Abstract: A method for applying promotion codes to a payment transaction using an input device in communication with a database is provided. The payment transaction includes a purchase made by a cardholder using a payment card over a payment card network. The method includes storing promotion data within the database including at least one promotional program having a qualifying number of rewards points for a rewards program, and storing rewards data within the database including a current number of rewards points accumulated by the cardholder. The method further includes providing access to the promotion data through the at least one input device including each promotional program having a qualifying number of rewards points that is less than the current number of rewards points for the cardholder, receiving a selected promotional program from the cardholder, and automatically applying the promotion codes associated with the selected promotional program to the payment transaction.

Abstract: A cardholder-initiated financial transaction using a cardholder controlled input device in communication with a payment card network and a database is disclosed. The cardholder uses a payment card issued to the cardholder by an issuer bank. An exemplary method includes the steps of storing merchant data within the database including data identifying the merchants registered to utilize the card network and receiving from the input device transaction data relating to the financial transaction. The transaction data includes an authorization request and merchant identifying data that identifies the merchant involved in the transaction. The method further includes determining that the identified merchant is registered to utilize the card network by comparing the transaction data with the merchant data stored in the database, forwarding the authorization request to the issuer bank, receiving a response to the request from the issuer bank, and automatically forwarding the response to the input device.

Abstract: A method for applying promotion codes to a payment transaction is provided. The method uses at least one input device in communication with a database. The payment transaction includes a purchase made by a cardholder using a payment card over a payment card network. The method includes storing promotion data within the database including at least one merchant participating in the payment card network, each promotional program offered by the at least one merchant to the cardholder, and promotion codes associated with each promotional program offered to the cardholder. The method further includes accessing the promotion data using the at least one input device, receiving a selected promotional program from the cardholder using the at least one input device, and automatically applying the promotion codes associated with the selected promotional program to the payment transaction.