Abstract: An announcement distributor distributes, or auctions an opportunity to distribute, an announcement to an announcement recipient such as a consumer, issuer, merchant, or acquirer within a payment processing system. The announcement when there has been a satisfaction of an announcement condition, such as the consumer being determined to be located within a predetermined spatial zone. The content of the announcement may, in turn, facilitate a subsequent cashless transaction for resources of merchants. Implementations describe various permutations of the content of the announcement, the announcement condition, and the announcement recipient.

Abstract: In one aspect, a system includes a transaction handler to process transactions, a data warehouse to store data recording the transactions, a portal configured to communicate with a search engine and to provide a user interface to receive a request from a merchant, and at least one processor coupled with the data warehouse and the portal. In response to the request received from the merchant via the portal, the at least one processor identifies a set of first statistics based on search activities of the search engine, identifies a set of second statistics based on the transactions relevant to the search activities, and uses the portal to juxtapose the set of first statistics and the set of second statistics.

Abstract: In one aspect, a system includes a transaction handler to process transactions, a data warehouse to store data recording the transactions, and at least one processor coupled with the data warehouse and configured to identify a first set of customers who made first transactions correlated with an advertisement, identify a second set of customers not in the first set of customers, and determine a difference between a first pattern in a first set of transactions of the first set of customers and a second pattern in a second set of transactions of the second set of customers.

Abstract: In one aspect, a system includes a transaction handler to process transactions, a data warehouse to store data recording the transactions, a portal configured to communicate with an online store, and at least one processor coupled with the data warehouse and the portal. In one example, after users of the online store express interest in items of the online store, a first subset of the items are purchased from the online store. The processor is configured to determine a second subset of the items purchased by the users but not from the online store. Data representing user activities in the online store, and data representing the first subset and the second subset are combined to generate a checkout funnel analysis result.

Abstract: In one aspect, a system includes a transaction handler to process transactions, a data warehouse to store transaction data recording the transactions, and a portal configured to provide a user interface to receive a set of selection criteria and a plurality of bids from respective merchants for opportunities to present advertisements to users identified by the set of selection criteria based on spending patterns determined from transaction data generated by the transaction handler. The system further includes at least one processor coupled with the data warehouse and the portal and configured to determine, in response to an opportunity for advertising to a user, whether transactions of the user processed by the transaction handler satisfy the set of selection criteria and, if so, select an advertisement of one merchant of the plurality of merchants based at least in part on the bids received from the merchants.

Abstract: An advertised incentive system receives advertised incentive configuration information provided by a merchant. The advertised incentive configuration information defines the content of advertised incentive banners. The advertised incentive banners are provided as needed to merchants to display on the merchant's website. Advertised incentive registration information is received from an account holder after the account holder interacts with the advertised incentive banner. Transaction information is received that contains a qualified purchase made by the account holder. The advertised incentive registration and the qualified purchase are matched. A statement credit is issued against the account holder's account and a debit is issued against the merchant's account in the amount of the statement credit.

Abstract: In one aspect, a system includes a transaction handler to process transactions, a data warehouse to store transaction data recording the transactions, a portal configured to receive a request specifying a spending pattern distribution across more than one merchant, and at least one processor coupled with the data warehouse and the portal and configured to determine, based on the transaction data, whether or not transactions of a user satisfy the spending pattern distribution.

Abstract: In one aspect, a system includes a transaction handler to process transactions, a data warehouse to store transaction data recording the transactions, a portal configured to determine online activity tracking data, and at least one processor coupled with the data warehouse and the portal and configured to identify, using the transaction data and the online activity tracking data, first users who have not been to a website of a first merchant within a predetermined period of time, identify a set of transactions of the first users, and determine a spending pattern in the set of transactions of the first users.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for managing account data for accounts having a negative balance. The invention embodiment includes a method, process or workflow for processing data for accounts associated with a debit, credit, pre-paid card or other form of financial instrument that have a negative balance. The data processing includes application of issuer criteria or filters to determine if certain of the accounts having a negative balance are not suitable for chargeback processing and instead may be processed in bulk, thereby reducing administrative and data processing overhead. For each account that is potentially eligible for chargeback processing, the invention embodiment accesses the account data and determines if the data supports initiation of a chargeback procedure for one or more transactions described by the account data.

Abstract: A method for providing messaging between a portable device and base device is provided. The method included communicating one or more message codes maintained in the portable device to the base device. The base device then composes a message for a user of the portable device using a dictionary of message codes. The message codes have corresponding message values, which are used to generate the message for the one or more message codes. The generated message is then provided to the user.

Abstract: Methods of performing electrostatic discharge testing on a transaction card are disclosed. A transaction card may be placed on an insulated surface. A grounding probe may be placed at a first location on the transaction card. A discharge probe may be charged to a known voltage level. The discharge probe may then be discharged at a second location on the transaction card. A discharge wave shape may be recorded from the ground probe, and one of a pass condition and a fail condition may be assigned based on at least the value of the known voltage level as compared to a reference voltage level. The first location and the second location may each be selected from a plurality of areas on the transaction card.

Abstract: A payment system for facilitating a payment transaction between a payer and a payee includes a payer access device, a payee access device, and a services hub. The services hub is configured to communicate with the payer device and the payee device; maintain information relating to a payer account and access device information associated with the payer account, the payer account being linked to the access device; generate a tracer ticket in response to a request issued by the payer using either the payer device or the payee device, the tracer ticket containing information relating to the payment transaction; validate the access devices; and authorize the payment transaction against the payer account. Upon receiving the request from the payee device for the tracer ticket, the services hub generates the tracer ticket and forwards a copy thereof to the payer via the payee device.

Abstract: A payment card with a display and/or dynamic magnetic stripe that operates using power received from an electro-magnetic/RF signal, without the need for incorporating a battery within the payment card. In one example, a payment card includes a receiver for receiving an external electro-magnetic signal and converting it to an electrical signal for powering the payment card; a CPU coupled with the electrical signal of the receiver; a display (i.e., a persistent display) for displaying data, wherein the display receives power based on the electrical signal from the receiver; and a dynamic magnetic stripe storing magnetically readable data, wherein the dynamic magnetic stripe receives power based on the electrical signal from the receiver. Responsive to the electro-magnetic signal received by the payment card, the data displayed on the display and stored in the dynamic magnetic stripe is changed. Methods relating to a payment card are also disclosed.

Abstract: A notification service protects different user accounts from being exposed to fraudulent activity when one of the accounts is compromised. The notification service instructs an issuer of the compromised account to automatically close, freeze or place the other associated accounts on a watch list to prevent potential exposure to the other accounts due to a security breach associated with the compromised account. The card holder may receive notification of the compromised account from the notification service or the issuer via a mobile device. The mobile device may directly contact other issuers with one request to restrict access to any accounts associated with the compromised account. In the event that the compromised account is loaded on the mobile device, the account is cancelled and a new account is loaded to the mobile device.

Abstract: A system for providing distributed control to process transactions is disclosed. The system includes a service provider system having associated therewith a number of rules and a number of meta-rules, a point of service device having associated therewith a number of rules and a number of meta-rules, and a portable device having associated therewith a number of rules and a number of meta-rules. The portable device uses its associated rules to determine an outcome for a transaction. If the portable device is unable to determine the outcome for the transaction, the portable device uses its associated meta-rules to either determine whether one or more of its associated rules can be altered locally in order to determine the outcome or request the point of service device to help determine the outcome using the rules and meta-rules associated with the point of service device.

Abstract: A method of processing data on a server computer is disclosed. The method includes receiving data at the server computer, the data including a first data string including one or more wildcard values. The first data string is specifically associated with a customer, and the one or more wildcard values are associated with the purchase transaction. The method also includes comparing the first data string to a second data string by the server computer, and providing an output to the consumer based on the comparison.

Abstract: A system for managing electronic receipts is provided. According to one aspect, the system includes a portable device, a base device, a user device and an electronic receipts administration system. The electronic receipts administration system provides the base device with the appropriate data to allow the base device to generate, store and manage electronic receipts accordingly. A user uses the portable device to conduct a transaction with the base device. The base device uses a variety of information to generate an electronic receipt for the transaction. Such information includes, for example, information stored on the portable device, information stored locally on the base device and information stored on another device such as an electronic cash register. The electronic receipt is then stored on the portable device. The user device allows the user to subsequently retrieve the electronic receipt for management purposes.

Abstract: A server is operable to receive a media device identifying number (ID) and establish an association between a media device and a payment account and, in one embodiment, supports at least one of payment authorization and payment clearing based at least in part on the media device ID and the payment account. A network and system includes a payment card processor server that is operable to receive a payment authorization request and to determine if an authorized media device generated a purchase selection message and to determine to approve a received payment authorization request based, in part, if the media device was authorized for the purchase selection based upon a received media device ID. The system is further operable to perform a key rotation to protect payment account information.

Abstract: An announcement distributor distributes, or auctions an opportunity to distribute, an announcement to an announcement recipient such as a consumer, issuer, merchant, or acquirer within a payment processing system. The announcement is formed when there has been a satisfaction of an announcement condition, such as the consumer being determined to be located within a predetermined spatial zone. The content of the announcement may, in turn, facilitate a subsequent cashless transaction for resources of merchants. Implementations describe various permutations of the content of the announcement, the announcement condition, and the announcement recipient.

Abstract: A method is disclosed. The method includes providing tender at a point of service terminal operated by a load agent, the point of service terminal being in operative communication with a payment processing network. The point of service terminal thereafter sends a transaction authorization request to an issuer of a portable consumer device to be used by a user. The issuer then authorizes or does not authorize the transaction authorization request. If the transaction authorization request is approved, the portable consumer device is either initially loaded or reloaded with an amount associated with the tender provided at the point of service terminal.