US Patent 7665660 Real-time awards determinations

The present invention provides systems and methods for facilitating transactions with real-time awards determinations for a cardholder. Each transaction includes transaction information, where the transaction information includes: cardholder information, merchant information, and a transaction amount. An engine determines if an award should be granted based on award criteria, such that the engine compares the transaction information with each award criterion in order to determine if the award should be granted in real-time with the transaction by the cardholder.