Patent ID: 7156294

Claim:
A method for provision of prepaid services, comprising the steps of: (a) providing service specific tickets, each ticket being valid for incremental quantity of services at any one of a plurality of service providers, incremental quantity being measured in terms of number of times of use of the ticket; and (b) enabling a variable rate redemption of the ticket for service provided by one of the plurality of service providers, by: allowing a ticket-holder to select one of the service providers among the plurality of service providers for redemption in exchange for a unit use of a desired service from said selected service provider; upon presentation of the ticket by the ticket-holder to the selected service provider, debiting a price set by the selected service provider for the desired service, wherein price debited for said service by at least certain of said service providers being different from price debited by others of said service providers for the same said service, such that the ticket is redeemed at a variable rate among the plurality of service providers for said same service; effecting payment at the price debited for said service by said selected service provider; and absorbing any differences in prices debited by the plurality of service providers for the same service, and optionally adjusting price of the ticket redeemable for the service.