Abstract: A system and method for controlling and monitoring credit card transactions of a vending machine which dispenses and or encodes prepaid cards. Means are provided for reading magnetically stored information from a credit card, receiving an authorization amount for the transaction from a credit verification source which is external to the vending machine, storing the authorization amount, selecting a prepaid amount to be encoded on a prepaid card, determining whether a selected prepaid amount is below a maximum allowed transaction amount, controlling the encoding of a prepaid card in response to a selected prepaid amount, and storing transaction information corresponding to the operation of the prepaid card vending machine and the magnetic information from the credit card.

Abstract: A vending control system and method for interfacing a control device to a vending machine having input/output control lines along which are transmitted control signals for controlling the operation of the vending machine. The control device includes, means for connecting to the control lines of the vending machine, means for reading the control signal, means for determining operational responses/outputs of the vending machine which correspond to the control signals, means for storing the control signals and information concerning the operational responses and means for reading the stored information to control the vending machine. Control and monitoring of vending transactions comprises means for reading magnetically stored information from a magnetic card, means for obtaining an authorization amount for a transaction, means for storing the authorization amount, means for operating the vending machine without exceeding the authorization amount and means for storing transaction information.