Billing statement customer acquisition system

Abstract

Some described embodiments provide for selecting (e.g., by a server computer from a plurality of transaction records), a transaction record associated with a financial account of an account holder. In one example, the transaction record includes an indication of an amount due, by the account holder, for a previous purchase completed by the account holder with a first merchant. Some embodiments provide further for generating a billing statement for the account holder, the billing statement including an indication of the amount due by the account holder for the previous completed purchase and an indication of an acquisition offer, in which the acquisition offer comprises a promise from a second merchant to pay at least a portion of the amount due by the account holder, and transmitting the billing statement to the account holder.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 a computer-readable memory storing information about user accounts, wherein the information comprises a user rating or characteristic and an account identifier; and   one or more processors configured to:   receive, via an electronic communication network from a user device of a user or a merchant device of a merchant, information about a purchase transaction between the user and the merchant;   determine an offer for the user based, at least in part, on a rating of the user, wherein the rating is based, at least in part, on a frequency or rate with which the user transacts with the merchant;   generate an electronic billing statement listing purchases made by the user, wherein the electronic billing statement including the offer for the user and an option selectable by the user to accept the offer; and   transmit, via the electronic communication network, the electronic billing statement to the device of the user to be displayed on the device of the user.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the option is selectable by the user directly from the electronic billing statement to accept the offer without leaving the electronic billing statement and wherein the offer is redeemable by the user in exchange for the user agreeing to become a customer of a service provider. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
 receive an acceptance of the offer via the electronic communication network from the device of the user; and   communicate a notification via the electronic communication network to a benefactor of the offer regarding the acceptance.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the offer pays for at least a portion of a balance of the electronic billing statement. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the offer provides the user an option to postpone a due date for the user to make a payment for the purchase transaction. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the offer provides the user an option to extend a grace period for the user to make a payment without incurring additional charges for the purchase transaction. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the offer pays for a minimum payment of the electronic billing statement on behalf of the user. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the offer is determined based on a credit history of the user. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the offer is determined based on a number of friends the user refers to the merchant. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the offer is determined based on a type of purchase. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the offer is determined based on one or more previously offers accepted by the user. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the offer is determined based on a time or date of the purchase transaction. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the offer requires an obligation from the user. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the offer comprises providing a product or service to the user. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the offer requires the user to spend a minimum dollar amount with an entity in exchange for the entity paying an amount owed by the user. 
     
     
         16 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions which when executed by one or more processors of a server are adapted to cause the server to perform a method comprising:
 receiving, via an electronic communication network from a user device of a user or a merchant device of a merchant, information about a purchase transaction between the user and the merchant;   determining an offer for the user based, at least in part, on a rating of the user, wherein the rating is based, at least in part, on a frequency or rate with which the user transacts with the merchant;   generating an electronic billing statement listing purchases made by the user, wherein the electronic billing statement including the offer for the user and an option selectable by the user to accept the offer; and   transmitting, via the electronic communication network, the electronic billing statement to the device of the user to be displayed on the device of the user.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the offer requires the user to spend a minimum dollar amount with an entity in exchange for the entity paying an amount owed by the user. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the offer provides the user an option to postpone a due date for the user to make a payment for the purchase transaction. 
     
     
         19 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, via an electronic communication network from a user device of a user or a merchant device of a merchant, information about a purchase transaction between the user and the merchant;   determining an offer for the user based, at least in part, on a rating of the user, wherein the rating is based, at least in part, on a frequency or rate with which the user transacts with the merchant;   generating an electronic billing statement listing purchases made by the user, wherein the electronic billing statement including the offer for the user and an option selectable by the user to accept the offer; and   transmitting, via the electronic communication network, the electronic billing statement to the device of the user to be displayed on the device of the user.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising:
 receiving an acceptance of the offer via the electronic communication network from the device of the user; and 
 communicating a notification via the electronic communication network to a benefactor of the offer regarding the acceptance.