System, apparatus and methods for automatically calculating discounts for purchases from merchants made using a reservation system

The invention relates to a system, apparatus and methods for automatically calculating a discount offered by a seller to a customer by means of a reservation system. IN AN EXAMPLE, A RESERVATION FILE CONTAINS RESERVATION DATA AND TRANSACTION DATA RELATING TO CARD PAYMENT TRANSACTIONS ARE ACCESSIBLE. ONE OR MORE ELEMENTS OF THE TRANSACTION DATA ARE COMPARED WITH ONE OR MORE ELEMENTS OF THE RESERVATION FILE TO DETERMINE A CORRESPONDENCE; AND ON THE BASIS OF THIS CORRESPONDENCE, THE DISCOUNT IS CALCULATED ELECTRONICALLY BASED ON ONE OR MORE ELEMENTS OF THE TRANSACTION DATA AND ONE OR MORE ELEMENTS OF THE RESERVATION FILE. THE DISCOUNT CAN THEREFORE BE PRECISELY CALCULATED AUTOMATICALLY. IN ANOTHER EMBODIMENT, THE CUSTOMER MAY OPERATE FOR A DISCOUNT OFFER, SUCH AS MILES OF AIRLINES, POINTS OR OTHER TYPES OF REWARD, IN WHICH CASE THE CLIENT CAN RECEIVE THESE AWARDS IN QUANTITY PROPORTIONAL TO THE DISCOUNT.