Patent ID: RE38801

Claim:
A method of paying bills using a telecommunications line connectable to at least one remote payment card network via a payee's agent's system, wherein a caller begins session using a telecommunications line to initiate a spontaneous payment transaction to a payee, the method comprising the steps of: prompting the caller to enter an account number identifying an account of a payor with the payee in connection with the payment transaction; prompting the caller to enter a payment number selected from one or more choices of credit or debit forms of payment; prompting the caller to enter a payment amount for the payment transaction; upon a payment amount being entered and during the session, accessing a remote payment network associated with the entered payment number, the accessed remote payment network determining, during the session, whether sufficient available credit or funds exist in an account associated with the entered payment number to complete the payment transaction, and responsive to a determination that sufficient available credit or funds exist in the associated account, charging the entered payment amount against the account associated with the entered payment number, adding the entered payment amount to an account associated with the entered account number, informing the caller that the payment transaction has been authorized, and storing the account number, payment number and payment amount in a transaction log file of the system.