The use of concierge services by business and vacation travelers has increased as people have become busier and consumer options for travel arrangements have become more complicated and expansive. Accordingly, some issuers and payment processing networks provide concierge services to their account holders as a value add service. Travelers may use the concierge services to plan dinners, lodging, and entertainment that they may experience while they are in a new city or region. Additionally, some issuers and payment processing networks provide specific products (e.g., special cards, accounts, etc.) focused on the needs and desires of business travelers. For example, an issuer may provide a travel card that provides particular travel oriented deal, discounts, or benefits, in order to attract business travelers or vacationers to sign up for that account or card product.
Typically, a concierge service may have special arrangements with merchants and service providers which allow them to provide special discounts and promotions to traveling members that are arranging their travel through the concierge service. However, it may be difficult for a concierge to inform a user of all of the special promotions and discounts that may be available to a user. Accordingly, there may be a need for an easy and efficient manner for a user to review the current promotions and coupons that are available for a particular geographic area through the concierge service.
Additionally, in the past there have been limited ways for a traveler to easily and quickly receive the services provided by a concierge while traveling. Furthermore, it may be difficult to find the correct concierge to contact for a given situation as a traveler may contact one concierge to book travel in one country, and a different concierge or customer service representative to address a problem while in another country. Furthermore, the user may be out of contact with a concierge service during a flight or if there is limited connection to a communications network while traveling in remote areas. Accordingly, travelers may not be able to plan their future activities or get access to their travel information while traveling.
Smartphones and other portable electronic device have grown in popularity and use in recent years. Additionally, communications networks have expanded rapidly and the portable electronic devices may have access to a number of different communications networks (e.g., the Internet, cellular communications networks, etc.) throughout the world. As consumers travel to new countries, regions, and cities, they bring their portable electronic devices with them and use these devices around the world.
Accordingly, there is a need for an application or module that may operate on a portable electronic device and provide information to a user while they are traveling and allow quick and easy access to a concierge service, promotions, accountholder benefit information, and ATM location information no matter where the user is located in the world. Additionally, there is a need for users to have better access to local and specialized deals that are relevant to the consumer's current travel, spending habits, and issuer products, as they travel.
Embodiments of the present invention address these problems and other problems individually and collectively.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds