Patent ID: 8831980

Claim:
A method of loading a portable consumer device, the method comprising: providing tender at a point of service terminal operated by a load agent, the point of service terminal being in operative communication with an acquirer associated with the load agent; transmitting, by the point of service terminal, a transaction authorization request to the acquirer, wherein the acquirer thereafter transmits the transaction authorization request to an issuer of the portable consumer device via a payment processing network configured to process debit and credit account transactions, wherein the transaction authorization request comprises a prepaid load transaction code in a data field that indicates that the transaction being conducted is a prepaid load transaction instead of a normal debit or a credit account transaction, and wherein the issuer thereafter generates a load response message indicating that the issuer authorizes the transaction authorization request; receiving, by the point of service terminal, the load response message from the acquirer, the load response message being transmitted from the issuer to the acquirer via the payment processing network; and loading or reloading, by the point of service terminal, the portable consumer device with an amount associated with the tender provided at the point of service terminal, the amount associated with the tender provided at the point of service terminal being less than the tendered amount, and at least a portion of the difference between the amount associated with the tender provided at the point of sale terminal and the tendered amount being receiving by the issuer of the portable consumer device from the acquirer via the payment processing network.