Patent ID: 7742986

Claim:
A method for converting a first financial institution account for a customer, the first financial institution account with a first financial institution and being associated with a payment association, the method comprising: receiving a request to convert the first financial institution account; determining for the customer a list of possible financial institutions that are associated with the payment association, using a financial institution list stored in a database; establishing a second financial institution account for the customer with a second financial institution in the list of possible financial institutions, wherein the second financial institution is different from the first financial institution; linking, by logic implemented in hardware, the second financial institution account to an account the customer has with the payment association, wherein the account the customer has with the payment association comprises a new account established by the customer's existing payment association; and retaining any accrued benefits for the customer with the payment association via the second financial institution account, wherein the customer is able to accrue additional benefits in addition to any accrued benefits with the payment association via the second financial institution account, wherein the additional benefits are added to the accrued benefits.