A gratuity analyzing computing device and method are provided. The computing device may include a receiver to receive transaction data of a plurality of merchants, wherein the transaction data includes authorization transactions and clearing transactions, a calculator to match a plurality of authorization transactions with a plurality of clearing transactions, respectively, and calculate gratuity amounts for the plurality of matched transactions, an analyzer to select at least two merchants, generate tip data for each selected merchant, the tip data for a respective merchant being generated based on gratuity amounts of matched transactions that correspond to the respective merchant, and rank the at least two merchants based on a comparison of the generated tip data of the at least two merchants with respect to each other, and a transmitter configured to output the rank and the tip data of the at least two merchants to a user.

A method involving a communication device, which comprises sending a request to a communication device; receiving a response from the communication device over a local communication path; deriving a received data set from said response; determining at least one data set that had been previously transmitted to the communication device over a wireless portion of a second communication path different from the local communication path; and validating the response based on the received data set and the at least one previously transmitted data set.

A method (400, 500) and a system (100) of conducting transactions for acquisition of virtual items. The method can include receiving from a user (108) a request to acquire the virtual item. Responsive to an identity indicator (112) that is exclusively unique to an identity confirmation device (110) being communicated from the identity confirmation device, a determination can be made whether the identity indicator corresponds to the user. Responsive to determining that the identity indicator corresponds to the user, the virtual item can be provided to the user. The method also can include receiving from a user a request to acquire the virtual item, receiving from an identity confirmation device an identity indicator exclusively unique to the identity confirmation device, and communicating the request and the identity indicator from the client device to a server (104).

Conducting hands-free transactions comprises a server at a payment processing system, a user computing device, and a merchant computing device. The payment processing system registers a merchant system as a hands-free payment participant and provides a beacon identifier. The payment processing system receives a communication from a hands- free payment application on a user computing device, the communication comprising a transaction token, an identification of a user account, and the beacon identifier received by the user computing device via a wireless communication from a device associated with the merchant system and transmits the transaction token to the merchant system computing device. The payment processing system receives from the merchant system computing device, a transaction request, the transaction request comprising the token and transaction data associated with the transaction request and conducts the transaction between the user account and the merchant system based on the received token and transaction request.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for conducting a transaction using an electronic device with a geographically restricted non-native credential are provided. In one embodiment, a host electronic device in a system including an administration entity subsystem and a client electronic device communicatively coupled to the host electronic device via the administration entity subsystem may be provided to include a secure element, a host credential application provisioned on the secure element that generates host transaction credential data, a communications component communicatively coupled to the administration entity subsystem, and a processor that determines that the host credential application is subject to a geographical restriction and, based on the determination, communicates to the administration entity subsystem via the communications component the host transaction credential data and an instruction for the administration entity subsystem to generate a unique voucher redeemable by the client electronic device for the host transaction credential data.

Systems and methods for validating and adjusting local transaction times are provided. A host computing system includes a processor and a memory in communication with the processor. The host computing system receives a computer message comprising authorization data associated with a transaction, the authorization data including a location identifier and a local transaction time set by a remote computing device used in processing the transaction. The host computing system also appends a header including a header processor time to the computer message, determines a time zone associated with the local transaction time based on the location identifier, converts the header processor time to a local header processor time based on the time zone, and determines that the local transaction time is validated based on the local header processor time.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for conducting a transaction using an electronic device with a non-native credential are provided. In one embodiment, a client electronic device in a system including a credential subsystem, a processing subsystem, and a host electronic device may include an online communications component and a processor that accesses, from the processing subsystem, potential transaction data indicative of a transaction, communicates, to the host electronic device using the online communications component, credential request data based on the potential transaction data, receives, from the host electronic device using the online communications component, host credential data based on the credential request data, and communicates, to the processing subsystem, the host credential data, wherein the host credential data is operative to access funds or other suitable enabling elements from the credential subsystem for funding at least a portion of the transaction. Additional embodiments are also provided.

Systems and methods for conversational transacting are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method may include: (1) receiving, by a merchant computer program, a payment instrument from a customer; (2) initiating, by the merchant computer program, a session with the customer by providing a session identifier for the session to a customer electronic device; (3) during the session: receiving, by the merchant computer program, a plurality of transactions from the customer, each with the session identifier; and authorizing, by the merchant computer program, each of the plurality of transactions with an issuer of the payment instrument; and (4) at an end of the session: aggregating, by the merchant computer program, the transactions that were authorized by the issuer; and submitting, by the merchant computer program, the aggregated transactions to the issuer for payment.

A method and system for providing a service node for authenticating online transactions. The authentication service node improves the ability to verify that an online transaction is made by an authenticated user. The authentication service node receives a request to authenticate a transaction, such as a purchase from an online merchant made by a purchaser using a first device and providing a user identifier such as a user name and password. The authentication service node identifies a second device associated with the provided user identifier, where the second device has been configured to validate inputs by a person associated with the provided user identifier. The service node sends the second device a request to confirm the online transaction and receives a determination specifying whether inputs providing by the user of second device match inputs provided previously by the user associated with the user identifier.

An embodiment includes a method executed by at least one processor comprising: determining inventories for first and second times for a first vending machine (VM); determining inventories for first and second times for a second VM; determining inventories for first and second times for a third VM; and determining a service route to visit the first and second VMs on a specific date, and to specifically avoid visiting the third VM on the specific date, in response to determining the inventories for the second times for the first, second, and third VMs. Other embodiments are described herein.