Systems and methods for facilitating real-time item-specific application of a promotional bank card balance to a purchase within a collaborative network are described. Such methods permit restriction of bank cards and bank card balances to purchase of specific items and specific merchants. Collaborative systems are used to implement such methods, such as computer systems and networked computer system. Methods for facilitating item-specific application of a card balance may be performed using computer systems managed by a single entity as well as in distributed computing environments wherein aspects of the methods are implemented by disparate parties. Unique bank card number are associated with a promotional offer as well as item-specific information relating to authorized uses of the offer. When an offer is attempted to be redeemed, a secondary item-specific authorization check is performed in addition to a check of the validity of the overall promotional offer.

Systems and methods for managing the promotional offer industry offer, redemption, and settlement processes address and minimize fraud, better inform the business offering the promotion of the results of the promotional offer program, and facilitate improvements in the settlement process after offer redemption. A method includes steps of receiving an indication of interest in the promotional offer, associating a one-time-use unique bank card number with the promotional offer, and transmitting the bank card number to the consumer computing device as an accepted promotional offer, whereby the consumer is enabled to use the bank card number at a point of sale to redeem the accepted promotional offer. The method also includes steps of receiving, over the communications network, an indication that the bank card number was used at the point of sale to redeem the accepted promotional offer and allocating payment for redemption of the promotional offer.

A multi-restaurant facial recognition includes one or more cameras, first point-of-sale (POS) terminals, and a backend server. The cameras are disposed within a first retail establishment and are configured to capture one or more images of a patron within the first retail establishment. The POS terminals are also within the first retail establishment and one or more of the first POS terminals receives the one or more images and transmits a request over a network for enrollment of the patron in a loyalty program. The backend server receives the request, enrolls the patron in the loyalty program, and stores loyalty program data, where the backend server may recognize and provide the loyalty program data in response to subsequent requests for recognition of the patron from any one of a plurality of second POS terminals that are in other retail establishments that are related to the first retail establishment.

A method of payment using rewards points includes receiving authentication data and a payment amount from a customer's mobile device, determining an amount of rewards points available to fund the payment amount in a rewards account associated with the customer, and sending selectable payment options to the mobile device. The selectable payment options include an option to redeem a portion of the rewards points amount to fund a portion of the payment amount. The method also includes receiving a customer selection of at least one of the selectable payment options from the mobile device and sending a form of payment for the payment amount from the account management system at the mobile device. The form of payment is configured for presentation to a point of sale device.

A method and a system for facilitating reuse or recycling of a packing bag are provided. A server links one or more details of the packing bag with a user identifier of a user based on an issuance of the packing bag to the user. The packing bag is associated with an identity tag that stores the one or more details of the packing bag. The server detects an occurrence of a first event associated with the packing bag. The first event corresponds to the reuse of the packing bag by the user or submission of the packing bag by the user for recycling. Based on the detection of the first event, the server credits one or more reward points to a reward point account that is associated with the user identifier of the user. The reward points credited to the reward point account are redeemable by the user.

A computer-implemented technique for applying rewards points associated with a payment card is disclosed. A computer system stores information associated with a person's payment card, such as a credit or debit card, including information indicative of rewards points associated with the card. The computer system then receives from a remote device a first message indicative of a transaction between the person and another entity. The transaction includes a payment of a specified amount from the person to the other entity. In some embodiments the transaction has already been completed, and the computer system causes rewards points to be applied to it post-transaction. In other embodiments the transaction has not yet been executed and may be a requested cash transfer. The computer system determines how many rewards points correspond to the specified amount and causes the rewards points to be used for at least a portion of the transaction amount.

Method and apparatus for incentivizing ride share users, where offers are presented to the users and based on selected offers, corresponding fares may be reduced. A ride share incentivization may include user profile database, a business database, a route generator, and an advertisement generator. The route generator is configured to generate a first route and a first fare based on a first ride share request, and a second route and a second fare based on a second ride share request. The advertisement generator may generate offers for the rider share users and adjust the fares of the ride share users based on the selected offers. The advertisement generator may further adjust one or more offers when no offers are selected.

A system and techniques are provided that enable an affinity pooling application executing on the mobile device and an aggregation of affinity reward programs. The affinity pooling application may enable a mobile device to enroll in the aggregation of affinity reward program. The enrollment with an affinity exchange server enables the mobile device to select affinity reward programs for participation and management by the affinity exchange server. The affinity exchange server may enable determination of an affinity reward exchange rate. Other examples and techniques are also disclosed.

In response to detecting a first purchase or a user activity by a user and corresponding to a first merchant, a computer system, updates a rewards amount associated with the user, the first merchant corresponding to a first rewards program. The computer system detects an initiation of a second purchase by the user, the purchase corresponding to a second merchant, wherein the second merchant does not correspond to the first rewards program. In response to detecting the initiation of the second purchase, the computer system causes an interface to be provided to the user, wherein the interface allows the first user to utilize at least a portion of the rewards amount for the second purchase. In response to receiving an input from the first user via the provided interface, the computer system processes a payment for the second purchase, utilizing at least a first portion of the rewards amount.

Techniques for redeeming accumulated rewards points at a service provider that is independent from a provider of the accumulated rewards points are described herein. The service provide may authenticate a user having an account at the service provider and then associate the user account with a user account at one or more points providers. The service provider may then determine a number of accumulated and available rewards points for the user account(s) at the points provider(s). The service provider may then allow the user to redeem one or more of the rewards points when conducting a transaction with the independent service provider.