Radio device based transactions at a point of sale terminal
Virtual mobile rewards, gift cards, and/or physical world retailers' loyalty and reward programs are aggregated into a common account accessible and transactional from a radio device. Subscribers gain access to discounted codes, coupons, rebates, gift cards, and/or limited time offers, on their radio device for food, travel, lifestyle, electronics, and entertainment products that fit their lifestyle spending habits, enabling users to edit participating retailers, manage separate account balances, and present preferred discounted offers at retailers and apply discount towards purchase of goods.
1. A method of enabling a physical point of sale (POS) system to execute a transaction associated with a radio device to completion without the physical point of sale (POS) system ever having received a financial account number from the radio device, comprising:
receiving at an accounting server from a physical point of sale (POS) system, a transaction-specific unique code and not a financial account number, the transaction-specific unique code without a financial account number having been received by the physical point of sale (POS) system from a given physical radio device that provided the transaction-specific unique code, for executing a transaction, without providing the financial account number;
receiving the transaction-specific unique code without the financial account number at the accounting server for determination of a device-specific virtual account ID using device-specific identity information unique to the radio device, for routing the transaction to an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server appropriate for the device-specific virtual account ID in a location remote from the radio device to authorize the physical point of sale (POS) system to execute the transaction to completion; and
communicating an authorization message for the transaction without also communicating the financial account number to the physical POS system that received the transaction-specific unique code without the financial account number from the radio device;
wherein the transaction-specific unique code is traceable to the device-specific virtual account ID;
wherein each of the POS system and the radio device includes a combination of hardware and software; and
wherein the authorization message facilitates the physical point of sale (POS) system to execute the transaction to completion without ever having received any financial account number from the radio device.
2. The method of enabling a physical point of sale (POS) system to execute a transaction associated with a radio device to completion without the physical point of sale (POS) system ever having received a financial account number from the radio device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an aggregated plurality of retail discounts associated with a virtual account specifically for use by a user of the given physical radio device.
3. The method of enabling a physical point of sale (POS) system to execute a transaction associated with a radio device to completion without the physical point of sale (POS) system ever having received a financial account number from the radio device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a one-time gift code from another given physical radio device.
4. The method of enabling a physical point of sale (POS) system to execute a transaction associated with a radio device to completion without the physical point of sale (POS) system ever having received a financial account number from the radio device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a discount to the transaction based on a loyalty reward program associated with a virtual account for a user of the radio device.
5. The method of enabling a physical point of sale (POS) system to execute a transaction associated with a radio device to completion without the physical point of sale (POS) system ever having received a financial account number from the radio device according to claim 4 , further comprising:
accessing a plurality of different loyalty programs in the virtual account for the user of the radio device.
6. The method of enabling a physical point of sale (POS) system to execute a transaction associated with a radio device to completion without the physical point of sale (POS) system ever having received a financial account number from the radio device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a device-specific portion of the transaction-specific unique code issued by the accounting server, for provision to the given physical radio device at a time prior to execution of the transaction to completion.
7. A method performed by a physical point of sale (POS) system to execute a transaction associated with a radio device to completion without the physical point of sale (POS) system ever having received a financial account number from the radio device, comprising:
receiving from the radio device a transaction-specific unique code without also receiving any financial account number from the radio device;
routing to a remote computer system the transaction-specific unique code without also routing any financial account number to the remote computer system, the transaction-specific unique code including information enabling an accounting server to determine, from the transaction-specific unique code without any financial account number a device-specific virtual account ID sufficient to authorize the physical point of sale (POS) system to execute a transaction to completion; and
receiving an authorization message for the transaction without also receiving any financial account number from the radio device;
wherein the virtual account ID is based on device-specific identity information unique to the radio device;
wherein the transaction-specific unique code is traceable to the device-specific virtual account ID;
wherein the POS system includes a combination of hardware and software; and
wherein the authorization message facilitates the physical point of sale (POS) system to execute the transaction to completion without the POS system ever having received from the radio device and without the POS system having ever provided to the remote computer system any financial account number.
8. The method performed by a physical point of the (POS) system to execute a transaction associated with a radio device to completion without the physical point of sale (POS) system ever having received a financial account number from the radio device according to claim 7 , further comprising:
receiving an aggregated plurality of retail discounts associated with the virtual account ID.
9. The method performed by a physical point of sale (POS) system to execute a transaction associated with a radio device to completion without the physical point of sale (POS) system ever having received a financial account number from the radio device according to claim 7 , further comprising:
applying a loyalty reward program to a virtual account associated with the virtual account ID.
10. The method performed by a physical point of sale (POS) system to execute a transaction associated with a radio device to completion without the physical point of sale (POS) system ever having received a financial account number from the radio device according to claim 7 , further comprising:
providing a device-specific portion of the transaction-specific unique code issued by the accounting server, to the given physical radio device.