Systems and methods to apply benefit of offers

• US 10,733,623 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2018
• Issued: 08/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ovick, Joseph Bjorn, Carlson, Mark, Hagey, Ryan, Reid, Margaret, Stan, Patrick, Wright, Patrick, Koganti, Krishna Prasad, Powell, Glenn, Kumnick, Phillip Lyle
• Primary Examiner(s): Li, Sun M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thuy N
• Application Number:
  US15/887,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20180158091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds

Abstract

To automate the redemption of offer benefits, data associating offers and payment accounts is stored in the data warehouse of a first transaction handler. If a payment account to which an offer is associated is in the payment processing network of a second transaction handler separate from the first transaction handler, the system uses a payment processor that is in both the payment processing network of the first transaction handler and the payment processing network of the second transaction handler to communicate with the first transaction handler to detect the authorization request in the payment account that satisfies the benefit redemption requirements of the respective offer and apply the offer benefit to the transaction when the authorization request is detected.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing an electronic payment processing system having;

a first transaction handler in a first electronic payment processing network, the first transaction handler coupled with a data warehouse;

a second transaction handler in a second electronic payment processing network; and

a plurality of transaction terminals;

receiving, with at least one processor from a first transaction terminal of the plurality of transaction terminals, an authorization request for authorization of a transaction in a payment account in the second electronic payment processing network, the payment account identified in the authorization request requiring that the authorization request be processed by the second transaction handler in the second electronic payment processing network;

determining, with the at least one processor, whether the transaction is relevant to benefit redemption of at least one offer associated with the payment account in the data warehouse of the first transaction handler in the first electronic payment processing network;

determining, with the at least one processor, to route the authorization request to the first transaction handler in the first electronic payment processing network based on determining whether the transaction is relevant to benefit redemption of the at least one offer;

in response to determining that the transaction is relevant to benefit redemption of the at least one offer, transmitting, with the at least one processor, the authorization request to the first transaction handler in the first electronic payment processing network, the authorization request identifying the payment account in the second electronic payment processing network,

wherein the authorization request comprises a full transaction amount associated with the transaction, wherein the authorization request causes the first transaction handler to;

generate a modified authorization request for a modified transaction comprising a transaction amount reduced by a benefit of an offer of the at least one offer,

obtain authorization for the modified authorization request from the second transaction handler in the second electronic payment processing network; and

generate an authorization response to the authorization request, the authorization response including offer information identifying the benefit of the offer;

receiving, with the at least one processor from the first transaction handler in the first electronic payment processing network, the authorization response for the authorization request; and

in response to receiving the authorization response including the offer information from the first transaction handler, transmitting, with the at least one processor, the authorization response to the first transaction terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving, by at least one processor, at least one offer trigger configured to identify transactions relevant to the at least one offer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the offer trigger comprises at least one benefit redemption requirement of the at least one offer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one benefit redemption requirement substantially matches at least one benefit requirement in a trigger record of the data warehouse.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer information comprises a benefit amount of the at least one offer applicable to the transaction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer information comprises an indication of whether a sponsor processor of the at least one offer has approved an amount of the benefit applicable to the transaction.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer information comprises a security parameter, the method further comprising communicating, by at least one processor and using the security parameter, with a portal coupled to the first transaction handler to determine information regarding the offer having the benefit applicable to the transaction.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the security parameter comprises at least one of the following:

an encryption key for establishing a communication channel connected to the portal, a decryption key for receiving information from the portal, an identifier representing the payment account in offer communications with the portal, or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer information comprises at least one of the following:

a net amount to be charged to the payment account after a benefit of the at least one offer is applied to the transaction, a promotion code identifying the at least one offer, a message associated with the at least one offer to be provided on a receipt associated with the transaction, or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to receiving the authorization response, approving and settling, by at least one processor, in the payment account, the transaction amount reduced by the benefit of the offer.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the authorization request to the first transaction handler in the first electronic payment processing network is compliant with a standard for communication between transaction handlers and acquirer processors.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, transmitting, by at least one processor, an authorization response received from the second transaction handler to the first transaction handler.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, in an offer trigger database, an offer trigger comprising a subset of offer redemption requirements of at least one offer, wherein the transaction is determined to be relevant to benefit redemption of the at least one offer when the transaction satisfies the subset of offer redemption requirements specified in the offer trigger.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating, by at least one processor, with a portal coupled with the data warehouse and the first transaction handler to determine whether a benefit of the at least one offer is applicable to the transaction.