Patent ID: 7885854

Claim:
A method for a merchant to receive advertisements issued by a financial card institution for full or partial compensation from said financial card institution for financial card product or service account sign-ups of end users generated by said merchant using account applications for said account sign ups, comprising: (a) providing on a computer network a computer readable file comprising said advertisements for said merchant; (b) storing on a computer network said computer readable file on a computer readable medium; (c) providing on a computer network a merchant code that cross references said merchant code to said advertisements associated with said account applications, (d) distributing said account applications comprising said merchant code; (e) processing, on a computer network, redeemed applications comprising said merchant code; (f) establishing on a computer network said accounts for said end users based on said processing of said redeemed account applications comprising said merchant code; and (g) issuing communications to said end users of said accounts, where said communications comprise said advertisements, wherein said merchant does not co-brand a financial card with said financial card institution or wherein said merchant does not issue or sponsor a private label credit card.