Patent ID: 7010512

Claim:
A method performed by a transfer instrument issuer comprising: acquiring a plurality of charge accounts, from an account issuer, of a type normally issued with an associated physically producible card which may be presented as evidence of an existing charge account, the physically producible cards bearing human readable account numbers and expiration dates, the plurality of charge accounts being capable of being gifted to a party, after acquisition; receiving a request from a first party to gift a charge account to a second party having a name, without both the issuance and provision of a physical card for the charge account to the second party, the first party and the second party being different from each other the charge account being usable in the name of the second party at any merchant, unrelated to the transfer instrument issuer, who is capable of seeking authorization, using an authorization infrastructure, for purchases involving charge accounts for which the physically producible cards are issued, whether or not the physical cards evidencing the accounts are presented by purchasers when a purchase is made; accepting an account parameter selected by the first party, informing the second party of the account by sending an e-mail to the second party, the e- mail containing a greeting selected by the first party and directing the second party to perform a specified action in order to cause an activation of the account with the transfer instrument issuer; activating the account for usage by the second party according to the account parameter; receiving an indication that the second party has made a purchase from a merchant, unrelated to the transfer instrument issuer entity, using the account; and undertaking a settling transaction involving the account with the issuing bank after the usage of the account by the second party without involvement of the first party.