Patent ID: 8429074

Claim:
A computer-implemented method to manage a plurality of promotion cards, the method comprising: issuing, by a computer associated with a bank to define a bank computer, a plurality of cards configured to be used only with one of a plurality of retailers in association with one or more promotions to define a plurality of promotion cards, one or more of the plurality of retailers having an obligation to pay a predetermined amount to the bank for the plurality of promotion cards issued by the bank, each of the plurality of promotion cards having a redemption value; determining, by the bank computer, a receipt of an indication from one or more of a plurality of retail computers that one or more retail customers are eligible for the one or more promotions with one or more of the plurality of retailers, the bank having an obligation to fund from the bank's funds one or more authorized transactions associated with one or more of the plurality of promotion cards equal to or less than the redemption value; authorizing, by the bank computer, one or more transaction payment requests associated with one or more of the plurality of promotion cards issued by the bank computer to define one or more authorized transactions, the authorizing being responsive to a value of the one or more transaction payment requests being equal to or less than the redemption value of the one or more of the plurality of promotion cards; transferring, by the bank computer, funds in an amount of the value of the one or more transaction payments request from the bank computer to the one or more of the plurality of retail computers so that the bank meets the obligation to fund the one or more authorized transactions; and determining, by the bank computer, receipt of funds from the one or more of the plurality of retail computers, the funds being in an amount of the redemption value of the one or more of the plurality of promotion cards upon expiration to define a remaining redemption value.