Pre-paid payment instrument processing
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, in which a method includes attributing a value to a pre-paid payment instrument, determining an expiration time associated with the pre-paid payment instrument, and automatically return an un-used portion of value associated with the pre-paid payment instrument at the expiration time to the purchaser.
1. A computer program product embodied in a tangible media including instructions included thereon for causing a processor to:
attribute a value to a pre-paid payment instrument to be purchased by a purchaser providing the value and to be issued by a pre-paid payment system, the pre-paid payment instrument being redeemable at one or more retailers;
determine an expiration time associated with the pre-paid payment instrument;
automatically return an un-used portion of value associated with the pre-paid payment instrument at the expiration time by automatically crediting an external account associated with the purchaser for the un-used portion at the expiration time, the external account being maintained by a party different from the one or more retailers.
2. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the external account associated with the purchaser is the purchaser's original form of payment for the value.
3. The computer program product of claim 2 , wherein the purchaser's original form of payment for the value is a financial account.
4. The computer program product of claim 3 , wherein the financial account is a checking account.
5. The computer program product of claim 2 , wherein the purchaser's original form of payment for the value is a credit card.
6. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the external account associated with the purchaser is a financial account associated with the purchaser.
7. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein the financial account is a checking account.
8. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the external account associated with the purchaser is a credit card.
9. The computer program product of claim 1 , further comprising instructions for issuing the pre-paid payment instrument to the purchaser or a designated recipient.
10. The computer program product of claim 1 , further comprising instructions for printing the pre-paid payment instrument for the purchaser or a designated recipient.
11. The computer program of claim 1 , further comprising instructions for invalidating the pre-paid payment instrument when the un-used portion is returned to the purchaser.