Patent ID: 8255278

Claim:
A system for performing a transaction between a customer and a merchant, the system comprising: a point of sale device associated with the merchant, wherein the point of sale device is configured for communication with a mobile device associated with the customer through a first communication path using one of near field communication or BLUETOOTH connectivity to thereby communicate a transaction identification from the point of sale device to the mobile device in the course of performing the transaction; an application running on the mobile device, wherein the application comprises a check register interface configured to receive user inputs, including one or more of a merchant name, a transaction categorization, and an amount, and which is further configured to automatically populate the transaction identification into the check register interface, wherein the application is configured to receive a user input authorizing the transaction and communicate the authorization to a merchant server computing device, wherein the authorization comprises a mobile device identifier to thereby facilitate receipt of an electronic message at the mobile device; the merchant server computing device, configured to communicate with a first financial institution, the merchant server being configured to communicate one or more of the transaction identification, a merchant account number, and a routing number to the first financial institution; the application running on the mobile device further configured to receive a transaction confirmation request for the transaction from the first financial institution through a second communication path and transmit a transaction confirmation to the first financial institution in the second communication path, where the merchant, the point of sale device, and the merchant server are not in the second communication path; and at least one subsystem configured to receive a payment confirmation from the first financial institution in response to receipt of the transaction confirmation at the first financial institution, the payment confirmation confirming that funds associated with the transaction have been transferred from the first financial institution to a second financial institution associated with the merchant; wherein the point of sale device is further configured to complete the transaction at the point of sale device in accordance with the payment confirmation.