Patent ID: 8577722

Claim:
A method for enabling a loyalty program to be linked to one or more card issuers, and thereby their cardholders, by operation of a loyalty system, the loyalty system being operable to enable the creation, implementation and management of one or more loyalty programs that provide benefits to members of the loyalty programs in connection with transactions between the members and one or more merchants associated with the loyalty system, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: a. registering on the loyalty system one or more card issuers; b. registering on the loyalty system one or more merchant acquirers associated with the one or more care issuers; c. registering a plurality of the cardholders as members of the loyalty program; d. the operator of the loyalty system, the one or more card issuers, and the merchants establishing rules for accrual and processing of benefits from the merchants to cardholders associated with the one or more card issuers in connection with transactions between the cardholders and the merchants with the loyalty system; e. applying the rules to accrue and process the benefits of cardholders in connection with the transactions between the cardholders and the merchants, by operation of the loyalty system; and f. defining a survey utility capable to issue surveys to members of the loyalty system; and g. paying the benefits to the card issuers so that the card issuers may optionally retain a portion of the benefits, whereby an additional source of revenue is provided to the card issuers.