Method and system to associate a gift certificate with an email address

摘要

A system and method to associate a gift certificate with an email address is useful to permit on-line merchants to provide gift certificates that may be trusted while remaining used to customers. A gift certificate is purchased on-line and associated with a recipient's e-mail address provided by the gift certificate purchaser. An e-mail message containing confirm information used to authenticate the identity of the recipient is subsequently provided. This e-mail message may be sent when the gift certificate is purchased. This e-mail message may also be sent when a printed gift certificate is redeemed. The recipient of the gift certificate returns this confirmation information to complete the authentication process of the recipient's e-mail address. All subsequent activity of related to the use of the gift certificate may be authenticated using the e-mail address once confirmed.