Contact alert system and method

A method comprising:

• receiving, by a transaction processing server computer, a transaction authorization request message, wherein the transaction authorization request message requests authorization for a transaction conducted using a payment account;
• transmitting, by the transaction processing server computer, transaction data for the transaction to a notification server computer upon determining that the payment account is enrolled in an alert messaging service;
• transmitting, by the transaction processing server computer, the transaction authorization request message to an issuer of the payment account to process the transaction;
• while the transaction processing server computer or the issuer processes the transaction:
• retrieving, by the notification server computer, alert preference data associated with the payment account from an alert database storing the alert preference data;
• generating, by the notification server computer, a contact alert message using the transaction data and the alert preference data, wherein the contact alert message comprises contact information of a first person conducting the transaction;
• and
• sending, by the notification server computer, the contact alert message comprising the contact information of the person conducting the transaction to a notification device used by a holder of the payment account, wherein the contact information is in the form of an active link on the notification device, such that, when selected, automatically contacts a notification device used by the first person,
• wherein the contact information comprises a phone number or an email address.

A contact alert system comprising:

• an alert database comprising alert preference data;
• a notification server computer coupled to the database;
• and
• a transaction processing computer coupled to the notification server computer, the transaction processing computer comprising a first processor and a first computer-readable medium coupled to the first processor, the first computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the first processor, cause the first processor to:
• receive a transaction authorization request message, wherein the transaction authorization request message requests authorization for a transaction conducted using a payment account;
• transmit transaction data for the transaction to a notification server computer upon determining that the payment account is enrolled in an alert messaging service;
• transmit the transaction authorization request message to an issuer of the payment account to process the transaction;
• wherein the notification server computer comprises a second processor and a second computer-readable medium coupled to the second processor, the second computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the second processor, cause the first processor to:
• while the transaction processing server computer or the issuer processes the transaction:
• retrieve alert preference data associated with the payment account from the alert database;
• generate a contact alert message using the transaction data and the alert preference data, wherein the contact alert message comprises contact information of a first person conducting the transaction;
• and
• send the contact alert message comprising the contact information of the person conducting the transaction to a notification device used by a holder of the payment account, wherein the contact information is in the form of an active link on the notification device, such that, when selected, automatically contacts a notification device used by the first person,
• wherein the contact information comprises a phone number or an email address.