A method and an apparatus for information exchange in online charging in order to reduce frequency of information exchange between a Charging Trigger Function (CTF) device and an Online Charging System (OCS), and reduce a pressure of information transmission between the CTF device and the OCS, where the method includes receiving, by a CTF device, a credit control answer (CCA) message that carries a non-real-time Trigger and sent by an OCS, recording, by the CTF device, charging information before and after a corresponding event of the non-real-time Trigger happens each time before sending a credit control request (CCR) message to the OCS next time, and sending, by the CTF device, the CCR message to the OCS.

A method and an apparatus for information exchange in online charging in order to reduce frequency of information exchange between a Charging Trigger Function (CTF) device and an Online Charging System (OCS), and reduce a pressure of information transmission between the CTF device and the OCS, where the method includes receiving, by a CTF device, a credit control answer (CCA) message that carries a non-real-time Trigger and sent by an OCS, recording, by the CTF device, charging information before and after a corresponding event of the non-real-time Trigger happens each time before sending a credit control request (CCR) message to the OCS next time, and sending, by the CTF device, the CCR message to the OCS.

There is provided mechanisms for granting network resources for maintaining a communication session for a subscriber in a network. A method is performed by a CTF node. The method includes obtaining, from a gateway in the network, a request for network resources for maintaining the communication session for the subscriber, and requesting, from an OCF node and in response thereto, credit units corresponding to the network resources. The method includes obtaining a grant of the credit units as well as an advance credit indication of additional credit units for the communication session from the OCF node. The method further includes storing the advance credit indication for the communication session and providing, to the gateway, a grant for the network resources for maintaining the communication session in accordance with the obtained grant.

Systems and methods are described herein for recharging prepaid accounts within a telecommunications provider, such as a network carrier, using information provided by postpaid account subscribers. For example, the systems and methods facilitate the receipt of instructions from mobile devices associated with postpaid accounts. Upon receipt of the messages, the systems and methods (such as systems within a charging system of the network carrier or provider) identify intended or recipient mobile devices associated with prepaid accounts. Once identified, the systems and methods recharge the prepaid accounts, based on the instructions received from the postpaid account mobile devices.

A process for handling wireless service and wireless device transaction and information requests includes storing in a database wireless service information responses, wireless service transaction responses, wireless device information responses, and wireless device transaction responses. The process including receiving and analyzing a keyword, obtaining a response, based at least on the keyword, and transmitting the response.

A method for transferring funds to a second electronic computing device includes establishing a first pre-paid payment account on a first electronic computing device. The first pre-paid payment account is used to establish one or more second pre-paid payment accounts. The one or more second pre-paid payment accounts have a value that is less than or equal to the first pre-paid payment account. A first account identifier is obtained for one of the second pre-paid payment accounts. The first account identifier is sent to the second electronic computing device. The sending of the first account identifier to the second electronic computing device results in a transfer of ownership of the one more second pre-paid accounts from a first user at the first electronic computing device to a second user at the second electronic computing device.

A method for crediting a customer account maintained by a vendor of services in response to payment received from a customer is disclosed herein. The method includes issuing, to the customer, a membership account number associated with at least the customer account. A membership account number and a payment corresponding to a requested amount of a service offered by the vendor are received from the customer at a point-of-sale. The method further includes generating, at the point-of-sale, an authorization message including at least the membership account number and embedded transaction information identifying the service offered by the vendor and the requested amount. The embedded transaction information is then communicated from the point-of-sale to a database server. The customer account is credited, in response to the embedded transaction information, based upon an amount of the payment. The method also includes electronically transferring funds based upon the amount of the payment from a first account associated with the point-of-sale to a second account associated with the vendor.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a credit control method, a policy and charging enforcement function entity, and an online charging system. The method includes: if an OCS determines that a service borne by a second bearer may share a credit pool with a service borne by a first bearer, sending a second quota allocated to the second bearer and a credit pool identifier corresponding to the first bearer to the PCEF, so that the PCEF stores the second quota and a first quota in a same credit pool, so that the second bearer and the first bearer use the same credit pool, thereby implementing sharing of the credit pool between IP-CAN bearers and even between IP-CAN sessions, and ensuring smoothness of a service.

A method and system for the purchase and activation of services on a wireless device are provided. The method and system include the use of an airtime card with a near field communication tag with a unique identifier code used to improve a user's experience and ease of activation/provisioning of services for the wireless device. In some aspects, the unique identifier may be generated during the activation and purchase of the wireless service and it is not required that the unique identifier code be recorded in a backend system of the wireless provider prior to activation. The services to be purchased and activated may include at least one of the following: out of the box activation, device upgrades, device reactivations, wireless number changes, wireless number porting, and the addition or purchasing of services including airtime, data, and/or SMS enrollments or data content.

A method and system for the purchase and activation of services on a wireless device are provided. The method and system include the use of an airtime card with a near field communication tag with a unique identifier code used to improve a user's experience and ease of activation/provisioning of services for the wireless device. In some aspects, the unique identifier may be generated during the activation and purchase of the wireless service and it is not required that the unique identifier code be recorded in a backend system of the wireless provider prior to activation. The services to be purchased and activated may include at least one of the following: out of the box activation, device upgrades, device reactivations, wireless number changes, wireless number porting, and the addition or purchasing of services including airtime, data, and/or SMS enrollments or data content.