Use of payment card rewards points for an electronic cash transfer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10776809-B1
Application number	US-201414506541-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 3, 2014
Priority date	Sep 11, 2014
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A computer-implemented technique for applying rewards points associated with a payment card is disclosed. A computer system stores information associated with a person's payment card, such as a credit or debit card, including information indicative of rewards points associated with the card. The computer system then receives from a remote device a first message indicative of a transaction between the person and another entity. The transaction includes a payment of a specified amount from the person to the other entity. In some embodiments the transaction has already been completed, and the computer system causes rewards points to be applied to it post-transaction. In other embodiments the transaction has not yet been executed and may be a requested cash transfer. The computer system determines how many rewards points correspond to the specified amount and causes the rewards points to be used for at least a portion of the transaction amount.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of using payment card points for a funds transfer, the method comprising:
storing, in one or more records of a database of a server computer system operated by a payment service, credit card information associated with a credit card of a first person, the credit card information including points information indicative of points earned by the credit card of the first person;
receiving, at a first financial institution computer device, from a merchant point-of-sale system associated with a merchant, a first electronic message representing a request by the first person to electronically transfer a specified amount of funds from the first person to the merchant;
in response to receiving the first electronic message, communicating, by the server computer system, with the first financial institution computer device that maintains a first bank account of the first person, a second financial institution computer device that maintains a second bank account corresponding to the merchant point-of-sale system, and a remote computer system of an issuer of the credit card of the first person, to cause the specified amount of funds to be electronically transferred to the second bank account from the first bank account;
after completing transferring funds, receiving, at the server computer system from the first financial institution computer device, a second electronic message indicative of completion of the transfer of the specified amount of funds from the first person to the merchant;
in response to receiving the second electronic message, identifying, by the server computer system, a first number of the points earned by the credit card of the first person that correspond to the specified amount of funds;
transmitting, by the server computer system, an itemized interactive digital receipt to a mobile device of the first person, wherein the itemized interactive digital receipt comprises information about a transaction comprising a plurality of items, points information for the credit card, points values for each of the items, and a user interface allowing selection of one or more of the items;
receiving, by the server computer system from the mobile device, a request to use points for selected items, wherein the request indicates an interaction with the user interface selecting one or more of the items;
computing, by the server computer system, an amount of points corresponding to a sum of the respective points values of the selected items; and
by the server computer system in response to receiving the request to use points, causing the amount of points to be used to satisfy at least a first portion of the specified amount of funds by communicating with the remote computer system of the issuer of the credit card of the first person to cause the amount of points to be deducted from a points balance of the credit card of the first person and to credit the first bank account by an amount corresponding to the amount of points.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
causing funds corresponding to a second portion of the specified amount of funds to be transferred electronically from the first bank account of the first person to the second bank account of the merchant by use of first debit card information and second debit card information, without using points of the credit card to satisfy the second portion of the specified amount of funds.

3. A method comprising:
storing, in a computer system operated by a payment service, first payment card information associated with a first payment card of a person and second payment card information associated with a second payment card of the person, the first payment card being associated with a first financial account of the person, the second payment card being associated with a second financial account of the person, the first payment card information including points information indicative of points earned by the first payment card;
receiving, at the computer system, from a merchant point-of-sale system, a first electronic message representing a transaction to electronically transfer funds of a specified amount to a merchant financial account;
receiving, at an application on a personal device of the person, an itemized interactive digital receipt comprising information about a transaction comprising a plurality of items, the points information for the first payment card, points values for each of the items, and a user interface allowing selection of one or more of the items;
receiving, by the computer system, from the personal device of the person, a request to use points to fund at least a portion of the funds of the specified amount, wherein the request to use points indicates an interaction with the user interface choosing one or more selected items; and
in response to the request, transmitting, by the computer system, at least an electronic message to at least one remote computer system to cause the funds of the specified amount to be electronically transferred to the merchant financial account, including causing an amount of points corresponding to a sum of the respective points values of the selected items to be used to satisfy at least a first portion of the funds of the specified amount.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein causing the amount of points associated with the first payment card to be used to satisfy at least the first portion of the funds of the specified amount comprises:
using the amount of points to be used for the first portion of the funds of the specified amount; and
using funds from the second financial account to be transferred to the merchant financial account to satisfy a second portion of the funds of the specified amount.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second payment card is a debit card.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first payment card is a credit card.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein causing the amount of points associated with the first payment card to be used to satisfy at least the first portion of the funds of the specified amount comprises:
using the amount of points to be used for the first portion of the funds of the specified amount; and
using funds from the second financial account to be transferred to the merchant financial account to satisfy a second portion of the funds of the specified amount.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first electronic message is at least one of an email message, an SMS message or an MMS message, representing the request by the person to electronically transfer the funds of the specified amount from the second financial account to the merchant financial account.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein the personal device of the person is a mobile communication device of the person.

10. A computer system operated by a payment service comprising:
one or more processors;
a database accessible to the one or more processors and storing first payment card information associated with a first payment card of a person and second payment card information associated with a second payment card of the person, the first payment card being associated with a first financial account of the person, the second payment card being associated with a second financial account of the person different from the first financial account, the first payment card information including points information indicative of points associated with the first payment card;
a network communication device coupled to the one or more processors, through which to
receive, from a merchant point-of-sale system, a first electronic message representing a transaction to electronically transfer a specified amount of funds from the first financial account to the second financial account,
transmit, t

Assignees

• Square Inc

Inventors

• Aaron Paul
• Omi Keisuke
• Dolan Matthew

Classifications

• G06Q20/387

  Payment using discounts or coupons (relating to marketing G06Q30/02) · CPC title

• G06Q30/0233 Primary

  Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward · CPC title

• G06Q20/22

  Payment schemes or models · CPC title