Methods and systems for managing transaction card accounts enabled for use with particular categories of providers and/or goods/services
A computer-implemented method and system for managing transaction card accounts involves enabling a transaction card account by a card issuer for use with pre-defined categories of providers of goods/services and goods/services sold and issuing a transaction card and establishing an associated pre-qualified category card account. Upon receiving data for a transaction with the transaction card at a transaction terminal by a processing platform of the card issuer via a card association processing network, the category of the provider and goods/services is interrogated to determine whether or not the transaction can be posted on the pre-qualified category card account of the cardholder, and the transaction is approved and posted to the pre-qualified category card account if the transaction falls within the pre-qualified category of the cardholder.
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
reading, from a card reader of the transaction terminal, transaction data of a transaction card of a cardholder;
assigning, by a processor of the transaction terminal, transaction request code configured for determining whether the transaction pertains to a pre-qualified transaction category by a card issuer of the transaction card;
transmitting, by the processor of the transaction terminal, the transaction request code and transaction data to a card association network for approval of the transaction by the card issuer;
receiving, by the processor of the transaction terminal and from the card association network, an approval of the transaction as a qualified transaction when the transaction request code pertains to a pre-qualified transaction category;
receiving, by the processor of the transaction terminal and from the card association network, an approval of the transaction request as a general transaction when the transaction request code does not pertain to a pre-qualified transaction category; and
identifying, by the processor of the transaction terminal, whether the transaction is approved as the qualified transaction or the general transaction.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction terminal is a computerized point-of-sale terminal in communication with the card association network.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction request code sent from the transaction terminal is processed exclusively through the card association network according to a pre-qualified merchant category code scheme.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction request code includes data associated with a geographic location of the merchant.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction request code includes data associated with a particular industry of the merchant.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction request code includes data associated with a particular category of merchandise or service of the merchant.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction request code comprises a merchant category code to identify a particular category of merchandise or service.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein a plurality of merchants are assigned to the same merchant category code.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction request code sent by the transaction terminal comprises credit transaction data to be processed according to pre-defined credit card association processing procedures for the transaction card.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the approved qualified transaction is processed by the transaction terminal and posted to a first merchant account of the cardholder, and the approved general transaction is processed by the transaction terminal and posted to a second merchant account that is different than the first merchant account.
11. A computer-implemented method comprising:
obtaining, via an I/O device of a transaction terminal, a transaction request from a transaction card of a cardholder;
processing, by the transaction terminal, the transaction request and generating a merchant category code pertaining to the transaction request;
transmitting, by the transaction terminal, the transaction request comprising the merchant category code to a card issuer for the transaction card through a card association network;
receiving, by the transaction terminal and from the card association network, an approval of the transaction request as a qualified transaction when the merchant category code is classified by the card issuer as a qualified merchant category code, and processing the transaction;
receiving, by the transaction terminal and from the card association network, an approval of the transaction request as a general transaction when the merchant category code is not classified by the card issuer as a qualified merchant category code, and processing the transaction; and
identifying, by the transaction terminal, whether the transaction request is approved as the qualified transaction or the general transaction.
12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the transaction terminal is a computerized point-of-sale terminal that communicates with the card association network.
13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the transaction request sent from the transaction terminal is processed exclusively through the card association network according to a pre-qualified merchant category code scheme.
14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the transaction request further comprises data associated with a geographic location of the merchant.
15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the transaction request further comprises data associated with a particular industry of the merchant.
16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the transaction request further comprises data associated with a particular category of merchandise or service of the merchant.
17. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the merchant category code identifies a particular category of merchandise or service.
18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 , wherein a plurality of merchants are assigned to the same merchant category code.
19. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the transaction request sent by the transaction terminal further comprises credit transaction data to be processed according to pre-defined credit card association processing procedures for the transaction card.
20. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the approved qualified transaction is processed by the transaction terminal and posted to a first merchant account of the cardholder, and the approved general transaction is processed by the transaction terminal and posted to a second merchant account that is different than the first merchant account.