Systems and methods for providing location based coupon-less offers to registered card members

• US 9,489,680 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2011
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• 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: Baker, Miles, Derocher, Diane, Durvasula, Sastry V S M, Newhouse, Sherree, Puranik, Manjushri H., Tiku, Sripriya V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US13/021,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20120203604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.58, 705/14.57, 705/14.64, 705/14.61, 705/14.67, 705/14.49, 705/14.66, 705/14.1, 705/14.34, 705/14.36
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location

Abstract

The system provides location based coupon-less offers based upon a location of a card member (CM). A location of a CM may be determined based upon one or more of a travel itinerary, a GPS signal, a proximity of a mobile communication device to a cellular base station, and/or a zip code. An offer from a merchant registered to provide coupon-less offers may be transmitted to a mobile communication device based upon the location. An offer, once accepted by a CM, may be matched to a record of charge associated with a transaction account held by the CM. A credit may be applied to the CM'"'"'s transaction account and a debit may be applied to a transaction account of the registered merchant. One or more offer categories and/or one or more offer category classes may be transmitted to the mobile communication device based upon the CM'"'"'s location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

linking, by a computer based system and in response to opting into a rewards system by a user associated with a transaction account, a computing device of the user, a travel system, the reward system, and an offer registration system,

associating, by the computer based system, the transaction account with the rewards system and the offer registration system;

receiving, by the travel system of the computer based system, a travel itinerary booked by the user via the travel system;

associating, by the computer based system, the travel itinerary with the reward system;

determining, by the computer based system and via the reward system, the current location and the future location of the user based on location information and a travel period from the travel itinerary;

selecting, by the computer based system, a plurality of offers based on the determined current location and the determined future location and the travel period;

detecting, by the computer based system, a changing location of the user during the travel period based on location information from the computing device of the user;

dynamically updating, by the computer based system, the plurality of offers based on the changing location of the user,

wherein the plurality offers are customized to the user based on the changing location of the user,

wherein the plurality offers are presented to the user via the computing device in substantially real-time and in response to the determining the changing location, and

creating, by the rewards system of the computer based system, a user selectable link that is configured to provide access to the plurality of offers;

transmitting, by the computer based system, a message to the user identifying the changing location of the user within the message,

wherein the message comprises the user selectable link;

receiving, by the computer based system, a selection of the user selectable link of a first offer of the plurality of offers;

associating, by the computer based system, the first offer with the transaction account in response to the selection of the first offer;

analyzing, by the computer based system, transaction information associated with the transaction account and offer rules from the first offer associated with the transaction account; and

generating, by the computer based system, instructions to credit the transaction account with a reward associated with the first offer, in response to the transaction information satisfying the offer rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first offer is from a merchant registered to provide offers by the offer registration system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a notification instruction generates the message having the user selectable link for the first offer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first offer is a coupon-less offer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is at least one of an account holder, an account owner, a supplemental account holder, a beneficiary of an account or a rewards account holder.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising crediting, by the computer based system, the transaction account held by the user based upon the instructions to credit.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, by the computer based system, a transaction with a criterion governing the first offer; and

determining, by the computer based system, a reward based upon the transaction complying with the criterion governing the first offer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a smart phone.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a product level discount is provided based upon acceptance of the offer.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying, by the computer based system, the reward to the transaction account.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward is a rebate amount, and wherein the rebate amount is applied to the transaction account.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward is based on a spend level associated with a particular product.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising debiting, by the computer based system, an account owned by the merchant in response to the instructions to credit.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of offers are transmitted to the user.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the computer based system, a second notification instruction for a second offer for the user based upon at least one of the current location or the future location of the user; and

transmitting, by the computer based system, a second notification of the second offer, in response to a change in at least one of the current location or the future location of the user.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising enrolling, by the computer based system, the transaction account in response to receiving a request to enroll the transaction account in the offer registration system.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computer based system, preferences associated with the transaction account,

wherein the preferences at least partially define a type of offers that will be provided to the user, and

wherein the preferences at least partially define a source of information used to determine at least one of the current location or the future location of the user.

18. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computer based system, causes the computer based system to perform a method comprising:

linking, by the computer based system and in response to opting into a rewards system by a user associated with a transaction account, a computing device of the user, a travel system, the reward system, and an offer registration system,

associating, by the computer based system, the transaction account with the rewards system and the offer registration system;

receiving, by the travel system of the computer based system, a travel itinerary booked by the user via the travel system;

associating, by the computer based system, the travel itinerary with the reward system;

determining, by the computer based system and via the reward system, the current location and the future location of the user based on location information and a travel period from the travel itinerary;

selecting, by the computer based system, a plurality of offers based on the determined current location and the determined future location and the travel period;

detecting, by the computer based system, a changing location of the user during the travel period based on location information from the computing device of the user;

dynamically updating, by the computer based system, the plurality of offers based on the changing location of the user,

wherein the plurality offers are customized to the user based on the changing location of the user,

wherein the plurality offers are presented to the user via the computing device in substantially real-time and in response to the determining the changing location, and

creating, by the rewards system of the computer based system, a user selectable link that is configured to provide access to the plurality of offers;

transmitting, by the computer based system, a message to the user identifying the changing location of the user within the message,

wherein the message comprises the user selectable link;

receiving, by the computer based system, a selection of the user selectable link of a first offer of the plurality of offers;

associating, by the computer based system, the first offer with the transaction account in response to the selection of the first offer;

analyzing, by the computer based system, transaction information associated with the transaction account and offer rules from the first offer associated with the transaction account; and

generating, by the computer based system, instructions to credit the transaction account with a reward associated with the first offer, in response to the transaction information satisfying the offer rules.

19. A system comprising:

a processor;

a tangible, non-transitory memory communicating with the processor; and

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

linking, by the processor and in response to opting into a rewards system by a user associated with a transaction account, a computing device of the user, a travel system, the reward system, and an offer registration system,

associating, by the processor, the transaction account with the rewards system and the offer registration system;

receiving, by the travel system of the processor, a travel itinerary booked by the user via the travel system;

associating, by the processor, the travel itinerary with the reward system;

determining, by the processor and via the reward system, the current location and the future location of the user based on location information and a travel period from the travel itinerary;

selecting, by the processor, a plurality of offers based on the determined current location and the determined future location and the travel period;

detecting, by the processor, a changing location of the user during the travel period based on location information from the computing device of the user;

dynamically updating, by the processor, the plurality of offers based on the changing location of the user,

wherein the plurality offers are customized to the user based on the changing location of the user,

wherein the plurality offers are presented to the user via the computing device in substantially real-time and in response to the determining the changing location, and

creating, by the rewards system of the processor, a user selectable link that is configured to provide access to the plurality of offers;

transmitting, by the processor, a message to the user identifying the changing location of the user within the message,

wherein the message comprises the user selectable link;

receiving, by the processor, a selection of the user selectable link of a first offer of the plurality of offers;

associating, by the processor, the first offer with the transaction account in response to the selection of the first offer;

analyzing, by the processor, transaction information associated with the transaction account and offer rules from the first offer associated with the transaction account; and

generating, by the processor, instructions to credit the transaction account with a reward associated with the first offer, in response to the transaction information satisfying the offer rules.