Patent ID: 8245910

Claim:
A computerized method for activating and issuing stored-value cards over a communications network directly to the cardholder on behalf of a merchant, the method comprising: storing in a central information database stored-value cardholder and card purchaser information and card purchasing requests received directly from respective stored-value cardholders and card purchasers through a central processor via respective communication gateways; coupling said central processor for data communications to multiple unaffiliated stored-value card processing networks, each network including a stored-value card processor coupled to a stored-value card database, and multiple respective merchant communication devices; and in response to a card purchaser request, immediately electronically activating and issuing a stored value card from the central processor to the cardholder over the Internet and managing the interface transactions and activities originated by a cardholder for the stored-value cards through said unaffiliated networks by said central processor.