Patent ID: 8468072

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for distributing debit cards from a sponsoring bank, the method comprising: selecting recipients for the debit cards, wherein the selected recipients have not requested the debit cards, the selected recipients including recipients not holding a bank account with the sponsoring bank; issuing, by the sponsoring bank, the debit cards as unactivated debit cards to each selected recipient, each unactivated debit card comprising embossed information, magnetic stripe information, or an electronic memory but the unactivated debit card not being associated with any underlying bank account at time of the issuing; activating the unactivated debit card subsequent to the issuing at least by using computer processing components at the sponsoring bank for associating the unactivated debit card with a demand deposit account held at a linked bank that is different from the sponsoring bank, the activation including, receiving, at the sponsoring bank, from at least one selected recipient, an underlying account number for the demand deposit account at the linked bank, and associating the underlying account number at the linked bank with an embossed account number on the unactivated debit card, the unactivated debit card containing all necessary information upon distribution for the unactivated debit card to become an activated debit card upon activation, the necessary information including the embossed account number; receiving, at an authorization server, an authorization request for a card transaction initiated with the activated debit card, the authorization request being routed via a payment network; approving the card transaction; and electronically settling at least a portion of the approved card transaction with funds from the associated demand deposit account held at the linked bank.