PAYMENT CARDS AS AN ONLINE PAYMENT OPTION

摘要

An exchange hub is provided that is programmed to receive by way of an open, standardized, secure messaging protocol, a payment card transaction request from a consumer's CSP. A consumer transmits to an EBPP system a request to pay a bill electronically using a payment card. The consumer's payment card transaction request is submitted to the consumer's CSP. The payment card transaction request is then submitted to the exchange hub of the EBPP system. The exchange hub parses the payment card transaction request, and generates a payment message to the biller's acquiring bank (the "acquirer"). The acquirer generates an authorization request message and transmits it to the issuer of the consumer's payment card. The issuer either approves or denies the consumer's payment card transaction request, and notifies the acquirer. The acquirer then, in turn, submits and appropriate approval or denial response to the exchange hub of the EBPP system. If the transaction is approved by the acquirer, the acquirer settles with the biller, and the consumer pays the payment card issuer when the consumer is eventually billed for the payment card transaction.