Method, apparatus, and computer program product for facilitating promotions with an E-wallet

An apparatus comprising:

• means for obtaining, by an operator of a payment card network of a kind wherein said operator comprises a single operator which facilitates transactions between multiple issuers and multiple acquirers, using an electronic wallet platform, from a check-out web page of a merchant:
• an indication that a given consumer, of a plurality of consumers, who is purchasing at least one item from said merchant in an on-line transaction, wishes to utilize said electronic wallet platform to pay for said on-line transaction,
• a unique identification of said given consumer, and
• associated transaction data;
• wherein said electronic wallet platform comprises an electronic wallet platform module executing on a server of said payment card network operator, said electronic wallet platform storing information for a plurality of payment card accounts from which said given consumer can choose to pay for said on-line transaction;
• means for supplying, by said operator of said payment card network using said electronic wallet platform, to a transaction qualification service, said unique identification of said given consumer;
• means for retrieving, by said operator of said payment card network using said transaction qualification service, from a consumer enrollment database, a record wherein at least one useful token promotion code is stored in association with said unique identification of said given consumer;
• means for determining, by said operator of said payment card network using said transaction qualification service, based on rules from an offers registry database, whether said at least one promotion code is applicable to said on-line transaction, said rules being stored in said offers registry database in association with said at least one promotion code, said rules taking into account at least one of said unique identification of said given consumer and said associated transaction data in determining said applicability;
• and
• means for, if, based on said determining step, said at least promotion code is applicable to said on-line transaction, providing said at least one promotion code to said merchant, by said operator of said payment card network using said transaction qualification service and said electronic wallet platform, said at least one promotion code being provided to said merchant prior to payment card authorization, clearing, and settlement for said on-line transaction, said at least one promotion code comprising an alphanumeric character sequence that is not visible to said given consumer;
• wherein said apparatus excludes a transmission medium and disembodied signal.

A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory tangible computer readable recordable storage medium including computer usable program code, said computer program product including:

• computer usable program code for obtaining, by an operator of a payment card network of a kind wherein said operator comprises a single operator which facilitates transactions between multiple issuers and multiple acquirers, using an electronic wallet platform, from a check-out web page of a merchant:
• an indication that a given consumer, of a plurality of consumers, who is purchasing at least one item from said merchant in an on-line transaction, wishes to utilize said electronic wallet platform to pay for said on-line transaction,
• a unique identification of said given consumer, and
• associated transaction data;
• wherein said electronic wallet platform comprises an electronic wallet platform module executing on a server of said payment card network operator, said electronic wallet platform storing information for a plurality of payment card accounts from which said given consumer can choose to pay for said on-line transaction;
• computer usable program code for supplying, by said operator of said payment card network using said electronic wallet platform, to a transaction qualification service, said unique identification of said given consumer;
• computer usable program code for retrieving, by said operator of said payment card network using said transaction qualification service, from a consumer enrollment database, a record wherein at least one promotion code is stored in association with said unique identification of said given consumer;
• computer usable program code for determining, by said operator of said payment card network using said transaction qualification service, based on rules from an offers registry database, whether said at least one promotion code is applicable to said on-line transaction, said rules being stored in said offers registry database in association with said at least one promotion code, said rules taking into account at least one of said unique identification of said given consumer and said associated transaction data in determining said applicability;
• and
• computer usable program code for, if, based on said determining step, said at least one promotion code is applicable to said on-line transaction, providing said at least one promotion code to said merchant, using said transaction qualification service and said electronic wallet platform, said at least one promotion code being provided to said merchant prior to payment card authorization, clearing, and settlement for said on-line transaction, said at least one promotion code comprising an alphanumeric character sequence that is not visible to said given consumer.

A system comprising:

• at least one hardware processor;
• and
• a memory coupled to said at least one hardware processor, said memory including instructions which when executed by said at least one processor cause said at least one processor to implement an electronic wallet platform, a transaction qualification service, a consumer enrollment database, and an offers registry database;
• said electronic wallet platform being operated by an operator of a payment card network and configured to obtain, from a check-out web page of a merchant:
• an indication that a given consumer, of a plurality of consumers, who is purchasing at least one item from said merchant in an on-line transaction, wishes to utilize said electronic wallet platform to pay for said on-line transaction,
• a unique identification of said given consumer, and
• associated transaction data;
• wherein said payment card network is of a kind wherein said operator comprises a single operator which facilitates transactions between multiple issuers and multiple acquirers, said electronic wallet platform storing information for a plurality of payment card accounts from which said given consumer can choose to pay for said on-line transaction;
• said transaction qualification service being operated by said operator of said payment card network and in data communication with said electronic wallet platform, said electronic wallet platform being further configured to supply, to said transaction qualification service, said unique identification of said given consumer;
• said consumer enrollment database being operated by said operator of said payment card network and in data communication with said transaction qualification service, said transaction qualification service being further configured to retrieve, from said consumer enrollment database, a record wherein at least one promotion code is stored in association with said unique identification of said given consumer;
• and
• said offers registry database being operated by said operator of said payment card network and in data communication with said transaction qualification service, said transaction qualification service being further configured to determine, based on rules from said offers registry database, whether said at least one promotion code is applicable to said on-line transaction, said rules being stored in said offers registry database in association with said at least one promotion code, said rules taking into account at least one of said unique identification of said given consumer and said associated transaction data in determining said applicability;
• said transaction qualification service and said electronic wallet platform being further configured to provide said at least one promotion code to said merchant, if, based on said determining, said at least one promotion code is applicable to said on-line transaction, said at least one promotion code being provided to said merchant prior to payment card authorization, clearing, and settlement for said on-line transaction, said at least one promotion code comprising an alphanumeric character sequence that is not visible to said given consumer.

A system comprising:

• an electronic wallet platform operated by an operator of a payment card network and configured to obtain, from a check-out web page of a merchant:
• an indication that a given consumer, of a plurality of consumers, who is purchasing at least one item from said merchant in an on-line transaction, wishes to utilize said electronic wallet platform to pay for said on-line transaction,
• a unique identification of said given consumer, and
• associated transaction data;
• wherein said electronic wallet platform comprises an electronic wallet platform software module executing on a server of said payment card network operator and wherein said payment card network is of a kind wherein said operator comprises a single operator which facilitates transactions between multiple issuers and multiple acquirers, said electronic wallet platform storing information for a plurality of payment card accounts from which said given consumer can choose to pay for said on-line transaction;
• a transaction qualification service operated by said operator of said payment card network and in data communication with said electronic wallet platform, said electronic wallet platform being further configured to supply, to said transaction qualification service, said unique identification of said given consumer;
• a consumer enrollment database operated by said operator of said payment card network and in data communication with said transaction qualification service, said transaction qualification service being further configured to retrieve, from said consumer enrollment database, a record wherein at least one promotion code is stored in association with said unique identification of said given consumer;
• and
• an offers registry database operated by said operator of said payment card network and in data communication with said transaction qualification service, said transaction qualification service being further configured to determine, based on rules from said offers registry database, whether said at least one promotion code is applicable to said on-line transaction, said rules being stored in said offers registry database in association with said at least one promotion code, said rules taking into account at least one of said unique identification of said given consumer and said associated transaction data in determining said applicability;
• said transaction qualification service and said electronic wallet platform being further configured to provide said at least one promotion code to said merchant, if, based on said determining, said at least one promotion code is applicable to said on-line transaction, said at least one promotion code being provided to said merchant prior to payment card authorization, clearing, and settlement for said on-line transaction, said at least one promotion code comprising an alphanumeric character sequence that is not visible to said given consumer;
• wherein:
• said electronic wallet platform software module is embodied on an electronic wallet platform non-transitory tangible, computer-readable, recordable storage medium;
• said electronic wallet platform comprises:
• an electronic wallet platform memory;
• said electronic wallet platform software module;
• and
• at least one electronic wallet platform hardware processor of said server of said payment card network operator, operative to execute said electronic wallet platform software module when loaded into said electronic wallet platform memory;
• said transaction qualification service comprises:
• a transaction qualification service memory;
• a transaction qualification service software module embodied on a transaction qualification service non-transitory tangible, computer-readable, recordable storage medium;
• and
• at least one transaction qualification service hardware processor, operative to execute said transaction qualification service software module when loaded into said transaction qualification service memory;
• said consumer enrollment database comprises:
• a consumer enrollment database memory;
• a consumer enrollment database platform software module embodied on a consumer enrollment database non-transitory tangible, computer-readable, recordable storage medium;
• and
• at least one consumer enrollment database hardware processor, operative to execute said consumer enrollment database platform software module when loaded into said consumer enrollment database memory;
• and
• said offers registry database comprises:
• an offers registry database memory;
• an offers registry database platform software module embodied on an offers registry database non-transitory tangible, computer-readable, recordable storage medium;
• and
• at least one offers registry database hardware processor, operative to execute said offers registry database platform software module when loaded into said offers registry database memory.