Payment system and methods

1. A method for a system having a plurality of persons, a plurality of cards issued under authority of an entity; a retail site configured with a first signal, the first signal being common to the plurality of cards; the system further including a second signal on a first card in the plurality of cards; wherein each card evidences a license for a person to operate a vehicle; and a second system storing an association between the second signal and account information, the entity and an owner of the second system being non-affiliated, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the first and second signals from the first card;

responsive to the first signal, making a routing decision;

responsive to the routing decision, conditionally sending the second signal into a first hardware path, to cause the second system to perform the steps of

determining whether the first card can effect payment,

responsive to the determining step, conditionally sending a message to cause an institution to send an ACH entry to Federal Reserve ACH system,

making an entry in an accounting system, to effectively increment an amount owed by the owner of the retail site to the owner of the second system,

conditionally effecting a transaction with a holder of the first card, depending on a signal received from the second system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the signal received from the second system includes an indication whether the card is authorized to effect payment.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the information corresponding to the account includes an account number previously presented to a consumer user on a paper statement generated by the financial institution managing the account.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the second signal from the first card includes receiving the second signal via a point of sale terminal, and the method further includes

receiving a third signal from the holder of the first card; and

sending the third signal out of the point of sale terminal, without applying an encryption key to the third signal.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the third signal includes a PIN typed by the holder of the first card.

6. A method for a system having a plurality of persons, a plurality of cards issued under authority of an entity; a retail site configured with a first signal, the first signal being common to the plurality of cards; the system further including a second signal on a first card in the plurality of cards wherein the card is a driver license; and a second system storing an association between the second signal and account information, the entity and an owner of the second system being non-affiliated, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the first and second signals from the first card;

responsive to the first signal, making a routing decision;

responsive to the routing decision, conditionally sending the second signal into a first hardware path, to cause the second system to perform the steps of

determining whether the first card can effect payment,

responsive to the determining step, conditionally sending a message to cause an institution to send an ACH entry to Federal Reserve ACH system;

making an entry in an accounting system, to effectively increment an amount owed by the owner of the retail site to the owner of the second system,

conditionally effecting a transaction with a holder of the first card, depending on a signal received from the second system.

7. The method of claim 6 further including

receiving a number from the holder of the first card, wherein sending the second signal includes sending the second signal to cause a debit to a selected one of multiple accounts associated with the holder, the account being selected by the number.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the number is a personal identification number selected by the user, the number having less digits than the account number.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the number is a personal identification number selected by the user, the number having at least 4 digits, and less digits than the account number.

10. A method for a system having a plurality of persons, a plurality of vehicles; a plurality of cards issued under authority of government, each card evidencing a license for a person to operate a vehicle; a retail site configured with a first signal, the first signal including a license card IIN number, the first signal being common to the plurality of cards; the system further including a second signal on a first card in the plurality of cards, the second signal including a personal ID number; and a server storing an association between the second signal and account information, the method comprising:

receiving the first and second signals from the first card;

responsive to the first signal, making a routing decision;

responsive to the routing decision, conditionally sending the second signal into a first hardware path, to cause the second system to perform the steps of

determining whether the first card can effect payment,

responsive to the determining step, conditionally sending a message to cause an institution to send an ACH entry to Federal Reserve ACH system,

making an entry in an accounting system, to effectively increment an amount owed by the owner of the retail site to the owner of the second system,

conditionally effecting a transaction with a holder of the first card, depending on a signal received from the server.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the signal received from the server includes an indication whether the card is authorized to effect payment.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the government is a first state government, and the server is in the territory of a second state government.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein receiving the second signal from the first card includes receiving the second signal via a point of sale terminal, and the method further includes

receiving a third signal from the holder of the first card; and

sending the third signal out of the point of sale terminal, without applying an encryption key to the third signal.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the third signal includes a PIN typed by the holder of the first card.

15. The method of claim 10 further including

receiving a number from the holder of the first card, wherein sending the second signal includes sending the second signal to cause a debit to a selected one of multiple accounts associated with the holder, the account being selected by the number.