Patent ID: 8458020

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a processor; and a data storage device, the data storage device storing instructions that when executed by the processor direct the processor to: select, from a plurality of transaction records, a transaction record associated with a credit card account of an account holder, in which the transaction record includes an indication of an amount due, from the account holder to a credit card issuer of the credit card account, for a previous purchase completed by the account holder with a first merchant, in which the previous purchase was completed by applying the previous purchase against the credit card account; generate a billing statement for the account holder, the billing statement including: an indication of the amount due from the account holder to the credit card issuer for the previous completed purchase and an indication of an acquisition offer, in which the acquisition offer comprises a promise from a second merchant to pay at least a portion of the amount due from the account holder to the credit card issuer in exchange for the account holder agreeing to spend at least a predetermined minimum amount of money as a customer of the second merchant in at least one future purchase; transmit the billing statement to the account holder; receive an indication of acceptance by the account holder of the acquisition offer; and transmit to the second merchant an indication of the acceptance of the acquisition offer, in which the indication includes information identifying the account holder.