Patent ID: 7983966

Claim:
A system for facilitating a tax refund to a consumer for a set of purchases, the system comprising a central database, wherein the system is configured to: receive, at the central database via a network, purchase information from a first set of terminals remote to the central database, wherein the purchase information includes purchase details regarding the set of purchases by the consumer, wherein the purchase information includes an information carrier reference located on a portable information carrier; store, in the central database, electronic records for the set of purchases, wherein the electronic records include the purchase details and the information carrier reference; receive, at the central database via the network, a purchase information retrieval request from a second terminal distinct from the first set of terminals, wherein the purchase information retrieval request includes the information carrier reference; responsive to the purchase information retrieval request, retrieve all electronic records from the central database that are associated with the information carrier reference; provide a response from the central database to the second terminal via the network, wherein the response is based on the retrieved electronic records and indicates the set of purchases made by the consumer, and wherein the response facilitates a determination whether payment of the tax refund to the consumer is approved; receive, at the central database via the network, the determination whether payment of the tax refund to the consumer is approved; store the determination in the central database; receive, at the central database via the network, a request for the tax refund from a refund point; based upon the stored determination indicating that the payment of the tax refund has been approved, send an authorization to pay the tax refund to the consumer; and store, in central database, an indication that payment of the tax refund has been authorized.