Patent ID: 7716128

Claim:
A method for prepaying for a stored value account in order for an unbanked customer to purchase goods or services from a consumer provider using the stored value account rather than a bank account of the customer, the method comprising: receiving at a host computer of a payment service provider a set of identifiers that are associated with a stored value account, wherein the identifiers comprise routing numbers recognized by an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfer system; at a terminal system, calculating a payment amount that comprises at least one of a stored value amount, a service fee and a tax; entering into the terminal system payment information that includes the payment amount and transmitting the payment information to the host computer; at the host computer, associating the payment information with one of the identifiers; transmitting from the host computer to the terminal system the identifier; printing a receipt having at least some of the payment information and at least some of the identifier; electronically transmitting from the host computer to the consumer provider the payment information; performing an ACH transfer request from the host computer to electronically deposit at least some of the payment amount in a bank account of the consumer provider; and debiting the stored value account based on presentment of the identifier to the consumer provider.