Patent ID: 8352370

Claim:
A method for conducting a transaction with a financial instrument having an account identifier, the account identifier having a first portion and a second portion, comprising: receiving, by one or more computer processors of an issuer, from a customer, a completed application for the financial instrument; determining, by the one or more computer processors of the issuer, whether to approve the customer for the financial instrument; when the customer is approved for the financial instrument: transmitting, by the one or more computer processors of the issuer, a first portion of an account identifier to a merchant; and transmitting, by the one or more computer processors of the issuer, a second portion of the account identifier to the customers; wherein the first portion of the account identifier and the second portion of the account identifier, when combined, constitute the account identifier; and receiving, by the one or more computer processors of the issuer, from the merchant, the account identifier, wherein the second portion of the account identifier was provided to the merchant by the customer.