Patent ID: 7464861

Claim:
A method for providing a credit card system, the method comprising the steps of: providing a credit line to a user, the credit line having an overall credit limit amount representing the total available credit accessible to a credit card holder; identifying a plurality of predetermined vendor groups; identifying a plurality of predetermined vendors; associating each predetermined vendor with one or more of the vendor groups; providing an exchange station to a user; providing a plurality of sub-accounts to the user, each sub-account being created at the request of the user through the exchange station; assigning each of the plurality of sub-accounts a subaccount credit limit amount apportioned from the overall credit limit amount; associating each of the sub-accounts with one or more of the vendor groups, wherein a payment authorization from a vendor is debited from a sub-account associated with the vendor group with which the vendor is associated; and handling payment authorization for a transaction from a vendor associated with a vendor group which is associated with sub-account through the exchange station.