Patent ID: 7174314

Claim:
A method for distributing a stored value card comprising: receiving a payment of funds from a customer, wherein the payment is for the purchase of a stored value card by the customer; receiving authentication information associated with the stored value card; creating an independent and separate stored value card account associated with the stored value card, comprising: a) a balance based on a payment of funds; b) the stored value card authentication information; and c) stored value card account information; wherein the customer is provided with the option of identifying the customer or a separate person as a recipient; passing stored value card account creation information from a stored value card account vending entity to a central processor; storing the balance, the stored value card authentication information and the stored value card account information in a database; marking the name of the recipient on the stored value card before issuance; issuing the stored value card to the recipient; activating the stored value card; and reloading the stored value card upon receiving a reload request.