site converts the quantity of loyalty points into a quantity of different loyalty points during the checkout process, wherein a resulting quantity of different loyalty points are used to pay for the one or more items.

45. The e-commerce server of claim 41, wherein the online shopping site permits the member to expend quantities of a plurality of different loyalty program points from a plurality of different programs controlled by a plurality of different companies, during the checkout process to pay for the one or more items in the shopping cart, wherein the different companies include the entity.

46. The e-commerce server of claim 41, wherein computing equipment performing at least a portion of the steps of the method is computing equipment for serving Web pages of the online shopping site to customers.

47. The e-commerce server of claim 41, wherein the loyalty program is a credit card loyalty program, wherein the entity is a financial service company that provides a credit card to the member.

48. The e-commerce server of claim 41, wherein the loyalty program is a hotel loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise lodging services.

49. The e-commerce server of claim 41, wherein the loyalty program is an airline loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise travel services for an airline.

50. The e-commerce server of claim 41, wherein the loyalty points comprise points earned from playing a game.

51. A loyalty program server comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums;

at least one computing device, executing program instructions stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium, establishing an account for loyalty points of a loyalty program of an entity, wherein said loyalty points are non-negotiable credits earned by a member of the loyalty program, wherein the loyalty points are maintained in a loyalty program account owned or controlled by the entity, wherein the entity redeems loyalty points per the loyalty point program for a restricted list of goods or services;

at least one computing device, executing program instructions stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium, detecting interactions between the entity and at least one of the one or more users, each of the interactions earning a quantity of loyalty points, wherein the quantity of non-negotiable credits from the interactions are added to the account;

wherein an agreement exists between the entity and a commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner owns or controls an online shopping site through which the commerce transaction takes place, wherein the agreement permits members to purchase items from the online shopping site that have already been placed in a shopping cart for checkout by redeeming the loyalty points of the account at the online shopping site, wherein redeemed loyalty points offset costs charged by the commerce partner for the items in the shopping cart, wherein the online shopping site permits items placed in the shopping cart to be paid for by expending quantities of the loyalty points, by expending quantities of negotiable funds, or by expending quantities of the loyalty points and by expending quantities of negotiable funds, wherein the agreement specifies that the entity is to compensate the commerce partner in an agreed upon amount of cash or credit for each of the member possessed loyalty points that are redeemed through the online shopping site, wherein compensation received by the commerce partner per the agreement is at least sufficient to overcome costs to the commerce partner of providing the member with the items in the shopping cart paid for using the loyalty points, wherein in absence of the agreement through which compensation is obtained for redeemed loyalty points, the commerce partner does not redeem the loyalty points;

at least one computing device, executing program instructions stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium, receiving a message from the online shopping site that a quantity of loyalty points were redeemed during a checkout process to pay for items placed in a shopping cart of the online shopping site;

at least one computing device, executing program instructions stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium, subtracting the quantity of the loyalty points from the account; and

at least one computing device, recording the quantity of loyalty points redeemed during the checkout process to ensure the commerce partner receives compensation for redeeming the quantity of loyalty points from the entity per the agreement, wherein the entity is not a parent or subsidiary of the commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner is not a parent or subsidiary of the entity, wherein said loyalty points are non-negotiable credits, wherein items from the online shopping site are not in the restricted list of goods or services.

52. The loyalty program server of claim 51, wherein the online shopping site is an e-commerce Web site.

53. The loyalty program server of claim 51, wherein the loyalty program is a credit card loyalty program, wherein the entity is a financial service company that provides a credit card to the member.

54. The loyalty program server of claim 51, wherein the loyalty program is a hotel loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise lodging services.

55. The loyalty program server of claim 51, wherein the loyalty program is an airline loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise travel services for an airline.

56. The loyalty program server of claim 51, wherein the loyalty points comprise points earned from playing a game.

57. A Web server comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums;

a computer serving a set of one or more Web pages for an e-commerce site of a commerce partner to one or more remotely located client machines, wherein the Web pages are able to be rendered within a client-side browser as a graphical user interface on the one or more client machines, wherein upon being rendered within the client-side browser said graphical user interface shows a quantity of non-negotiable credits, wherein said non-negotiable credits are loyalty points of the loyalty program possessed by a member, wherein the loyalty points are maintained in a loyalty program account owned or controlled by the entity, wherein the entity redeems loyalty points per the loyalty point program for a restricted list of goods or services, wherein an agreement exists between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the agreement permits members to purchase items from the e-commerce site by redeeming the loyalty points at the e-commerce site, wherein the agreement specifies that the entity is to compensate the commerce partner in an agreed upon amount of cash or credit for each of the member held non-negotiable credits that are redeemed through the e-commerce site;

the computer receiving item selections from the member to purchase items via the e-commerce site;

the computer adjusting a served set of Web pages to place the set of items within a shopping cart of the e-commerce Web site, wherein the set of items are not in the restricted list;

the computer adjusting a served set of Web pages to place the set of items within a shopping cart of the e-commerce Web site;

the computer providing a set of checkout options for items in the shopping cart, wherein the checkout options include an option to pay for the items in the shopping cart using negotiable funds, wherein the checkout options further include an option for paying for the items using loyalty points that the member has earned through a loyalty program of an entity, wherein the loyalty program is not a loyalty program of the commerce partner;

the computer, receiving a user selection of an option to pay for the items in the shopping cart using loyalty points;

the computer responsive to receiving the user selection, processing the selection to effectuate changes in the served set of Web pages;

responsive to the processing, the computer serving one or more Web pages or Web page updates that include the effectuated changes to the one or more remotely located client machines, wherein upon being rendered within the client-side browser the graphical user interface is updated with the effectuated changes, wherein the updated graphical user interface shows that the one or more items previously in the shopping cart have been purchased by expending quantities of the loyalty points; and

the computer recording expended quantities of loyalty points as proof to ensure the commerce partner receives compensation from the entity for redeeming the quantity of loyalty points per the agreement.

58. The Web server of claim 57, wherein the loyalty program is a credit card loyalty program, wherein the entity is a financial service company that provides a credit card to the member.

59. The Web server of claim 57, wherein the loyalty program is a hotel loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise lodging services.

60. The Web server of claim 57, wherein the loyalty program is an airline loyalty program, wherein the restricted list of goods or services comprise travel services for an airline.