System and Method for Electronic Bill Pay and Presentment

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed enabling a customer payor to make payment to a payee in a networked environment using a credit card, revolving credit, or other credit account. The payment system may provide for online receipt and review of bills, and may allow a customer payor to optionally select one or more alternative secondary accounts for payment in the event that payment cannot be made from a primary credit account. The secondary account may be another credit account, a checking account, a brokerage account, or another type of account. Actual payment may be accomplished by electronic settlement of a credit transaction, electronic funds transfer, or by printing and physically delivering a paper check. A customer payor using the system and method may receive notification concerning the success or failure of the transaction.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 62 . (canceled) 
     
     
         63 . A method for enabling a payor to make one or more online payments to one or more payees using a payment system which enables the payor to make bill payments using a credit card account, of the payor, to payees who do not accept credit card payments, the method comprising:
 providing the payor with access to an online payment system operated by a payment administrator, the online payment system operative to process payment to a payee regardless of whether the payee has agreed to use said online payment system;   displaying to the payor, by way of a user terminal, a bill owed to the payee who does not accept credit card payments for the bill;   receiving a bill payment instruction from the terminal, the bill payment instruction comprising information to identify a credit card account of the payor;   charging the credit card account of the payor an amount corresponding to the bill owed to the payee;   causing a payment to be made from the payment administrator to the payee by a payment mechanism not using the credit card account of the payor,   thereby allowing the payee to receive a non-credit card payment for the bill while the payor is charged against the payor's credit card account.   
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the online payment system is operative to pay a payee without an electronic interface to the payee. 
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein causing the payment to be made comprises at least one of: electronic funds transfer into an account of the payee, and printing a paper check and causing the paper check to be delivered to an address of the payee by the online payment system. 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein receiving the bill payment instruction comprises receiving identification of at least one secondary account to be used in the event that a payment transaction cannot be completed from the credit card account. 
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein incentives are credited based on use of the credit card account in connection with the payment. 
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 63  wherein the payment administrator comprises the financial institution that issued the credit card account. 
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the payor is provided with access to the online payment system via a browser-equipped device. 
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the payment comprises a payment scheduled by the payor for a future date. 
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the bill payment instruction comprises an instruction for a recurring payment. 
     
     
         72 . A method for a payor to make one or more online payments using an online payment system which enables the payor to make bill payments using, a credit card account, to payees who accept credit cards as well as to payees who do not accept credit cards, the method comprising:
 providing the payor with access to the online payment system operated by a payment administrator, the online payment system operative to process payment to a payee regardless of whether the payee has agreed to receive payment through said online payment system, wherein the online payment system is operative to pay the payee without an electronic interface to the payee;   presenting to the payor a payment mode of operation for payment of a bill owed the payee that does not accept payment by credit card, the payment mode comprising:
 identifying the bill due to the payee, the payee being one that does not accept payment from credit card accounts, the identifying comprising at least one of:
 (a) presenting to the payor, by way of a user terminal, the bill owed to the payee, and 
 (b) receiving from the payor, by way of the user terminal, information to identify an amount owed to the payee, the bill not being presented to the payor by way of the user terminal; 
 
   receiving a bill payment instruction, the bill payment instruction comprising information to identify a credit card account of the payor;   causing a payment to be made from the payment administrator to the payee by a payment mechanism not using the credit card account; and   charging the credit card account of the payor for the payment.   
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 72 , wherein the online payment system is further operative to receive and process online payment instructions for both bills received online and bills received off-line. 
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 72 , wherein the payment administrator that operates the online payment system comprises the financial institution that issued the credit card account. 
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 72 , wherein receiving the bill payment instruction comprises receiving identification of at least one secondary account to be used in the event that the payment cannot be completed from the credit card account. 
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 75 , wherein the at least one secondary account comprises a non-credit card account. 
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 72 , wherein incentives are credited based on use of the credit card account in connection with the payment. 
     
     
         78 . The method of  claim 72  wherein the payment mechanism comprises electronically transferring funds into a payee account owned by the payee. 
     
     
         79 . A system for a payor to make a payment to a payee who does not accept credit cards, the system comprising a memory for storing instructions and a processor for executing the instructions, which instructions when executed cause the processor to:
 provide the payor with access to an online payment interface operated by a payment administrator, the online payment interface operative to process payment to the payee regardless of whether the payee has agreed to receive payment through said online payment interface;   present to the payor a bill owed to the payee;   receive a bill payment data set comprising information to identify a credit card account of the payor;   request authorization for a credit card transaction on said credit card account;   cause a payment to be made from the payment administrator to the payee from the credit card account of the payor; and   charge the credit card account an amount corresponding to the payment.   
     
     
         80 . The system of  claim 79 , wherein the online payment system is operative to pay the payee without an electronic interface to the payee. 
     
     
         81 . The system of  claim 79 , wherein the payment administrator comprises the financial institution that issued the credit card account. 
     
     
         82 . The system of  claim 79 , wherein the payment mechanism comprises electronically transferring funds into a payee account owned by the payee. 
     
     
         83 . The system of  claim 79 , wherein the online payment interface is accessed via a browser-equipped device. 
     
     
         84 . The system of  claim 79 , wherein the payment comprises a payment scheduled by the payor for a future date. 
     
     
         85 . The system of  claim 79 , wherein the payment instruction comprises an instruction for a recurring payment.