Systems and apparatus for providing merchants with real-time funds availability for
payment card account
system transactions. In an embodiment, the
system includes a bridging
network computer having a processor operably coupled to a storage device and to a
communication device, a
payment network, a merchant acquirer
bank computer, and a plurality of issuer
bank computers. The storage device of the bridging
network computer stores instructions which when executed cause the processor to receive a
payment card account
system transaction request, determine that the merchant selected
electronic funds transfer (EFT) settlement for the accepted
payment card account transaction, determine that the
payment card account transaction is eligible for real-time EFT settlement, determine that both the merchant acquirer
bank and an issuer are participants in a real-time EFT settlement arrangement, and then transmit instructions to an issuer bank computer to credit a holding account and to execute via an EFT transaction request a transfer of funds in real-time for the transaction amount to the merchant acquirer bank.