Merchant identification of payer via payment path

Abstract

Novel features to be used in a proxy card payment system include a real-time request to override a declined transaction or to select a different financial account and the insertion of user identification information into the transaction approval message sent to the merchant. A payment request is forwarded to the payment system, which maintains the proxy card account and determines whether the transaction violates a user-defined rule. If the transaction is declined by the issuer that maintains the financial account, or the payment system for violation of a user-defined rule, the payment system sends a real-time message to the user. The user is prompted to override the rule causing the transaction to be declined or to select a new account to process the transaction. Once the payment system receives authorization for the transaction, it inserts the user identification information in an approval message before transmitting the approval to the merchant.

1 . A computer-implemented method for providing a merchant with user information using a single proxy account to access multiple financial accounts, comprising:
 receiving, by a computer, a payment request from a merchant for a purchase by a user from the merchant, the first payment request comprising information identifying a payment account maintained by a payment system and an amount of the purchase;   authorizing, by the computer, the payment request;   inserting, by the computer, a user identification into a payment authorization for the first payment request;   notifying, by the computer, the merchant of the authorization of the payment request, the authorization of the payment request comprising an authorization for the payment account maintained by the payment system and the user identification; and   initiating, by the computer, a payment to the merchant for the at least the portion of the amount of the purchase.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the user identification comprises an electronic mail address for the user. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the user identification comprises a telephone number for the user. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the user identification comprises a mailing address for the user. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising the merchant collecting the user identification. 
     
     
         6 . A computer program product, comprising:
 a computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for providing a merchant with user information using single proxy account to access multiple financial accounts, the computer-readable medium comprising:
 computer-readable program code for receiving a payment request from a merchant for a purchase by a user from the merchant, the first payment request comprising information identifying a payment account maintained by a payment system and an amount of the purchase; 
 computer-readable program code for authorizing the payment request; 
 computer-readable program code for inserting a user identification into a payment authorization for the first payment request; and 
 computer-readable program code for notifying the merchant of the authorization of the payment request, the authorization of the first payment request comprising an authorization for the payment account maintained by the payment system and the user identification. 
   
     
     
         7 . The computer program product of  claim 6 , further comprising computer-readable program code for initiating a payment to the merchant for the at least the portion of the amount of the purchase. 
     
     
         8 . The computer program product of  claim 6 , wherein the user identification comprises an electronic mail address for the user. 
     
     
         9 . The computer program product of  claim 6 , wherein the user identification comprises a telephone number for the user. 
     
     
         10 . The computer program product of  claim 6 , wherein the user identification comprises a mailing address for the user. 
     
     
         11 . A system for providing a merchant with user information using single proxy account to access multiple financial accounts, the system comprising:
 one or more information processing units for executing programs; and   an engine executable on the one or more information processing units, the engine comprising:
 instructions for receiving a payment request from a merchant for a purchase by a user from the merchant, the first payment request comprising information identifying a payment account maintained by a payment system and an amount of the purchase; 
 instructions for authorizing the payment request; 
 instructions for inserting a user identification into a payment authorization for the first payment request; and 
 instructions for notifying the merchant of the authorization of the first payment request, the authorization of the payment request comprising an authorization for the payment account maintained by the payment system and the user identification. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the engine further comprises instructions for receiving a payment authorization from the issuer authorizing the new payment request to charge the at least a portion of the amount of the purchase to the determined financial account. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the engine further comprises instructions for initiating a payment to the merchant for the at least the portion of the amount of the purchase. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the user identification comprises an electronic mail address for the user. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the user identification comprises a telephone number for the user. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the user identification comprises a mailing address for the user.