Patent ID: 7577585

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving using a computer, at a financial account issuer, an initial authorization request, said initial authorization request including transaction information identifying a transaction including merchant information, an account identifier corresponding to a said financial account, and a transaction amount; identifying, using said computer, a pre-authorization record associated with said account identifier and corresponding to a predetermined purchase transaction; determining, using said computer, that said transaction information complies with authorization criteria including a pre-authorized amount in said pre-authorization record and said merchant information related to a merchant; facilitating, using said computer, communicating an authorization message from said financial account issuer to said merchant; determining, using said computer, based on said transaction information, that said transaction involves a partial shipment; and, in response to said transaction involving said partial shipment: calculating, using said computer, a new pre-authorized amount based upon a predetermined rule comprising reducing said pre-authorized amount by at least a portion of said transaction amount; using said computer, at least one of: updating said pre-authorization record with said new pre-authorized amount or creating a new pre-authorization record comprising said new pre-authorized amount.