Patent ID: 7021531

Claim:
A payment device comprising an input unit for receiving first data taken from a medium and identifying a user who will proceed with a payment for a purchase, said input unit arranged for connection to a first terminal to be located at a point of sale, said first terminal having a data input for receiving second data concerning said purchase, said first terminal communicating the first and second data to a second terminal placed with a financial body which is responsible for making payment on behalf of the user, a third terminal placed at a payment management center, said third terminal managing communication between the first and second terminals, said third terminal having a first calculation unit for processing payments in cash and a second calculation unit for processing payments in compensatory value from a non-financial credit accumulated by the user, said input unit being provided with a selector to indicate either a payment mode in cash or a payment mode in compensatory value and to produce a first control signal if the payment mode in cash is selected and a second control signal if the compensatory value mode is chosen, said third terminal also receiving the first and second control signals and executing payment under control of the second control signal and to transmit the first and second data to the second terminal under the control of the first control signal.