Systems and methods to provide offers to travelers

• US 9,471,926 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Clyne, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): STOLTENBERG, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US13/093,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,003 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/009 User recognition or proximity detection

Abstract

In one aspect, a computing apparatus includes: a transaction handler configured to process transactions; a data warehouse configured to store transaction data recording the transactions and to store event data for travel related events; a pattern detector configured to identify correlation data relating transaction patterns in the transaction data and the events identified in the event data; a portal configured to, in response to an occurrence of a first event, provide merchants with a report of a predicted spending pattern, including the identification of a set of consumers, identified based on the correlation data and data identifying the first event; a score generator to compute a value score for a traveler based on transaction data of the traveler; and a data services platform configured to provide the value score to a hotelier in response to a transaction processed by the transaction handler to check in the traveler at the hotelier.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing, a computing device having

a transaction handler configured in an electronic payment processing system in which the transaction handler interconnects issuer processors controlling consumer accounts from which payment transactions are made and acquirer processors controlling merchant accounts to which the payment transactions are made,

a data warehouse coupled with the transaction handler and storing transaction data recording the payment transactions processed via the transaction handler in the electronic payment processing system,

a gateway coupled with the transaction handler and configured to communicate outside the electronic payment processing system, and

a data services platform coupled with the data warehouse;

processing, by the transaction handler, transactions of a traveler, each of the transactions being processed to make a payment from a respective issuer to a respective acquirer via the transaction handler in response to an account identifier of the traveler, as issued by the respective issuer, being submitted by a merchant to the respective acquirer, the respective issuer to make the payment on behalf of the traveler, the respective acquirer to receive the payment on behalf of the merchant;

computing, by the computing device, a value score of the traveler based on the transactions processed by the transaction handler, the value score indicative of a value of the traveler to merchants of a predetermined type;

processing, by the transaction handler, a payment transaction initiated using the account identifier between a first merchant of the predetermined type and the traveler;

providing, by the transaction handler to the gateway of the computing device, a transaction alert according to the payment transaction; and

communicating, by the computing device using the data services platform outside the electronic payment processing system, the value score of the traveler to a first merchant of the predetermined type in accordance with the transaction alert.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchants provide hotel services.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the traveler is identified to the transaction handler in a transaction to check the traveler into a hotel operated by the first merchant.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the value score of the traveler facilitates a decision by the first merchant to provide an offer to the traveler.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering the traveler based on the account identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enrolling the traveler in a program that provides travel related incentives to the travelers who are enrolled in the program; and

generating a model to compute the value score of the traveler based on transaction data of the travelers who are enrolled in the program.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the traveler whose value score is provided to the first merchant has not yet been enrolled in the program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the value score is determined based on a factor value of an aggregated spending profile of the traveler;

and the factor value is relevant to the predetermined type of merchants.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the factor value is computed using the transaction data of the traveler based on factor definitions determined from a factor analysis of transaction data of a plurality of users.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the value score is determined based on a distance to a spending cluster identified from a cluster analysis of transaction data of a plurality of users.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the value score is further based on data identifying one or more events related to travel.

12. A non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions configured to instruct a computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

providing, the computing device having

a transaction handler configured in an electronic payment processing system in which the transaction handler interconnects issuer processors controlling consumer accounts from which payment transactions are made and acquirer processors controlling merchant accounts to which the payment transactions are made,

a data warehouse coupled with the transaction handler and storing transaction data recording the payment transactions processed via the transaction handler in the electronic payment processing system,

a gateway coupled with the transaction handler and configured to communicate outside the electronic payment processing system, and

a data services platform coupled with the data warehouse;

processing, by the transaction handler, transactions of a traveler, each of the transactions being processed to make a payment from a respective issuer to a respective acquirer via the transaction handler in response to an account identifier of the traveler, as issued by the respective issuer, being submitted by a merchant to the respective acquirer, the respective issuer to make the payment on behalf of the traveler, the respective acquirer to receive the payment on behalf of the merchant;

computing, by the computing device, a value score of the traveler based on the transactions processed by the transaction handler, the value score indicative of a value of the traveler to merchants of a predetermined type;

processing, by the transaction handler, a payment transaction initiated using the account identifier between a first merchant of the predetermined type and the traveler;

providing, by the transaction handler to the gateway of the computing device, a transaction alert according to the payment transaction; and

communicating, by the computing device using the data services platform outside the electronic payment processing system, the value score of the traveler to a first merchant of the predetermined type in accordance with the transaction alert.

13. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 12, wherein the merchants provide hotel services;

the traveler is identified to the transaction handler in a transaction to check the traveler into a hotel operated by the first merchant; and

the value score of the traveler facilitates a decision by the first merchant to provide an offer to the traveler.

14. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

registering the traveler based on the account identifier.

15. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

enrolling the traveler in a program that provides travel related incentives to the travelers who are enrolled in the program; and

generating a model to compute the value score of the traveler based on transaction data of the travelers who are enrolled in the program.

16. A computing device comprising:

a transaction handler configured in an electronic payment processing system in which the transaction handler interconnects issuer processors controlling consumer accounts from which payment transactions are made and acquirer processors controlling merchant accounts to which the payment transactions are made;

a data warehouse coupled with the transaction handler and storing transaction data recording the payment transactions processed via the transaction handler in the electronic payment processing system;

a gateway coupled with the transaction handler and configured to communicate outside the electronic payment processing system; and

a data services platform coupled with the data warehouse;

wherein the transaction handler is configured to process transactions of a traveler, each of the transactions being processed to make a payment from a respective issuer to a respective acquirer via the transaction handler in response to an account identifier of the traveler, as issued by the respective issuer, being submitted by a merchant to the respective acquirer, the respective issuer to make the payment on behalf of the traveler, the respective acquirer to receive the payment on behalf of the merchant;

wherein the computing device is further configured to compute a value score of the traveler based on the transactions processed by the transaction handler, the value score indicative of a value of the traveler to merchants of a predetermined type;

wherein when the transaction handler processes a payment transaction initiated using the account identifier between a first merchant of the predetermined type and the traveler, the transaction handler is configured to provide, to the gateway of the computing device, a transaction alert according to the payment transaction; and

wherein the computing device is further configured to use the data services platform outside the electronic payment processing system to communicate the value score of the traveler to a first merchant of the predetermined type in accordance with the transaction alert.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the value score is determined based on a factor value of an aggregated spending profile of the traveler;

and the factor value is relevant to the predetermined type of merchants; and

the factor value is computed using the transaction data of the traveler based on factor definitions determined from a factor analysis of transaction data of a plurality of users.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the value score is determined based on a distance to a spending cluster identified from a cluster analysis of transaction data of a plurality of users.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the value score is further based on data identifying one or more events related to travel.