Patent ID: 8725633

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for facilitating debit card transactions, the method comprising: issuing, by a first financial institution, a debit card to a cardholder, the debit card being associated with a financial account held at or administered by a second financial institution that is different from the first financial institution; receiving, by a merchant processor, a transaction request for a card transaction initiated by the cardholder, the transaction request indicating a mode selected from at least two available modes for processing the transaction request as specified by the cardholder, the at least two available modes including an on-line debit processing mode and an off-line debit processing mode; routing the transaction request via one or more communications networks, the one or more communication networks selected based at least in part on the specified processing mode; processing, by a transaction processor having access to a storage medium containing data associated with the debit card, the transaction request against the financial account held or administered at the second financial institution to approve or reject the transaction request; and debiting, by the transaction processor or another processor, an amount of an approved transaction request from the financial account held or administered by the second financial institution, the debiting occurring either immediately upon or subsequent to the approval.