Patent ID: 7827101

Claim:
A method for a payor paying a merchant using a payment system, the method comprising: using a payment enabler having a computer processor and a database to receive account information that is usable to receive funds from a money handler in order to pay for the purchase an item from a merchant, the account information received from the payor, wherein the account information identifies an account of the payor, wherein the account information includes an account number of the payor; generating a token using the processor of the payment enabler, wherein the token comprises an electronic data file having a user identifier that identifies the payor but does not include the account number, and a merchant identifier that identifies the merchant; the payment enabler issuing the token to the merchant; the payment enabler receiving the token back from the merchant when the payor confirms that the item is to be purchased from the merchant; the payment enabler authenticating that the token was presented by the merchant by using the processor to check that the merchant identifier from the received token is the same as that previously transmitted from the payment enabler to the merchant; and transferring the payment from the payor to the merchant with the payment system.