System and method for providing extra lines of credit

Abstract

A system and method for upgrading existing credit cards with additional lines of credit is disclosed. Credit information associated with customers holding credit cards issued by a credit card issuer are analyzed to determine a level of risk associated with each customer. One or more extra line of credit may be established for selected customers based on the determined level of risk associated with each customer. Each extra credit line may be exclusively associated with a selected set of vendors that have a partnership agreement with the credit card issuer. The credit card issuer may allow customers to select vendors to be associated with the extra credit line or may automatically choose vendors for selected customers. Customers with established extra credit lines may purchase goods and/or service directly from vendor sites or at the credit card issuer's web sites. Purchases at selected vendor sites may be automatically applied to a customer's newly established extra credit line. Additionally, a customer may choose to apply purchases to their extra credit lines or their primary line of credit

1 - 84 . (canceled) 
     
     
         85 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 receiving, by a computer, credit information associated with a set of customers, wherein each customer in the set of customers has a credit card account issued by a credit card issuer;   determining, by the computer, a target group of customers from the set of customers based on credit information;   presenting, using the computer, an offer for an extra credit line to each customer in the target group of customers;   activating, using the computer, at least one extra credit line for the credit card account of each customer in the target group of customers;   processing, using the computer, responses to the offer from customers in the target group of customers;   notifying, using the computer, each customer that agreed to the extra credit offer of an activated status of the at least one extra credit line associated with the credit card account of the customer; and   deactivating, using the computer, the at leas' one extra credit line for the credit card account of each customer in the target group of customers that declines the extra credit offer.   
     
     
         86 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein the target group of customers includes at least one web site customer that has accessed a web site offered by the credit card issuer, and wherein presenting the offer includes:
 presenting the offer on a page included in the web site; and   receiving a response from the at least one web site customer through the web site,   and further wherein notifying each customer that agreed to the extra credit offer includes presenting a message indicating the activated status of the at least one extra credit line on another web page.   
     
     
         87 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein processing responses includes:
 associating at least one vendor with the at least one extra credit line activated for the credit card account of each customer that agreed to the extra credit offer, wherein the at least one extra credit line may only be used for purchases that are associated with the at least one vendor.   
     
     
         88 . The method of  claim 87 , wherein associating at least one vendor with the at least one extra credit line activated for the credit card account of each customer that agreed to the extra credit offer further includes:
 determining a set of vendors for the at least one extra credit line activated for the credit card account of each customer that agreed to the extra credit offer; and   adding the set of vendors to a customer vendor table associated with each customer that agreed to the extra credit offer.   
     
     
         89 . The method of  claim 88 , where n determining the set of vendors further includes:
 presenting, to each customer that agreed to the extra credit offer, a list of vendors, and   receiving, from each customer that agreed to the extra credit offer, vendors selected from the list of vendors.   
     
     
         90 . The method of  claim 89 , wherein the list of vendors is presented to each customer that agreed to the extra credit offer based on a customer profile of the customer. 
     
     
         91 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein the at least one extra credit line includes a first extra credit line and a second extra credit line, and wherein the first extra credit line may only be used for transactions that are associated with a first vendor, and the second extra credit line may only be used for transactions associated with a second vendor. 
     
     
         92 . The method of  claim 85 , wherein deactivation of the at least one extra credit line for the credit card account of each customer in the target group of customers that declines the extra credit offer occurs on an expiration date. 
     
     
         93 . A system comprising:
 at least one processor; and   at least one memory containing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
 initiating a session between a customer device and a server system providing a web site; 
 sending transaction information associated with a customer to a credit card issuer system while maintaining the session between the customer device and the server system, wherein the credit card issuer system is associated with a credit card issuer that issued a credit card account to the customer to perform purchase transactions; 
 determining whether to add an extra credit line to the credit card account; 
 sending an offer to the customer device to add an extra line of credit to the credit card account; 
 activating the extra line of credit for the credit card account; 
 receiving a response to the offer from the customer device; 
 receiving authorization information from the credit card issuer system; 
 completing a purchase transaction based on the authorization information; 
 wherein the purchase transaction is applied to the extra line of credit for the credit card account when the response indicates acceptance of the offer; and wherein the extra credit line for the credit card account of the customer is deactivated when the response indicates refusal of the offer. 
   
     
     
         94 . The system of  claim 93 , wherein the purchase transaction is applied to a general line of credit associated with the credit card account when the response indicates refusal of the offer. 
     
     
         95 . The system of  claim 93 , wherein the extra credit line for the credit card account is deactivated on an expiration date when the response indicates refusal of the offer. 
     
     
         96 . The system of  claim 93 , wherein the authorization information includes a balance associated with the extra credit line. 
     
     
         97 . The system of  claim 93 , the operations further comprising:
 notifying the customer whether the extra line of credit has been added to the credit card account.   
     
     
         98 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 receiving credit information associated with a credit card account of a credit card account customer, wherein the credit card account includes a general purpose credit line and at least one extra credit line;   determining payment options for the credit card account customer from the credit information;   presenting the payment options to the credit card account customer;   receiving a credit card account customer response;   processing the credit card account customer response;   determining a payment plan from the processed response and determined payment options; and   notifying the credit card account customer of the determined payment plan.   
     
     
         99 . The method of  claim 98 , wherein the payment options are presented to the credit card account customer on a page of a web site; and wherein the credit card account customer response is received from the credit card account customer through the web site. 
     
     
         100 . The method of  claim 98 , wherein the payment options include at least one of applying a payment to the general purpose credit line, and applying a predetermined proportion of the payment to the general purpose credit line. 
     
     
         101 . The method of  claim 100 , wherein the payment options presented to the credit card account customer further include a customer drafted payment plan option. 
     
     
         102 . The method of  claim 101  wherein processing the credit card account customer response includes determining whether the credit card account customer selected an appropriate payment plan based on the payment options and received credit information. 
     
     
         103 . The method of  claim 102 , wherein the determined payment plan is a default fixed or proportional amount when the credit card account customer does not select the appropriate payment plan. 
     
     
         104 . The method of  claim 102 , wherein the determined payment plan is a default fixed or proportional amount when the credit card account customer response is not received within a set time period.