Systems and methods for optimized settlement of sponsored electronic transactions

1. A computer-implemented method for prepaid card funding for sponsored purchases, the method comprising:

receiving, at a point of sale terminal of a merchant, a payment request by a consumer for funding a sponsored purchase using a payment vehicle;

forcing an approval of the payment request regardless of funds available on the payment vehicle based on the payment vehicle being a known payment vehicle and meeting predetermined criteria including one or more of the sponsored purchase being at a certain type of merchant identified by a merchant category code (MCC), at a particular merchant identified by a merchant identifier (MID), within a geofence radiating a predetermined radius from a desired location, at a location along a particular route from a starting point and a destination, within a predetermined window of time, or for a particular product or service;

determining, at a merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal, whether the payment request is to be included in a grouped transaction request; and

upon determining, at the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal, that the payment request is to be included in a grouped transaction request:

determining, by the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal, whether the payment request is subject to a discount based on whether the payment request is for a particular type of fuel, wherein the particular type of fuel is hydrogen or compressed natural gas;

upon determining that the payment request is subject to a discount, adding the payment request to a discounted settlement file of payment requests subject to a discount stored by the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal;

upon determining that the payment request is not subject to a discount, adding the payment request to an undiscounted settlement file of payment requests not subject to a discount stored by the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal;

transmitting the discounted settlement file of payment requests subject to a discount from the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal directly to an issuer of the payment vehicle within a same business day without forwarding the discounted settlement file to an acquirer processor;

transmitting the undiscounted settlement file of payment requests not subject to a discount from the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal to the issuer of the payment vehicle at least two days after receiving the payment request;

receiving a transaction response file from the issuer; and

settling, by the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal, the payment request with a sponsor of the sponsored purchase, based on the transaction response file.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the sponsor of the sponsored purchase is a transportation company and the sponsored purchase is for fuel.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the sponsor of the sponsored purchase is a motor vehicle manufacturing company and the sponsored purchase is for fuel.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the fuel is the hydrogen or the compressed natural gas.

5. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing system, causes the computing system to perform a method for method for prepaid card funding for sponsored purchases, the method including:

receiving, at a point of sale terminal of a merchant, a payment request by a consumer for funding a sponsored purchase using a payment vehicle;

forcing an approval of the payment request regardless of funds available on the payment vehicle based on the payment vehicle being a known payment vehicle and meeting predetermined criteria including one or more of the sponsored purchase being at a certain type of merchant identified by a merchant category code (MCC), at a particular merchant identified by a merchant identifier (MID), within a geofence radiating a predetermined radius from a desired location, at a location along a particular route from a starting point and a destination, within a predetermined window of time, or for a particular product or service;

determining, at a merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal, whether the payment request is to be included in a grouped transaction request; and

upon determining, at the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal, that the payment request is to be included in a grouped transaction request:

determining, by the merchant, whether the payment request is subject to a discount based on whether the payment request is for a particular type of fuel, wherein the particular type of fuel is hydrogen or compressed natural gas;

upon determining that the payment request is subject to a discount, adding the payment request to a discounted settlement file of payment requests subject to a discount stored by the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal;

upon determining that the payment request is not subject to a discount, adding the payment request to an undiscounted settlement file of payment requests not subject to a discount stored by the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal;

transmitting the discounted settlement file of payment requests subject to a discount from the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal directly to an issuer of the payment vehicle within a same business day without forwarding the discounted settlement file to an acquirer processor;

transmitting the undiscounted settlement file of payment requests not subject to a discount from the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal to the issuer of the payment vehicle at least two days after receiving the payment request;

receiving, from the issuer, a transaction response file; and

settling, by the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal, the payment request with a sponsor of the sponsored purchase, based on the transaction response file.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the sponsor of the sponsored purchase is a transportation company and the sponsored purchase is for fuel.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the sponsor of the sponsored purchase is a motor vehicle manufacturing company and the sponsored purchase is for fuel.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the fuel is the hydrogen or the compressed natural gas.

9. A system for prepaid card funding for sponsored purchases, the system comprising:

a data storage device storing instructions for prepaid card funding for sponsored purchases in an electronic storage medium; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform a method including:

receiving, at a point of sale terminal of a merchant, a payment request by a consumer for funding a sponsored purchase using a payment vehicle;

forcing an approval of the payment request regardless of funds available on the payment vehicle based on the payment vehicle being a known payment vehicle and meeting predetermined criteria including one or more of the sponsored purchase being at a certain type of merchant identified by a merchant category code (MCC), at a particular merchant identified by a merchant identifier (MID), within a geofence radiating a predetermined radius from a desired location, at a location along a particular route from a starting point and a destination, within a predetermined window of time, or for a particular product or service;

determining, at a merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal, whether the payment request is to be included in a grouped transaction request; and

upon determining, at the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal, that the payment request is to be included in a grouped transaction request:

determining, by the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal, whether the payment request is subject to a discount based on whether the payment request is for a particular type of fuel, wherein the particular type of fuel is hydrogen or compressed natural gas;

upon determining that the payment request is subject to a discount, adding the payment request to a discounted settlement file of payment requests subject to a discount stored by the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal;

upon determining that the payment request is not subject to a discount, adding the payment request to an undiscounted settlement file of payment requests not subject to a discount stored by the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal;

transmitting the discounted settlement file of payment requests subject to a discount from the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal directly to an issuer of the payment vehicle within a same business day without forwarding the discounted settlement file to an acquirer processor;

transmitting the undiscounted settlement file of payment requests not subject to a discount from the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal to the issuer of the payment vehicle at least two days after receiving the payment request;

receiving, from the issuer, a transaction response file; and

settling, by the merchant device in communication with the point of sale terminal, the payment request with a sponsor of the sponsored purchase, based on the transaction response file.