Method and system for data management in electronic payments transactions

A method for prepaying wireless telecommunications charges, comprising:

• capturing a phone number of a wireless phone of a user by a mobile payments engine via a call by the user to an interactive voice response unit;
• receiving the user's entry by the mobile payments engine via the interactive voice response unit of financial source account identification information that allows access by the mobile payments engine to at least one source account of funds of the user through a link;
• notifying the user by the mobile payments engine via the interactive voice response unit that at least two debits in an amount between 0 and a predetermined number of units of applicable currency from the financial source account will be posted to a user account with a preselected wireless phone provider;
• directing the user via the interactive voice response unit to contact a financial institution with which the financial source account is held to verify the amounts of the at least two debits and to contact the interactive voice response unit via a second toll-free call with the user's wireless phone number;
• upon receiving the user's second toll-free call by the interactive voice response unit, confirming the user's wireless phone number via caller ID and prompting the user to enter the at least two debit amounts;
• if the user enters the at least two debit amounts correctly, crediting the at least two debits to the user account with the wireless phone provider and providing the user a mobile personal identification number for use by the user in future transactions via the mobile payments engine;
• thereafter, receiving information from the user by the mobile payments engine via the mobile payments interactive voice response unit consisting at least in part of the user's mobile personal identification number, the user's wireless phone number and a requested replenishment amount;
• mapping the information received from the user by the mobile payments engine to the financial source account information for the user;
• passing the information received from the user by the mobile payments engine via the link to the financial institution with which the financial source account is held;
• receiving an authorization message by the mobile payments engine via the link from the financial institution with which the financial source account is held;
• passing the authorization message by the mobile payments engine to a prepaid billing system of the wireless phone provider informing the wireless phone provider to credit the user account with the wireless phone provider with the requested replenishment amount;
• and
• sending a message to the user via the mobile payments interactive voice response unit by the mobile payments engine confirming the credit.

A system for prepaying wireless telecommunications charges, comprising:

• a mobile payments engine adapted for receiving information identifying a user's wireless telecommunication device via a mobile payments interactive voice response unit, passing the information identifying the wireless telecommunication device to a mobile operator's billing system with a request for validation of a mobile account for the user related to the device, and if validation of the account is received from the mobile operator's billing system, receiving financial source account information from the user via the mobile payments interactive voice response unit;
• the mobile payments engine being further adapted for receiving user identity verification information by the mobile payments engine via the mobile payments interactive voice response unit, assigning a mobile personal identification number for the user, and arranging a credit from the user's financial source account to the user's mobile account via the mobile operator's prepaid billing system;
• and
• wherein the mobile payments engine is further adapted for receiving via the mobile payments interactive voice response unit the user's entry of a secret shared between the user and the mobile payments engine, and wherein the mobile payments engine is further adapted for receiving the user's entry of at least two debit amounts previously charged to the financial source account for the user via the mobile payments engine.

A system for prepaying wireless telecommunications charges, comprising:

• a mobile payments engine adapted for capturing a phone number of a wireless phone of a user by via a call by the user to an interactive voice response unit, receiving the user's entry via the interactive voice response unit of financial source account identification information that allows access by the mobile payments engine to at least one source account of funds of the user through a link;
• the mobile payments engine being further adapted for notifying the user via the interactive voice response unit that at least two debits in an amount between 0 and a predetermined number of units of applicable currency from the financial source account will be posted to a user account with a preselected wireless phone provider and directing the user via the interactive voice response unit to contact a financial institution with which the financial source account is held to verify the amounts of the at least two debits and to contact the interactive voice response unit via a second toll-free call with the user's wireless phone number;
• the mobile payments engine being adapted, upon receiving the user's second call via the interactive voice response unit, for confirming the user's wireless phone number via caller ID and prompting the user to enter the at least two debit amounts, and if the user enters the at least two debit amounts correctly, crediting the two debits to the user account with the wireless phone provider and providing the user a mobile personal identification number for use by the user in future transactions via the mobile payments engine;
• the mobile payments engine being further adapted for thereafter receiving information from the user via the mobile payments interactive voice response unit consisting at least in part of the user's mobile personal identification number, the user's wireless phone number and a requested replenishment amount, mapping the information received from the user to the financial source account information for the user, passing the information received from the user via the link to the financial institution with which the financial source account is held, receiving an authorization message via the link from the financial institution with which the financial source account is held, passing the authorization message to a prepaid billing system of the wireless phone provider informing the wireless phone provider to credit the user account with the wireless phone provider with the requested replenishment amount, and sending a message to the user via the mobile payments interactive voice response unit confirming the credit.