Methods for an electronic token-based
payment system includes providing a deferred-
payment service by a network-accessible deferred-
payment server that performs the steps of
processing authorization of
digital content purchases for a user account without requiring payment at time of purchase, monitoring a total outstanding purchase balance associated with the user account, and transmitting a settlement request
signal to a computer
server associated with the financial institution having a
credit card account associated with the user for settlement of at least a part of the total outstanding purchase balance when the total outstanding balance exceeds at least one of a predetermined threshold amount and / or accrued over a time that exceeds a predetermined time interval. The transmitted settlement request
signal includes information indicative of the total outstanding purchase balance owed, and the electronic token associated with the user of the user account. The electronic token being obtained from a
user information database containing electronic tokens associated with corresponding respective user accounts, each token being unique with respect to both a user account of the deferred-payment service for a user, and with respect to a
credit card account issued by the financial institution for such user. The token including encrypted information of a characteristic of a user who is associated with the user account, in absence of any information of the user account identification or the
credit card account identification, wherein the deferred-payment service has not been provided with, nor has access to, the credit card account identification.