Methods for Providing Digital Incentives Including a Digital Incentives Switch for Matching Transactions and Incentives

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing digital incentives or financial offsets including the steps of: providing a financial platform operable on a server computer and at least one database in electronic, digital communication over a network, the financial platform operable for financial services transactions; providing a database of profile data for the at least one user; developing a digital incentive program for stimulating financial transactions by at least one user, the digital incentive program including profile factors from the profile data of the at least one user; automatically providing at least one digital incentive to corresponding of the at least one user, the at least one digital incentive available for a redemption by each of the users, wherein the digital incentive has an electronic financial transaction value available for the redemption on any electronic financial transaction media, and wherein the redemption of the electronic financial transaction value of the digital incentive does not occur at a merchant level of the financial transactions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for issuing a digital incentive for financial transaction credit as an offset to a financial account, comprising the steps of:
 providing a financial platform operable on a server computer, the financial platform operable for financial services transactions between a merchant system and a financial services system;   providing a database comprising a database of profile data for at least one financial platform cardholder;   providing, by the financial platform, a financial platform cardholder account for the at least one financial platform cardholder;   providing a digital incentives issuing system configured to administer, by one or more processors, digital incentives for stimulating financial transactions by the least one financial platform cardholder in advance of a purchase transaction with a pre-award, wherein the pre-award is a digital incentive that is automatically applied to a transaction allowing a corresponding offset or credit to the financial platform cardholder account associated with the electronic payment for the transaction, the digital incentive issuing system including profile factors for selecting recipients among financial platform cardholders and their corresponding profile data;   providing, by the digital incentive issuing system, at least a digital incentive match service and a digital incentive redeem service at the server;   presenting, by a financial messaging switch, the digital incentive issuing system with financial data and non-financial message data;   automatically comparing, by the digital incentives issuing system, financial transaction data by the server with the digital incentive and digital incentive rules for determining whether the transaction qualifies for the digital incentive to be associated with it;   if the transaction qualifies, then automatically applying at least one pre-award digital incentive to the financial platform cardholder account of the at least one cardholder, wherein the step of applying the pre-award digital incentive provides an electronic financial transaction value as a credit or financial offset to the financial platform cardholder account;   and wherein the redemption of the pre-award digital incentive does not occur at a merchant level of the financial transaction.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further including the step of providing an electronic digital credit associated with a qualification of the transaction by the digital incentives issuing system, the credit applicable through any electronic financial transaction media. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the digital incentive issuing system is operable for the steps of:
 matching a transaction and at least one pre-award digital incentive; and   applying the at least one pre-award digital incentive at the time a financial transaction is authorized by the financial platform to reduce the transaction charged to the financial platform cardholder's account.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the digital incentive issuing system is operable for the steps of:
 matching the transaction and available pre-award digital incentives by matching transaction profile factors with the transaction profile data and applying the at least one pre-award digital incentive independently of an authorization for the financial transaction by an issuing processor.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of applying the at least one pre-award digital incentive is activated at an issuing processor level within the financial platform and reduces the total charged to the financial platform cardholder's account. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further including the step of extracting data relating to the financial transaction at the issuing processor level within the financial platform. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further including the step of providing a digital incentives cardholder data database at an issuing level within the financial platform. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further including the step of storing information relating to the match of the transaction profile factors and the profile data in the digital incentive cardholder data database. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the financial services transactions include debit, credit, and prepaid electronic payment cards, wireless digital electronic device transactions, and bank account transactions. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the financial services transactions are electronic financial transactions. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further including the step of providing an interactive user interface on a website operable for access by the at least one financial platform cardholder to manage the at least one financial platform cardholder's pre-award digital incentives. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein a website provides information about the number and type of pre-award digital incentives available for each of the at least one financial platform cardholder. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein a website provides information about the number and type of pre-award digital incentives previously applied for each of the at least one financial platform cardholder. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further including the step of providing real-time statistical modeling and analysis based on tracking and feedback associated with the application of the pre-award digital incentives. 
     
     
         15 . A digital incentives system comprising:
 a server computer;   a database comprising profile data for a plurality of financial platform cardholders;   a financial platform configured to provide financial services transactions to financial platform cardholders, the financial platform configured to interact with the database; and   a pre-award digital incentive program operable within the financial platform and the server computer for stimulating financial transactions by the financial platform cardholders, the pre-award digital incentive program including profile factors for matching with the profile data of the financial platform cardholders and automatically providing at least one digital incentive to corresponding financial platform cardholders, the at least one pre-award digital incentive available for a use by each of the financial platform cardholders after the server computer, comprising a pre-award digital incentive processor, confirms a match, the pre-award digital incentive having an electronic transaction value configured for use on any electronic financial transaction media, and wherein the user of the electronic transaction value of the pre-award digital incentive does not occur at a merchant level of the financial transaction.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the pre-award digital incentives processor is configured to determine whether a match exists between the profile factors and the profile data for at least one financial platform cardholder, and configured to apply the at least one pre-award digital incentive at a time a financial transaction is authorized by the financial platform. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the pre-award digital incentives processor is configured to determine whether the profile factors match the profile data for at least one financial platform cardholder and to apply the at least one digital incentive independently of an authorization from the financial transaction by an issuing processor. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the server computer transforms the financial transaction at a bank account level of each financial platform cardholder, applying the financial transaction value available at the time of the financial transaction as a credit to each financial platform cardholder. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the system further includes financial platform cardholder accounts that are accessible to an authorized set of selected financial platform cardholders via an interactive user interface on a website. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the pre-award digital incentives processor is configured to provide real-time statistical modeling and analysis based on tracking and feedback associated with the application of the pre-award digital incentives.