Pre-paid payment instrument processing

1. A method of administering pre-paid payment instruments via a distributed computing system, the method comprising:

receiving from a purchasing party, via a purchaser device communicatively coupled to the distributed computing system, a payment input and a designated recipient for a pre-paid payment instrument, wherein the pre-paid payment instrument is redeemable only at a select number or type of retailer, or both;

associating an identifier and a value with the pre-paid payment instrument;

indexing and storing in a memory device the identifier and the value with the pre-paid payment instrument;

providing to the designated recipient, via a recipient device communicatively coupled to the distributed computing system, a representation of the pre-paid payment instrument, the representation enabling the designated recipient to use the pre-paid payment instrument and providing the designated recipient with an option to print the pre-paid instrument using a printer; and

issuing at least a portion of the value of the pre-paid payment instrument to a third party other than the designated recipient and the purchasing party.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the issuing the at least a portion of the value of the pre-paid payment instrument to the third party is enabled by an input received from the purchasing party.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving step further comprises receiving from the purchasing party a designation of the third party to whom the at least the portion of the value of the pre-paid payment instrument is issued.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the issuing step further comprises providing to the third party, via a third-party device communicatively coupled to the distributed computing system, a representation of the pre-paid payment instrument which enables the third party to use the at least the portion of the value of the pre-paid payment instrument.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a unique authentication certificate for the pre-paid payment instrument, the unique authentication certificate including the identifier associated with the pre-paid payment instrument.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising validating the unique authentication certificate against identifiers and a value index stored in an authentication system.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising verifying with an external system the integrity of the payment input and, responsive to verification of the integrity of the payment input, initiating the issuance of the representation of the pre-paid payment instrument.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the representation of the pre-paid payment instrument includes an electronic notification transmitted to the recipient device communicatively coupled to the distributed computing system, the electronic notification including a unique authentication certificate including the identifier associated with the pre-paid payment instrument.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving, the associating and the indexing are carried out by a payment processor, and the providing and the issuing are carried out by an issue engine.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising tracking, via a tracking engine, a remaining value of the pre-paid payment instrument subsequent to one or more purchases made by the designated recipient and the third party.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the payment processor, the issue engine, and the tracking engine are included in one or more pre-paid payment servers that are remote from one or more retailer servers of retailers with which the pre-paid payment instruments can be redeemed.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the payment processor, the issue engine, and the tracking engine are included in a server portion of the distributed computing system, the server portion being configured to interact with devices associated with one or more purchasers, one or more designated recipients, one or more third parties, one or more retailers, or a combination thereof, with which the pre-paid payment instruments can be redeemed.

13. A method of administering pre-paid payment instruments via a distributed computing system, the method comprising:

receiving from a purchasing party, via a purchaser device communicatively coupled to the distributed computing system, a payment input and a designated recipient for a pre-paid payment instrument, wherein the pre-paid payment instrument is redeemable only at a select number or type of retailer, or both;

associating an identifier and a value with the pre-paid payment instrument;

indexing and storing in a memory device the identifier and the value with the pre-paid payment instrument;

providing to the designated recipient, via a recipient device communicatively coupled to the distributed computing system, a representation of the pre-paid payment instrument, the representation enabling the designated recipient to use the pre-paid payment instrument and providing the designated recipient with an option to print the pre-paid instrument using a printer;

determining whether a predetermined time has expired associated with the pre-paid payment instrument; and

responsive to the determining whether the predetermined time has expired, activating the pre-paid payment instrument.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

determining whether a predetermined expiration time associated with the pre-paid payment instrument has expired; and

responsive to the determining whether the predetermined expiration time has expired, deactivating the pre-paid payment instrument.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined activation time or the predetermined expiration time, or both, is designated by the purchasing party.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising providing a unique authentication certificate for the pre-paid payment instrument, the unique authentication certificate including the identifier associated with the pre-paid payment instrument.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising validating the unique authentication certificate against identifiers and a value index stored in an authentication system.

18. The method of claim 13 , further comprising verifying with an external system the integrity of the payment input and, responsive to verification of the integrity of the payment input, initiating the issuance of the representation of the pre-paid payment instrument.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive from a purchasing party, via a purchaser device communicatively coupled to a distributed computing system, indications of a payment input and a designated recipient for a pre-paid payment instrument;

associate an identifier and a value with the pre-paid payment instrument;

index and store in a memory device the identifier and the value with the pre-paid payment instrument;

provide to the designated recipient, via a recipient device communicatively coupled to the distributed computing system, a representation of the pre-paid payment instrument, the representation enabling the designated recipient to use the pre-paid payment instrument; and

issue at least a portion of the value of the pre-paid payment instrument to a third party other than the designated recipient and the purchasing party.