Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating a transaction between a cardholder, registered with a first payment entity, and a second payment entity other than the first payment entity in cases when the second payment entity promotes an offer which the cardholder wants to avail. The method includes receiving a first service request from a user at a server system associated with the first payment entity. The first service request is a request to avail the offer using a first payment card of the user. The method further includes facilitating authentication of the first service request at the first payment entity. Upon successful authentication, the method includes sending a second service request to second payment entity and receiving approval from the second payment entity for availing the offer. The method further includes receiving a second payment card from second issuing entity, where the second payment card is eligible for availing the offer.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of operating a payment card network is proposed in which the expiry date of each payment card is stored, not on or in the payment cards themselves, but as a payment card record within an electronic database. When the payment card is used, the record is accessed using other payment card details to check that expiry date has not passed. The process does not require that the expiry date is read from the payment card. This has the advantage that the payment card does not have to be replaced at the expiry date. Instead, the expiry date can be updated by updating the record. In place of the expiry date, the card has an auxiliary date which is the birthdate of the consumer in the YYMM format.