Patent ID: 8589296

Claim:
A server system for administering pre-paid payment instruments via a distributed computing system, the server system comprising: a payment processor operable to receive from a purchaser, via a purchaser device communicatively coupled to the distributed computing system, a payment input, a designated recipient, an expiration time and expiration criteria for a pre-paid payment instrument, the payment processor being further operable to associate the designated recipient and the expiration time and expiration criteria with a pre-paid payment instrument, associate an identifier and a value with the pre-paid payment instrument, and store in a memory device the identifier and the value with the pre-paid payment instrument and the expiration time and expiration criteria; an issue engine operable to issue to the designated recipient a representation of the pre-paid payment instrument, the representation enabling the designated recipient to use the pre-paid payment instrument; a tracking engine operable to track the expiration time and expiration criteria for the pre-paid payment instrument, the tracking engine being further operable to track use of the pre-paid payment instrument; and a redemption engine operable to, responsive to completion of the expiration time and expiration criteria, automatically return to the purchaser at least a portion of an unused value, if any, of the pre-paid payment instrument.