Linking Transaction Cards With Spending Accounts

A computer-implemented method to facilitate a purchase utilizing a flexible spending account, comprising the steps of:

• receiving, at a host computer, a request for payment authorization for the purchase of one or more items;
• determining whether one or more of said items qualifies for pre-tax treatment;
• if at least one of said items qualifies for pre-tax treatment:
• determining at least partial payment authorization for said qualifying item, transmitting said at least partial payment authorization for said qualifying item to a point of sale device, and
• causing the flexible spending account to be debited for at least a portion of the purchasing amount of said qualifying item based on said payment authorization;
• and
• if at least one of said items does not qualify for pre-tax treatment:
• causing a non-flexible spending account to be debited for said non-qualifying item.

A computer-implemented method to facilitate payment of a purchase from a merchant utilizing one or both of a flexible spending account (FSA) and a non-flexible spending transaction account (TA), comprising the steps of:

• a) receiving, at a host computer, a request for payment authorization for an item charge;
• b) determining whether the item charge qualifies for pre-tax treatment;
• c) if the item charge qualifies for pre-tax treatment, then causing the FSA to be debited for the item charge;
• and
• d) if the item charge does not qualify for pre-tax treatment, then causing the TA to be debited for the item charge.

A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having control logic stored therein for facilitating payment of a purchase from a merchant utilizing one or both of a flexible spending account (FSA) and a non-flexible spending transaction account (TA), comprising:

• first computer readable program code for causing the computer to receive, at a host computer, a request for payment authorization for an item charge;
• second computer readable program code for causing the computer to determine whether the item charge qualifies for pre-tax treatment;
• third computer readable program code for causing the computer to cause the FSA to be debited for the item charge if the item charge qualifies for pre-tax treatment;
• and
• fourth computer readable program code for causing the computer to cause the TA to be debited for the item charge if the item charge does not qualify for pre-tax treatment.