Method of associating a non-proprietary card with a profile

Abstract

A method of using an existing card to access a profile, the method comprising the steps of capturing identification information such as magnetically readable information on a card such as a magnetically readable card issued by a card issuer and carried by a card holder, associating the identification information on each card with a profile without authority of the card issuer, and accessing the profile using the identification information of the card. The profile may comprise a financial balance, membership information such as a membership profile, customer loyalty benefits, membership benefits, and/or access to discounts. Accessing the profile may comprise debiting or crediting the financial balance. The information may be associated with a profile in a server and the profile may be accessed from a remote location. The remote location may be a point of sale reader which may use a wireless connection to connect to the server, an internet connection, and/or a telephone connection.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.