Patent ID: 7546266

Claim:
A method for pre-screening customer data of a customer by a selling entity at a point of sale location, comprising: receiving said customer data at a point of sale system; and during the course of a single check out process at said point of sale location: transmitting said customer data to a server; searching a database for said customer data; performing a credit worthiness check to determine a credit pre-approval of said customer, said performing is done using a result of said searching and without knowledge of and uninitiated by said customer; providing said customer with an invitation to open a charge account, wherein said providing of said invitation comprises offering said customer an incentive to accept said invitation through at least one of a discount for a purchase and a reduced interest rate; opening said charge account upon acceptance of said invitation by said customer; and selectively executing a charge purchase during said check out process at said point of sale system using said opened charge account.