A system of servers and algorithms allows merchants to receive value on behalf of a customer as a gift from a third party or for the merchant to proactively award value to the customer. The system receives an indication of credit sponsored by the merchant for a personal account number (PAN) of the customer. The system then creates a specialized monitor for the customer's transactions to identify transactions meeting certain criteria, including merchant, and applies the credited funds for the purchases. These credits may be made in real time at the register during a purchase or via a statement credit when the customer's bill is processed. The scope of the monitoring process may be expanded to partner brands or co-marketing partners. As the funds are applied, the system generates a settlement message to transfer funds from the merchant to an issuer associated with the PAN or other clearinghouse.

A system of servers and algorithms allows merchants to award value to a customer when certain criteria have been met, such as buy $100 worth of clothing and get a $20 credit toward a future purchase. Unlike a gift card, the funding for the award is held by the merchant until the award is used, at which time the award funds are transferred to the user's designated account, such as an open loop credit or debit card.

In one or more arrangements, a system is provided for distribution of promotional retail gift cards. In one or more arrangements, the system is configured to provide a customer user interface for a customer to purchase and manage of a plurality of marketing cards. In one or more arrangements, the marketing cards include branding and contact information of the customer for marketing. In one or more arrangements, the system is also configured to provide a recipient user interface for a recipient of one or the plurality of marketing cards from customer to select a desired retail gift card for redemption using the marketing card. In one or more arrangements, the system is configured to manage an escrow account for the customer and charge the escrow account of the customer when the marketing card is redeemed for the selected retail gift card.

A computerized system for activating, issuing and otherwise managing transactions and activities pertaining to stored-value cards over a communications network. A central information database is provided for storing stored-value cardholder and card purchaser information received directly from respective stored-value cardholders and card purchasers PCs through a universal central processor via respective communication gateways. The central processor is coupled for communication realtime to multiple unaffiliated stored-value card processing networks normally operated by respective hosts. Each network includes a stored-value card processor coupled to a stored-value card database and multiple respective merchant communication devices. The central processor is programmed for managing the activation and issuance of transactions and activities for the stored-value card through the respective unaffiliated networks. The universal central processor is programmed to issue the stored-value cards directly to the cardholder or card purchaser by download over respective communication gateways. The universal central processor is further programmed for reporting the card activations, issuances, transactions and activities to the cardholders and the merchants thereby providing a universal management system.

Method for cash card payment in a payment station for debit and credit cards. The invention is characterised in that the cash card (1) comprises a processor and is caused to store a unique identity associated with a money amount, which exists at a money institution (3), such as a central bank, or which is caused to be transferred from a bank account or the corresponding, to the money institution, in that the transferred amount is caused to be stored on the cash card (1), in that the amount lacks a connection to the proprietor of the cash card except via the said identity, in that, at payment using the cash card (1), the amount to be paid is caused to be transferred, together with the said identity, from the cash card (1) to a payment terminal (5) comprising the said payment station, in that the payment terminal (5) is caused to store the paid amount together with the said identity and that a remaining amount after payment is counted down on the cash card and is stored on the cash card, and in that the payment terminal (5) is caused to activate the money institution (3) to transfer, using the identity, the amount to be paid using the cash card (1) to an account (7) belonging to the point of sale where the payment terminal (5) is located.

A method for processing a payment transaction using a hybrid payment card includes: storing an account profile, the profile including data related to a hybrid payment card including a prepaid balance and a credit allowance; receiving a validation request, the request including a transaction amount; processing the received validation request, the processing including: generating a positive validation response and a validation transaction that indicates payment is made using the prepaid balance if the prepaid balance is greater than the transaction amount, generating a positive validation response and a validation transaction that indicates payment is made using the credit allowance if the prepaid balance is less than the transaction amount and if the credit allowance is greater than the transaction amount, and generating a negative validation response if the prepaid balance and credit allowance are less than the transaction amount; and transmitting the generated validation response.

A method of operating an electronic gaming machine includes generating an interactive game environment in accordance with game data, the interactive game environment having a viewing area may include a plurality of visible game components as a subset of the interactive game environment, displaying the viewing area with the plurality of visible game components, monitoring eye gaze of a player to collect player eye gaze data, determining a location of the eye gaze of the player relative to the viewing area using the player eye gaze data, and in response to the location of the eye gaze of the player relative to the viewing area, changing a resolution of a portion of the viewing area other than a portion of the viewing area corresponding to location of the eye gaze of the player on the viewing area. Related electronic gaming machines are also disclosed.

Depositing funds onto smart cards for use during processing of purchases. A device creates a deposit request and transmits the request to a remote system. The remote system processes the request and transmits a deposit record to the device, which in turn transmits the record to the smart card. If the device has network access, it transmits a deposit confirmation to the remote system, which updates the smart card account to include the confirmation. If the device unable to connect to the remote system, the deposit confirmation is transmitted when the smart card is involved in a future transaction. During the future transaction, the smart card transmits its transaction history, which comprises the deposit confirmation, to the device, and the device transmits the transaction history to the remote system. The remote system updates the smart card account to include the deposit confirmation.

Provided is a process of classifying ambient signals to reduce fraudulent use of information, the process including: receiving, with the mobile computing device, from a remote server, balance-access information by which a stored value card balance can be spent at a point of sale terminal; storing, with the mobile computing device, the balance-access information; sensing, with one or more sensors of a mobile computing device, ambient signals; classifying the ambient signals as indicating the user is in a retail establishment; and in response to the classification, displaying, on a display screen of the mobile computing device, the balance-access information, such that the balance-access information can be input to a point-of-sale terminal.

A method of operating an electronic gaming machine includes generating an interactive game environment in accordance with game data, the interactive game environment having a viewing area may include a plurality of visible game components as a subset of the interactive game environment, displaying the viewing area with the plurality of visible game components, monitoring eye gaze of a player to collect player eye gaze data, determining a location of the eye gaze of the player relative to the viewing area using the player eye gaze data, and in response to the location of the eye gaze of the player relative to the viewing area, changing a resolution of a portion of the viewing area other than a portion of the viewing area corresponding to location of the eye gaze of the player on the viewing area. Related electronic gaming machines are also disclosed.