Method and system for making donations to charitable entities

Abstract

A system for a user making a donation to a third party by redeeming reward points, including an issuing bank computer storing a user credit/debit card account and a user reward point account, and a funds processor programmed to send a web page to a user device querying the user if a donation should be made to a third party, receive a donation request from the user device to be funded by redeeming reward points; process the donation request with the issuing bank computer by requesting it to redeem reward points in order to fund the donation by reducing the number of reward points in the user reward point account, and providing payment to the funds processor of a monetary value corresponding to the reward points reduced; and convey the monetary value to an account associated with the third party.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A funds processor for facilitating a user making a donation to a third party by redeeming reward points, the funds processor being interconnected via a network to an issuing bank computer that stores a user credit or debit card account linked to a credit or debit card issued to a user and a user reward point account associated with the user credit or debit card account that stores reward points earned by the user as a result of a transaction made by the user with the credit or debit card, wherein the funds processor is programmed to:
 send a web page to a user device comprising a query to the user if a donation is desired to be made by the user to a third party, wherein the donation is funded by redeeming reward points from the user reward point account;   receive a donation request from the user device, wherein the donation is requested to be funded by redeeming reward points from the user reward point account;   process the donation request with the issuing bank computer by requesting the issuing bank computer to redeem reward points from the user reward point account in order to fund the donation by:
 reducing the number of reward points in the user reward point account, and 
 providing payment to the funds processor of a monetary value corresponding to the reward points reduced; and 
   convey the monetary value to an account associated with the third party.   
     
     
         2 . The funds processor of  claim 1  wherein the funds processor is further programmed to receive the payment from the issuing bank computer in real time. 
     
     
         3 . The funds processor of  claim 1  wherein the funds processor is further programmed to receive the payment from the issuing bank computer in a batch mode at the end of a periodic cycle. 
     
     
         4 . The funds processor of  claim 1  wherein the web page is provided by a web server associated with the funds processor. 
     
     
         5 . The funds processor of  claim 1  wherein the web page enables the user to enter the number of reward points to redeem for the donation. 
     
     
         6 . The funds processor of  claim 1  wherein the number of reward points to redeem for the donation is a predetermined default amount. 
     
     
         7 . The funds processor of  claim 1  wherein the web page queries the user for an identification of the third party to which the donation will be made. 
     
     
         8 . A method of a funds processor facilitating a user making a donation to a third party by redeeming reward points, the funds processor being interconnected via a network to an issuing bank computer that stores a user credit or debit card account linked to a credit or debit card issued to a user and a user reward point account associated with the user credit or debit card account that stores reward points earned by the user as a result of a transaction made by the user with the credit or debit card, comprising the steps of:
 the funds processor sending a web page to a user device comprising a query to the user if a donation is desired to be made by the user to a third party, wherein the donation is funded by redeeming reward points from the user reward point account;   the funds processor receiving a donation request from the user device, wherein the donation is requested to be funded by redeeming reward points from the user reward point account;   the funds processor processing the donation request with the issuing bank computer by requesting the issuing bank computer to redeem reward points from the user reward point account in order to fund the donation by:
 the issuing bank computer reducing the number of reward points in the user reward point account, and 
 the issuing bank computer providing payment to the funds processor of a monetary value corresponding to the reward points reduced; and 
   the funds processor conveying the monetary value to an account associated with the third party.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising the funds processor receiving the payment from the issuing bank computer in real time. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising the funds processor receiving the payment from the issuing bank computer in a batch mode at the end of a periodic cycle. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the web page is provided by a web server associated with the funds processor. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the web page enables the user to enter the number of reward points to redeem for the donation. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the number of reward points to redeem for the donation is a predetermined default amount. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the web page queries the user for an identification of the third party to which the donation will be made. 
     
     
         15 . An issuing bank computer for facilitating a user making a donation to a third party by redeeming reward points, the issuing bank computer comprising
 a user credit or debit card account linked to a credit or debit card issued to a user, and   a user reward point account associated with the user credit or debit card account, the user reward point account storing reward points earned by the user as a result of a transaction made by the user with the credit or debit card;   wherein the issuing bank computer is programmed to interact with a funds processor that is interconnected via a network to the issuing bank computer in order to process a donation request made by the user to the funds processor via a web page, by redeeming reward points from the user reward point account in order to fund the donation by:
 reducing the number of reward points in the user reward point account, and 
 providing payment to the funds processor of a monetary value corresponding to the reward points reduced to enable the funds processor to convey the monetary value to an account associated with the third party. 
   
     
     
         16 . The issuing bank computer of  claim 15  further programmed to send the payment to the funds processor computer in real time. 
     
     
         17 . The issuing bank computer of  claim 15  further programmed to send the payment to the funds processor in a batch mode at the end of a periodic cycle. 
     
     
         18 . A method of an issuing bank computer facilitating a user making a donation to a third party by redeeming reward points, the issuing bank computer storing a user credit or debit card account linked to a credit or debit card issued to a user and a user reward point account associated with the user credit or debit card account, the user reward point account storing reward points earned by the user as a result of a transaction made by the user with the credit or debit card, comprising the steps of:
 the issuing bank computer interacting with a funds processor that is interconnected via a network to the issuing bank computer in order to process a donation request made by the user to the funds processor via a web page, by redeeming reward points from the user reward point account in order to fund the donation by:
 the issuing bank computer reducing the number of reward points in the user reward point account, and 
 the issuing bank computer providing payment to the funds processor of a monetary value corresponding to the reward points reduced to enable the funds processor to convey the monetary value to an account associated with the third party. 
   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising the issuing bank computer sending the payment to the funds processor computer in real time. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising the issuing bank computer sending the payment to the funds processor in a batch mode at the end of a periodic cycle.