Systems and Methods for Providing Central Token Handling for Computing Networks

A method for processing network transactions to payment accounts, where the transactions are based on network messages including tokens, the method comprising:

• receiving, by a payment network computing device, a token provisioned to a payment account and storing the token in a data structure coupled to the computing device;
• receiving, by the payment network computing device, a request from a routing payment network for an account number associated with the payment account in connection with a purchase transaction involving the payment account, the request including the token provisioned to the payment account but not an actual account number for the payment account;
• identifying the token in the data structure and converting, by the payment network computing device, the token to the account number for the payment account;
• and
• transmitting, by the payment network computing device, the account number to the routing payment network, whereby the routing payment network can append the account number to an authorization request for the transaction in connection with directing the authorization request to an issuer of the payment account thereby permitting the issuer to approve or decline the transaction based, at least in part, on the account number appended to the authorization request.

A non-transitory computer readable storage media comprising executable instructions for processing network transactions to accounts, which, when executed by at least one processor associated with a first payment network, cause the at least one processor to:

• store, in a data structure associated with the first payment network, a token provisioned to a payment account in association with an account number for the payment account;
• receive, from a second payment network, a network message requesting the account number of the payment account in connection with a purchase transaction involving the payment account, the network message including the token provisioned to the payment account but not the actual account number for the payment account;
• retrieve the token from the network message and convert the token to the account number for the payment account, based on a mapping of the token to the account number in the data structure;
• and
• append the account number to a network message and transmit the network message to the second payment network, in response to the network message requesting the account number, whereby the second payment network can append the account number to an authorization request for the purchase transaction in connection with directing the authorization request to an issuer of the payment account.