Loyalty account identification

Abstract

Using identifiers on user payment instruments to identify user loyalty accounts comprises a method to store a loyalty account list associated with a user, the loyalty account list comprising one or more user loyalty accounts; associate an identifier with the loyalty account list; receive information identifying a user loyalty account associated with a merchant, the information comprising an account number for the user loyalty account and an identity of the merchant; associate the user loyalty account with the loyalty account list; receive a request for information identifying a user loyalty account associated with a merchant, the request comprising the identifier received by the merchant from a user payment instrument and an identity of the merchant; determine the user loyalty account associated with the merchant; and provide the information identifying a user loyalty account associated with a merchant.

1 . A computer-implemented method to use identifiers on user payment instruments to identify user loyalty accounts, comprising:
 storing, using one or more computing devices, a loyalty account list associated with a user, the loyalty account list comprising one or more user loyalty accounts;   associating, using the one or more computing devices, a list identifier with the loyalty account list;   encoding the list identifier on a data field of a single magnetic stripe of a magnetic stripe card associated with a payment account of the user, the magnetic stripe comprising the list identifier and separate payment account information for conducting a payment transaction using the payment account, and the list identifier being encoded in a discretionary data field of the magnetic stripe;   receiving, using the one or more computing devices and from a merchant computing device associated with a merchant, information identifying a user loyalty account number for a user loyalty account associated with a merchant, the list identifier for the loyalty account list, and an identity of the merchant, the list identifier being obtained by the merchant from the magnetic stripe card utilized by the user to conduct payment transactions with the merchant;   associating, using the one or more computing devices, the user loyalty account number for the user loyalty account associated with the merchant with the loyalty account list based at least in part on the list identifier received with the user loyalty account number;   receiving, using the one or more computing devices and from the merchant computing device, a request for information identifying the user loyalty account associated with the merchant, the request comprising the identity of the merchant and the list identifier for the loyalty account list, the list identifier being obtained by the merchant from the magnetic stripe card utilized by the user to conduct a payment transaction with the merchant;   determining, using the one or more computing devices, the user loyalty account associated with the merchant in the loyalty account list based at least in part on the identity of the merchant and the list identifier obtained by the merchant from the magnetic stripe card utilized by the user to conduct the payment transaction with the merchant; and   providing, using the one or more computing devices, the requested information identifying the user loyalty account associated with the merchant, the provided information comprising the loyalty account number for the user loyalty account associated with the merchant in the loyalty account list.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the list identifier comprises an identification of a digital wallet associated with the user. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the request is received at the time of a transaction. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the record identifier is provided to the merchant via a wireless connection with a user computing device. 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the merchant further receives instructions from the user payment instrument for accessing the loyalty account list on the loyalty system. 
     
     
         9 . A payment instrument, comprising:
 a rigid structure; and   a machine-readable portion affixed to the rigid structure, the machine-readable portion comprising payment information for a payment account and a loyalty account list identifier having associated therewith in a computing system a plurality of loyalty accounts that are each associated with a respective one of a plurality of merchants.   
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 9 , wherein machine-readable portion comprises a barcode, a QR code, and an RFID tag. 
     
     
         11 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 9 , wherein the machine-readable portion is a magnetic stripe, and wherein the payment information and the loyalty account list identifier are encoded in a data field of the magnetic stripe. 
     
     
         12 . The payment instrument card of  claim 9 , the machine-readable portion further comprising instructions regarding a location of the computing system managing the loyalty account list. 
     
     
         13 . A system to transmit category codes to use identifiers on user payment instruments to identify user loyalty accounts, the system comprising:
 a storage resource;   a network module; and   a processor communicatively coupled to the storage resource and the network module, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage resource and that cause the system to:
 store a loyalty account record associated with a user, the loyalty account list comprising one or more user loyalty accounts; 
 associate an identifier with the loyalty account record; 
 encoding the list identifier on a data field of a magnetic stripe of a magnetic stripe card associated with a payment account of the user, the magnetic stripe comprising the record identifier and separate payment account information for conducting a payment transaction using the payment account; 
 receive information identifying a user loyalty account number for a user loyalty account associated with a merchant, the record identifier for the loyalty account record, and an identity of the merchant; 
 associate the user loyalty account with the loyalty account record; 
 receive a request for information identifying the user loyalty account associated with the merchant, the request comprising the record identifier for the loyalty account record obtained by the merchant and an identity of the merchant, the record identifier for the user loyalty record being obtained by the merchant from the magnetic stripe card utilized by the user to conduct the transaction with the merchant; 
 determine the user loyalty account associated with the merchant in the loyalty account record based at least in part on the identity of the merchant and the record identifier obtained by the merchant from the magnetic stripe card utilized by the user to conduct the transaction with the merchant; and 
 provide the requested information identifying the user loyalty account associated with a merchant, the provided information comprising the loyalty account number for the user loyalty account associated with the merchant in the loyalty account record. 
   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the record identifier comprises an identification of a digital wallet associated with the user. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the request is received at the time of a transaction. 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the record identifier is provided to the merchant via a wireless connection with a user computing device. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the merchant further receives instructions from the user payment instrument for accessing the loyalty account record on the loyalty system. 
     
     
         21 . A computer program product, comprising:
 a non-transitory computer-readable storage device having computer-executable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to use identifiers on user payment instruments to identify user loyalty accounts, the computer-executable program instructions comprising:
 computer-executable program instructions to store a loyalty account list associated with a user, the loyalty account list comprising one or more user loyalty accounts; 
 computer-executable program instructions to associate a list identifier with the loyalty account list; 
 computer-executable program instructions to encode the list identifier on a data field of a single magnetic stripe of a magnetic stripe card associated with a payment account of the user, the magnetic stripe comprising the list identifier and separate payment account information for conducting a payment transaction using the payment account; 
 computer-executable program instructions to receive information identifying a user loyalty account number for a user loyalty account associated with a merchant, the list identifier for the loyalty account list and an identity of the merchant; 
   computer-executable program instructions to associate the user loyalty account number for the user loyalty account associated with the merchant with the loyalty account list based at least in part on the list identifier received with the user loyalty account number;   computer-executable program instructions to receive a request for information identifying the user loyalty account associated with the merchant, the request comprising identity of the merchant and the list identifier for the loyalty account list, the list identifier being obtained by the merchant from the magnetic stripe card utilized by the user to conduct a payment transaction with the merchant; and   computer-executable program instructions to provide the loyalty account list to the merchant to allow the merchant to identify the user loyalty account associated with the merchant from the loyalty account list.   
     
     
         22 . The computer program product of  claim 21 , wherein the list identifier comprises an identification of a digital wallet associated with the user. 
     
     
         23 . The computer program product of  claim 21 , wherein the request is received at the time of a transaction. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing, using the one or more computing devices, the loyalty account list to the merchant to allow the merchant to identify the user loyalty account associated with the merchant. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising instructions to provide the loyalty account record to the merchant to allow the merchant to identify the user loyalty account associated with the merchant. 
     
     
         27 . The computer program product of  claim 21 , further comprising computer-executable program instructions to encode the list identifier on a data field of a magnetic stripe of a magnetic stripe card associated with a payment account of the user, the magnetic stripe comprising the list identifier and separate payment account information for conducting a payment transaction using the payment account. 
     
     
         28 . The computer program product of  claim 27 , the list identifier being obtained by the merchant from the magnetic stripe card utilized by the user to conduct payment transactions with the merchant.