Patent ID: 7066383

Claim:
A method for provision of prepaid services, comparing the steps of: (a) distribution and sale of one-time-use tickets, each possessing a substantially unique identification code and representing an initial value to be remitted for a single use of a desired service, each said ticket to be valid for a single use at any one of a plurality of service providers; (b) purchase of at least one said ticket by a customer; (c) activation of said ticket by a seller thereof, said activation comprising communication with a ticket information manager that a particular ticket has been sold and validation by the ticket information manager of the unique identification code of the ticket; (d) transfer of a predetermined amount from the purchase price in favor of a ticketing program manager; (e) presentation of the ticket by a ticket-holder to one of the plurality of service providers for redemption in exchange for a single use of the desired service from said one of the service providers, said one of the service providers being selected by the ticket-holder among the plurality of service providers; (f) wherein the ticket is redeemable at any one of said plurality of service providers for said single use, although a price debited for said service by at least certain of said service providers is different from a price debited by others of said service providers for the same said service; (e) confirmation by the service provider of the ticket's validity with the ticket information manager; and (h) payment by the ticketing program manager, at the price debited for said service by said one of said service providers, in favor of the service provider for the single use of the service; further comprising (i) permitting optional purchase of additional incremental credit above a base ticket value on the ticket by the customer, said purchase comprising communicating an additional purchased value to the ticketing program manager and payment in favor of the ticketing program manager therefore, and presentation of the ticket by a ticket-holder to one of a plurality of service providers in exchange for use of the provider's service where the price debited for said service by said service provider can be higher than the base ticket value, wherein said additional incremental credit is also useable to redeem services from the service provider when the ticket is presented for use on a given occasion, and wherein the ticket user can check a ticket status with the ticket information manager through a telephone connection to an interactive voice response processor having access to stored ticket data and where the ticket user is not given the monetary value associated with the ticket but the number of incremental credits purchased to date.