System and method of redeeming loyalty points at a point of sale

An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer-based system for managing a reward account, cause the computer-based system to perform operations comprising:

• receiving, by the computer based system, a request for an eligibility determination in response to a transaction account being presented at a POS, wherein a request for an authorization of a transaction amount in a transaction account is transmitted to the computer based system such that the result of the request for the eligibility determination and the result of the request for authorization are received at substantially the same time;
• determining, by the computer based system, an eligibility status associated with the transaction account;
• and
• creating, by the computer based system, instructions to allow a user to elect to pay with points.

A system comprising:

• a processor for managing a rewards account, and
• a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor, the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
• receiving, by the processor, a request for an eligibility determination in response to a transaction account being presented at a POS, wherein a request for an authorization of a transaction amount in a transaction account is transmitted to the computer based system such that the result of the request for the eligibility determination and the result of the request for authorization are received at substantially the same time;
• determining, by the processor, an eligibility status associated with the transaction account;
• and
• creating, by the processor, instructions to allow a user to elect to pay with points.