Method, apparatus, and computer program product for topping up prepaid payment cards for offline use

A method comprising:

• obtaining a registration of a backup payment account for association with a pre-paid payment card contemporaneously with an initial top-up of the pre-paid payment card;
• reading the pre-paid payment card at a terminal during a contactless transaction, the pre-paid payment card being configured for use in an infrastructure comprising the terminal in accordance with a payment specification requiring a contactless procedure for normal transactions and an online contact procedure for top-up of the pre-paid payment card;
• determining at the terminal whether the pre-paid payment card includes an indicator written to an electronic memory thereon during a prior online contact transaction evidencing a link of the pre-paid payment card to the backup payment account;
• making an offline decision to allow the contactless transaction without immediate payment based at least in part on presence of the indicator;
• subsequent to the decision to allow the contactless transaction, determining whether funds are available to pay for the contactless transaction, and
• obtaining payment from at least one of:
• 1) a central balance stored on a central server and associated with the pre-paid payment card and 2) via a payment network, the backup payment account.