Patent ID: 7134087

Claim:
A computerized system for use by a participant of a program which awards points to the participant, wherein the awarded points are maintained in a point account for the participant, said system for permitting the participant to transact a purchase using the awarded points with a vendor system which transacts purchases in currency, said system comprising a processor including instructions for defining: an application programming interface (API) for interfacing with the vendor system; a program account hidden from the participant connected to the program for use in currency transactions; a graphical user interface (GUI) for providing an interface between the participant and the API and for communicating with the program; wherein said GUI includes instructions for receiving participant-related information from the participant and providing the received participant-related information to the API; wherein said GUI includes instructions for receiving information regarding the program account hidden from the participant and for providing the received program account information to the API; wherein said API is adapted to receive the participant-related information and the program account information from the GUI and adapted to provide the received participant-related information and the received program account information to the vendor system; wherein said API is adapted to receive vendor-related information from the vendor system and adapted to provide the received vendor-related information to the GUI; and wherein said GUI includes nstructions for receiving vendor-related information from the API and for providing the received vendor-related information to the participant; such that from the perspective of the participant, the participant uses the GUI to conduct a purchase transaction with the vendor system based in whole or in part on the points in the participant's point account; and such that from the perspective of the vendor system, the vendor system conducts the purchase transaction with the participant as a currency transaction based on the program's program account hidden from the participant whereby the participant is not aware that the purchase transaction with the vendor system is being transacted using program account.