Systems and methods for providing flexible incentive rewards

A system to incentivize use of financial accounts, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a computer processor that implements a process comprising:
• establishing an electronic record for the financial account of a customer, the establishing including:
• creating a network of preferred merchants according to at least a profitability grid and profitability model formula,
• determining a profitability for a financial account issuer associated with the financial account for a plurality of incentives for the financial account of the customer based upon at least the profitability grid, the profitability model formula, and historical data associated with financial accounts of the customer,
• associating a first incentive with the financial account when a purchase transaction is made by the customer with the financial account with a merchant from the network of preferred merchants, and
• associating a second incentive, which is different from the first incentive, with the financial account when a purchase transaction is made by the customer with the financial account with a non-network merchant that is not among the network of preferred merchants;
• receiving a customer selection of at least one new merchant that is not among the network of preferred merchants to add to the network of preferred merchants;
• updating the network of preferred merchants by adding the at least one new merchant to the network of preferred merchants based on the customer selection;
• and
• providing the first incentive or second incentive to the customer based on purchase transactions made using the financial account.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for causing, when executed by a computer processor, a computer to perform operations comprising:

• establishing an electronic record for a financial account, the establishing including:
• creating a network of preferred merchants according to at least a profitability grid and profitability model formula,
• determining a profitability for a financial account issuer associated with the financial account for a plurality of incentives for the financial account of the customer based upon at least the profitability grid, the profitability model formula, and historical data associated with financial accounts of the customer,
• associating a first incentive with the financial account when a purchase transaction is made by the customer with the financial account with a merchant from the group of preferred merchants, and
• associating a second incentive, which is different from the first incentive, with the financial account when a purchase transaction is made by the customer with the financial account with a non-network merchant that is not among the group of preferred merchants;
• receiving a customer selection of at least one new merchant that is not among the group of preferred merchants to add to the group of preferred merchants;
• updating the group of preferred merchants by adding the at least one new merchant to the group of preferred merchants based on the customer selection;
• and
• providing the first incentive or second incentive to the customer based on purchase transactions made using the financial account.