Merchant offer program

A computer implemented method comprising:

• electronically receiving, at a computing device, a plurality of transactions each characterized by a merchant and an account holder engaging in the transaction upon an account that an issuer has issued to the account holder;
• electronically receiving, at the computing device, a rule for determining a value for an incentive in a loyalty program incentivizing one said account holder to engage in one said transaction with a participating said merchant in the loyalty program;
• for each received said transaction, electronically determining, at the computing device, when the each received said transaction qualifies for the incentive;
• for each received said transaction that qualifies for the incentive, electronically determining, at the computing device, the value of the incentive based on the received rule;
• and
• subsequent to a clearing and settling of a first qualified said transaction, forming, at the computing device:
• a first transmission including a first request to debit the determined said value from a funding balance of the participating said merchant engaged in the first qualified said transaction;
• and
• a second transmission including a second request to credit the determined said value to a first said account that was debited a full ticket price of the first qualified said transaction, wherein:
• the first transmission is for delivery to the participating said merchant;
• and
• the second transmission is for delivery to the issuer of the first said account.

A server including a processor and a computer readable medium storing computer readable code that, when executed by the processor, causes the server to perform a method comprising:

• electronically receiving a plurality of transactions each:
• characterized by a merchant and an account holder engaging in the transaction upon an account that an issuer has issued to the account holder;
• and
• qualifying for an incentive from among a plurality of said incentives in a loyalty program;
• subsequent to a clearing and settling of a first said transaction qualifying for a first said incentive, forming:
• a first transmission including a first request to debit funds matching a value of the first said incentive from a funding balance of the merchant engaged in first said transaction;
• and
• a second transmission including a second request to credit funds matching the value of the first said incentive to a first said account that was debited a full ticket price of the first said transaction, wherein:
• the first transmission is for delivery to an acquirer of the merchant engaged in the first said transaction;
• the second transmission is for delivery to the issuer of the first said account;
• the issuer of the first account receives an interchange fee associated with the debiting of the full ticket price from the first account;
• and
• the interchange fee remains intact with the issuer of the first account after the value is credit to the first said account.