Patent ID: 7311249

Claim:
A method of conducting a PIN-enabled stored value account return transaction, comprising: receiving a return request for an activated stored value account having an associated value purchased in a previous transaction, wherein the return request comprises information associated with the PIN-enabled stored value account, and wherein a PIN is associated with the stored value account and is operative to credit a customer account with a provider of goods or services with the associated value; determining whether the associated value has been credited to the customer account; providing a response to the return request; determining a refund amount, comprising: responsive to a determination that the none of the associated value has not been credited to the customer account, setting the refund amount equal to the associated value; and responsive to a determination that any portion of the associated value has been credited to the customer account, setting the refund amount to zero; deactivating the stored value account and associated PIN upon a determination that the value has not been credited to the customer account; and making the stored value account available for resale.