Method, system, and storage medium for pre-screening customers for credit card approval at a point of sale

A storage medium encoded with machine-readable computer program code for pre-screening customer data by a selling entity for a customer at a point of sale location, the storage medium including instructions for causing the selling entity to implement a method comprising:

• receiving said customer data at a point of sale system;
• and
• during the course of a single check out process at said point of sale location:
• transmitting said customer data to a server;
• searching a database for said customer data;
• performing a credit worthiness check to determine a credit pre-approval of said customer, said performing is done using a result of said searching and without knowledge of and uninitiated by said customer;
• providing said customer with an invitation to open a charge account, wherein said providing of said invitation to comprises offering said customer an incentive to accept said invitation through at least one of a discount off of a purchase and a reduced interest rate;
• opening said charge account, upon acceptance of said invitation by said customer;
• and
• selectively executing a charge purchase during said check out process at said point of sale system.