SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ANONYMOUS MICRO-TRANSACTIONS

1 . A method comprising:

registering, via a processor, a user by assigning the user an anonymous user identifier;

prefunding a payment account associated with the anonymous user identifier from a third party payment service, based on authorization from the user;

completing a transaction via the payment account on behalf of the user;

maintaining a transaction history for the payment account; and

confirming, upon request from a merchant, validity of the transaction based on the transaction history.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction comprises at least one of a subscription transaction associated with a piece of digital content, a download of digital content, or a donation.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the subscription transaction provides the user access to the piece of digital content for at least one of a maximum number of accesses or for a subscription duration.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a transaction request from the user via a transaction button;

prompting the user to log in; and

upon receiving approved login credentials from the user, completing the transaction.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein confirming the validity of the transaction comprises withholding from the merchant identifying information about the user.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing a user management portal for presenting the transaction history to the user.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction is a micro-transaction.

8 . A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

registering a user by assigning the user an anonymous user identifier;

prefunding a payment account associated with the anonymous user identifier from a third party payment service, based on authorization from the user;

upon receiving confirmation that the user has performed an action requested by a merchant, transferring funds to the payment account;

maintaining a transaction history for the payment account; and

confirming, upon request from a merchant, that the user has received the funds.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the action requested by the merchant comprises viewing an advertisement.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the advertisement is presented within a portal for viewing the transaction history for the payment account.

11 . The system of claim 9 , the computer-readable storage medium further stores instructions which result in the method further comprising:

providing anonymous information about the user to the merchant; and

selecting the advertisement based on specifications provided by the merchant or an advertiser.

12 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the funds are determined based on a merchant-provided value for the advertisement.

13 . The system of claim 8 , the computer-readable storage medium further stores instructions which result in the method further comprising:

maintaining an action history for the user; and

providing at least part of the action history to the merchant.

14 . The system of claim 8 , the computer-readable storage medium further stores instructions which result in the method further comprising:

retrieving a maximum per-user and per-action limit established by the merchant; and

verifying that the user has not exceeded the per-user and per-action limit prior to transferring the funds to the payment account.

15 . A computer-readable storage device storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perfoun a method comprising:

registering a user by assigning the user an anonymous user identifier;

prefunding a payment account associated with the anonymous user identifier from a third party payment service, based on authorization from the user;

completing a purchase transaction via the payment account on behalf of the user;

maintaining a purchase transaction history for the payment account, wherein the purchase transaction history further includes a history of rewards received by the user; and

confirming, upon request from a merchant, that the payment account is prefunded before making awards available to the user.

16 . The computer-readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein the purchase transaction is a purchase of a subscription, a donation or a download of digital content.

17 . The computer-readable storage device of claim 16 , wherein the purchase of the subscription provides the user access to a piece of digital content for at least one of a maximum number of accesses or for a subscription duration.

18 . The computer-readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein the purchase transaction is a purchase of a coupon.

19 . The computer-readable storage device of claim 18 , storing additional instructions which result in the method further comprising:

tracking user purchases of coupons; and

reporting user purchases of coupons to a set of merchants offering coupons for purchase.

20 . The computer-readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein the purchase transaction is a micro-transaction.