Patent ID: 8589226

Claim:
A method of providing a merchant funded incentive rebate or awards program, the method comprising: enrolling at least one participating member account with enrolled member information being stored in memory, the enrolled account capable of being used to make both internet based purchases with participating online merchants and point-of-sale purchases at a participating merchant's place of business; having at least one participating merchant in the program funding merchant incentive rebates or awards for qualifying purchases by a participating member using a member's enrolled account; receiving account purchase transaction information from at least one processor belonging to a tracking entity, the at least one processor being located at a location or locations other than the location of a participating merchant, and said at least one processor tracking account purchases to provide account purchase transaction information, said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one participating merchant in the program; monitoring all of said account purchase transaction information being provided by the at least one processor belonging to a tracking entity, said account purchase transaction information including account purchase transaction information of at least one participating merchant in the program, and correlating said account purchase transaction information with stored enrolled member identifying information using at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of a participating merchant; determining, via at least one processor that is located at a location or locations other than the location of a participating merchant, whether or not a purchase transaction is with a particular participating merchant using an enrolled member account, and whether said purchase transaction is a qualifying purchase entitling the participating member to a participating merchant funded incentive rebate or award; and calculating, using at least one processor located at a location or locations other than the location of a participating merchant, an incentive rebate or award due an enrolled member for a qualifying purchase with a participating merchant, based upon an established formula or participating merchant sales incentive.