Systems and methods for integrating loyalty and stored-value programs

1. A method for operating an integrated stored-value and loyalty program within a financial infrastructure, the method comprising:

receiving, at a loyalty host computer from a first point-of-sale terminal, an identifier and a packet of transaction information defining a first transaction between a first merchant and a customer;

identifying, with the loyalty host computer, qualifying aspects of the first transaction from the packet of transaction information;

determining, with the loyalty host computer, a customer reward from the identified qualifying aspects and a history of information defined by the identifier;

transmitting information defining the reward from the loyalty host computer to a stored-value host computer different from the loyalty host computer;

determining a set of stored-value parameters with the stored-value host computer from the information defining the reward;

storing the set of stored-value parameters as a record at the stored-value host computer;

receiving, at the stored-value host computer from a second point-of-sale terminal, the identifier and a transaction amount for a second transaction between a second merchant and the customer, wherein the second transaction is different from the first transaction and is initiated at a point in time later than the first transaction is initiated;

identifying, with the stored-value host computer, the set of stored-value parameters from the identifier;

translating, with the stored-value host computer, the set of stored-value parameters into a value amount;

applying, with the stored-value host computer, at least a portion of the value amount to the transaction amount; and

transmitting, from the stored-value host computer to the second point-of-sale terminal, a modified transaction amount as an amount to be used in effecting the second transaction.

2. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising transmitting the packet of transaction information from the loyalty host computer to the financial infrastructure with a request for authorization of the transaction.

3. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising transmitting a notification of the customer reward from the loyalty host computer to the first point-of-sale terminal.

4. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the second merchant is different from the first merchant.

5. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the qualifying aspects of the first transaction include item-level information that identifies specific items that form part of the first transaction.

6. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the qualifying aspects of the first transaction include item-level-type information that identifies specific types of items that form part of the first transaction.

7. The method recited in claim 1 wherein applying at least a portion of the value amount further defines a modified value amount, the method further comprising:

translating, with the stored-value host computer, the modified value amount into a modified set of stored-value parameters; and

updating the record of the stored-value parameters.

8. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising transmitting the transaction amount to the financial infrastructure with a request for authorization of the second transaction.

9. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the identified set of stored-value parameters consists of a single stored-value parameter.

10. A system for operating an integrated stored-value and loyalty program within a financial infrastructure, the system comprising:

a loyalty host including a loyalty-host communications system, a loyalty-host processor, a loyalty-host storage device, and a loyalty-host computer-readable storage medium having a loyalty-host computer-readable program embodied therein; and

a stored-value host including a stored-value-host communications system, a stored-value-host processor, a stored-value-host storage device, and a stored-value-host computer-readable storage medium having a stored-value host computer-readable program embodied therein,

wherein the loyalty-host computer-readable program includes:

instructions for receiving, with the loyalty-host communications system from a first point-of-sale terminal, an identifier and a packet of transaction information defining a first transaction between a first merchant and a customer;

instructions for identifying, with the loyalty-host processor, qualifying aspects of the first transaction from the packet of transaction information;

instructions for determining, with the loyalty-host processor, a customer reward from the identified qualifying aspects and a history of information defined by the identifier and stored on the storage device; and

instructions for transmitting, with the loyalty-host communications system, information defining the reward to the stored-value host; and

wherein the stored-value-host computer-readable program includes:

instructions for determining, with the stored-value-host processor, a set of stored-value parameters from the information defining the reward;

instructions for storing, on the stored-value-host storage device, the set of stored-value parameters as a record;

instructions for receiving, with the stored-value-host communications system from a second point-of-sale terminal, the identifier and a transaction amount for a second transaction between a second merchant and the customer, wherein the second transaction is different from the first transaction and is initiated at a point in time later than the first transaction is initiated;

instructions for identifying, with the stored-value-host processor, the set of stored- value parameters from the identifier;

instructions for translating, with the stored-value-host processor, the set of stored-value parameters into a value amount;

instructions for applying, with the stored-value-host processor, at least a portion of the value amount to the transaction amount; and

instructions for transmitting, with the stored-value-host communications system to the second point-of-sale terminal, a modified transaction amount as an amount to be used in effecting the second transaction.

11. The system recited in claim 10 wherein the loyalty-host computer-readable program further includes instructions for transmitting, with the loyalty-host communications system, the packet of transaction information to the financial infrastructure with a request for authorization of the transaction.

12. The system recited in claim 10 wherein the loyalty-host computer-readable program further includes instructions for transmitting, with the loyalty-host communications system, a notification of the customer reward to the first point-of-sale terminal.

13. The system recited in claim 10 wherein the second merchant is different from the first merchant.

14. The system recited in claim 10 wherein the qualifying aspects of the first transaction include item-level information that identifies specific items that form part of the first transaction.

15. The system recited in claim 10 wherein the qualifying aspects of the first transaction include item-level information that identifies specific types of items that form part of the first transaction.

16. The system recited in claim 10 wherein the instructions for applying at least a portion of the value amount further includes instructions for defining a modified value amount, the stored-value-host computer-readable program further including:

instructions for translating, with the stored-value-host processor, the modified value amount into a modified set of stored-value parameters; and

instructions for updating the record of the stored-value parameters on the stored-value host storage device.

17. The system recited in claim 10 wherein the stored-value-host computer-readable program further includes instructions for transmitting, with the stored-value-host communications system, the transaction amount to the financial infrastructure with a request for authorization of the second transaction.

18. The system recited in claim 10 wherein the identified set of stored-value parameters consists of a single stored-value parameter.