System and method for providing international coupon-less discounts

• US 8,751,295 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Tiku, Sripriya, Tully, Peter, Wolf, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Bekerman, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US13/594,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20120323657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.17, 705/14.34, 705/14.58, 705/39, 705/26.1, 705/14.28, 705/14.49
• US Class Current: 705/14.17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location

Abstract

The systems and methods of the disclosure allow user from various countries to take advantage of offers when they are traveling internationally. Once the purchase associated with the offer is made, the transaction information may be processed by the system, such that, the credit and debit associated with the purchase are transmitted to the transaction account and the merchant. The transaction information may be further processed to determine whether the particular transaction is eligible for a reward. Where the transaction is eligible for a reward, the credit and debit associated with reward are transmitted to the transaction account and the sponsoring entity. The reward may be provided in any suitable currency or in various currencies based on the parameters governing the reward offer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer based system for managing offers, offer information from a sponsoring entity, wherein the offer information defines a geographic region of an offer, a currency of a transaction, and parameters to define a population that is eligible for the offer, and wherein the currency of the transaction is a first monetary currency and the population that is eligible for the offer is associated with a second monetary currency;

generating, by the computer based system, the offer based on the offer information;

identifying, by the computer based system, a transaction account that is eligible for the offer, wherein the transaction account is associated with a member of the population, wherein the transaction account is associated with the second monetary currency, and wherein the transaction account is eligible based on at least one of current location information associated with the member, location information associated with a travel itinerary of a member, spend data associated with a current location of a member, an action in a digital channel associating the current location of the member with the geographic region of the offer, and an action in a digital channel associating the future location of the member with the geographic region of the offer;

transmitting, by the computer based system, the offer to the member of the population through the digital channel;

linking, by the computer based system, an acceptance of the offer with the transaction account, wherein the acceptance is received through the digital channel;

receiving, by the computer based system, transaction information associated with the transaction account, wherein the transaction information includes spend data in the first monetary currency;

determining, by the computer based system, an amount of a reward in the first monetary currency in response to the transaction information at least partially matching the offer information;

converting, by the computer based system, the amount of the reward in the first monetary currency to an amount of the reward in the second monetary currency; and

crediting, by the computer based system, the reward to the transaction account.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating, by the computer based system, reward instructions comprising credit information for the transaction account.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward is a credit provided during authorization of a transaction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the population is associated with a type of monetary currency.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a sponsoring entity funds the offer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sponsoring entity is at least one of a transaction account issuer, the merchant, a product manufacturer, a merchant acquirer, and an affiliate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward is a credit provided to the transaction account in the first monetary currency and wherein the credit is shown on a statement associated with the transaction account in a second monetary currency.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, defining, by the computer based system, an exchange rate for the reward based on the monetary currency of the reward and a second monetary currency associated with the transaction account.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the exchange rate is based on the time when the transaction occurred.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction information comprises transaction account information and merchant information,

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

parsing, by the computer based system, the transaction information into a merchant portion and a transaction account portion;

transmitting, by the computer based system, a purchase credit to a merchant associated with the merchant information based on the merchant portion;

analyzing, by the computer based system and in response to the purchase credit, the merchant portion against a plurality of offers to determine an identified offer, wherein a transaction associated with transaction information corresponds to the identified offer; and

transmitting, by the computer based system, reward instructions associated with the transaction account to a global clearing and settlement module and second reward instructions associated with a sponsoring entity to at least one of a merchant account processing module and an administrative account processing module.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, analyzing, by the computer based system, the transaction information to determine a geographic region of a merchant associated with the transaction information, wherein the geographic region is at least one of United States and international.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer based system is operated by the transaction account issuer.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer based system is operating by a third. party.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward comprises a credit and a debit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the reward amount is provided in a first monetary currency and the reward cost is provided in the first monetary currency.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first monetary currency is the currency of the reward.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the reward amount is reported to a transaction account owner in a second monetary currency.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the amount of the reward is provided in a first currency and a reward cost is provided in a second monetary currency.

20. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions, the sequences of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a computer based system for managing offers, cause the computer based system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the computer based system, offer information from a sponsoring entity, wherein the offer information defines a geographic region of an offer, a currency of a transaction, and parameters to define a population that is eligible for the offer, and wherein the currency of the transaction is a first monetary currency and the population that is eligible for the offer is associated with a second monetary currency;

generating, by the computer based system, the offer based on the offer information;

identifying, by the computer based system, a transaction account that is eligible for the offer, wherein the transaction account is associated with a member of the population, wherein the transaction account is associated with the second monetary currency, and wherein the transaction account is eligible based on at least one of current location information associated with the member, location information associated with a travel itinerary of a member, spend data associated with a current location of a member, an action in a digital channel associating the current location of the member with the geographic region of the offer, and an action in a digital channel associating the future location of the member with the geographic region of the offer;

transmitting, by the computer based system, the offer to the member of the population through the digital channel;

linking, by the computer based system, an acceptance of the offer with the transaction account, wherein the acceptance is received through the digital channel;

receiving, by the computer based system, transaction information associated with the transaction account, wherein the transaction information includes spend data in the first monetary currency;

determining, by the computer based system, an amount of a reward in the first monetary currency in response to the transaction information at least partially matching the offer information;

converting, by the computer based system, the amount of the reward in the first monetary currency to an amount of the reward in the second monetary currency; and

crediting, by the computer based system, the reward to the transaction account.

21. A computer based system comprising:

a processor capable of managing offers;

a network interface communicating with a tangible, non-transitory memory; and

the processor, when executing a computer program, perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the processor, offer information from a sponsoring entity, wherein the offer information defines a geographic region of an offer, a currency of a transaction, and parameters to define a population that is eligible for the offer, and wherein the currency of the transaction is a first monetary currency and the population that is eligible for the offer is associated with a second monetary currency;

generating, by the processor, the offer based on the offer information;

identifying, by the processor, a transaction account that is eligible for the offer, wherein the transaction account is associated with a member of the population, wherein the transaction account is associated with the second monetary currency, and wherein the transaction account is eligible based on at least one of current location information associated with the member, location information associated with a travel itinerary of a member, spend data associated with a current location of a member, an action in a digital channel associating the current location of the member with the geographic region of the offer, and an action in a digital channel associating the future location of the member with the geographic region of the offer;

transmitting, by the processor, the offer to the member of the population through the digital channel;

linking, by the processor, an acceptance of the offer with the transaction account, wherein the acceptance is received through the digital channel;

receiving, by the processor, transaction information associated with the transaction account, wherein the transaction information includes spend data in the first monetary currency;

determining, by the processor, an amount of a reward in the first monetary currency in response to the transaction information at least partially matching the offer information;

converting, by the processor, the amount of the reward in the first monetary currency to an amount of the reward in the second monetary currency; and

crediting, by the processor, the reward to the transaction account.