Mobile payment systems and methods

摘要

A method includes providing a first payment account that is issued by a first financial institution and enables an accountholder thereof to make payments at merchants via a closed-loop payments network corresponding to the first financial institution and mobile person-to-person payments using the payment account. The method includes enabling a second payment account that is issued by a second financial institution to be electronically linked to the first payment account and used as a source of funds. The method includes providing a mobile operating system and enabling a plurality of merchant-specific payment accounts to be associated with a mobile communications device having the operating system. The method includes determining whether a merchant-specific payment account that is accepted only by a particular merchant is available to the accountholder via the mobile communications device and receiving a fee when the first payment account is used for a purchase.

主权项

1. A system comprising:
a mobile communications device; a source of a service, wherein said service is accessible to a user using said mobile communications device; an electronic facility, comprising at least one electronic processor, that facilitates issuance to the user, by an issuer in an electronic payment system, of a credit account, wherein the electronic payment system enables the user to make payments at physical retail stores of a plurality of merchants, wherein all purchase transactions made using said credit account for payment are posted to the credit account; a user-account, wherein said user-account is pre-existing when the user enrolls into said credit account, wherein said user-account enables electronic access to said service that is accessible via the mobile communications device; a deposit account of the user linked to said credit account, wherein a first purchase transaction of a monetary amount made using said credit account, during a period of time, is posted to said credit account and wherein, based on an instruction stored in said system before said first purchase transaction is made and in response to said first purchase transaction being posted to said credit account, a first electronic payment transaction in an amount of said monetary amount corresponding to said posted first purchase transaction is automatically initiated to directly withdraw funds from said deposit account to pay off said monetary purchase amount corresponding to said first purchase transaction that was posted to the credit account; wherein a second purchase transaction of a monetary amount made using said credit account, during the period of time, is posted to said credit account and wherein, based on said instruction pre-stored in said system before said first purchase transaction is made and in response to said second purchase transaction being posted to said credit account, a second electronic payment transaction in an amount of said monetary amount corresponding to said posted second purchase transaction is automatically initiated to directly withdraw funds from said deposit account to pay off said monetary purchase amount corresponding to said second purchase transaction that was posted to the credit account; and wherein information indicative of said first purchase transaction and said second purchase transaction are presented on a statement corresponding to the period of time.