Price guarantee methods and systems

A computer program product comprising a computer storage medium having a computer program therein for guaranteeing a consumer a best price of an item or service purchased at a first price from a vendor in a first transaction at a first time, the first price paid by the consumer at the first time, said computer program performing the steps of

• receiving and storing in a first database data for the first price with a unique identifier identifying the consumer,
• receiving and storing in a second database at least one second price for the item or service, said second price comprising a price for the item or service at a time later than the first time,
• determining, during a predetermined time period following the first time, any price of the at least one second price lower than the first price,
• comparing the first price to the at least one second price,
• calculating a money-value difference between the first price and the at least one second price lower than the first price, generating a refund amount equal to the money-value difference,
• crediting an account of the consumer with the refund amount, and wherein only prices for the item or service purchased from the vendor involved in the first transaction are taken into account in the determining step.

A computer implemented method for guaranteeing a consumer a best price on an item or service purchased from a vendor in a first transaction at a first time at a first price, the first price paid by the consumer at the first time, the method comprising

• recording at a computer a first price on an item or service and information identifying a consumer;
• monitoring at the computer the sales price of the item for a predetermined time period after purchase of the item by the consumer in a consummated final first transaction;
• noting any price lower than the first price for the item during the predetermined time period following the purchase of the item;
• calculating a money-value difference between the first price and said any price lower than the first price;
• determining a refund to an account of the consumer an amount equal to the money-value difference;
• and
• duplicating for the consumer any incentive accompanying sales of the item after the consummated final first transaction during the predetermined time period.

A new system for guaranteeing a consumer a best price on an item or service purchased from a vendor in a first transaction at a first time at a first price, the first price paid by the consumer at the first time, the system comprising:

• means for storing in a first database at a computer data for a first price on an item or service at a first time and information identifying a consumer,
• means for receiving at the computer at least one second price for the item or service, the at least one second price comprising a price for the item or service at a time later than the first time,
• means for determining, during a predetermined time period following the first time, any price of the at least one second price lower than the first price for the item,
• means for comparing the first price to the at least one second price and calculating a money-value difference between the first price and the any price of the at least one second price lower than the first price,
• means for determining a refund amount equal to the money-value difference, and
• means for posting the refund amount as a credit to an account of the consumer, wherein only prices for the item or service purchased from the vendor involved in the first transaction are taken into account in the means for determining any price of the at least one second price lower than the first price for the item.