System for using telecommunications services uses a portable device to store customer data and a retailer's terminal to receive customer data, to enter data about a customer's business transaction and to ascertain credit balances.

摘要

A first portable storage device (FPSD) (12) stores customer data. A retailer's terminal (41-4n) receives customer data from the FPSD, enters data characterizing a business transaction assigned to a customer and ascertains first credit balances that use the business transaction to illustrate uses of a telecommunication service available to a customer. A central computer system (2) sets up a data-transmission link to the retailer's terminal, receives first credit balances and customer data and transmits these credit balances to a telecommunications service computer system (TSCS) (8), which is programmed by the customer to store the first credit balance data as a first credit balance for using a telecommunications service (TS). A telecommunications terminal (14) relies on the first credit balance for transmitting customer data to the TSCS in order to use the TS. An Independent claim is also included for a method for using telecommunications services.